A list of ten words that are over used in writing. If the exclusion of a certain word is good enough for Mark Twain, then it’s good enough for me.

Mark Twain made this comment about using “very”: “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” “Very” is a crutch for finding the right word to describe what you mean to say. Find the right word. Example: “He was very old.” This can be revised as “He was ancient.” Also, in this example, you can simply write, “He was old,” and then provide text to further explain what you mean by “old.” For example, you could write, “He was old. He walked hesitantly, knowing that his brittle bones would surely break were he to stumble over an unseen obstacle.”

My high school English teacher also advised against the use of both “got” and “done”… “they’re terrible words find a substitute,” he used to say.