Archive for the ‘Pet Words’ Category

I’m  looking for a critique partner. Someone who can help me catch the things that I miss in tweaking and polishing my books. Things like – grammar, spelling, run-on sentences, fragments, nonsensical phrasing, head hopping. Generally the techniques and mechanics of writing.

So in my quest, I’ve also started learning more about editing and how to spot these things on my own. I know nothing is perfect, but I want it as perfect as I can get it. So I don’t get an “R” on something like grammar or mechanics of writing.

So here is one of my techniques:

When the draft is completed, I use Microsoft Word. So Edit – Find – Check “Highlight all items found in:” box – More button – Check “Find whole words only” box cause it’ll highlight the “was” in “Washington” if you didn’t. Once I’m done I print it out and then go through with my purple pen and rewrite/reword.

I search for the following list of words. Now that’s not to say that all intenses where I find these words are bad or wrong. But I want to eliminate the unnessecary use of them so I can make my writing tighter and hopefully better. These are what some would call “pet” or “crutch” words.

• and – but
• that
• causing (forms of cause)
• just
• like
• as
• very
• nearly – almost
• really
• seem – appear
• felt – feel
• begin – began
• began to
• started to
• would have – could have – should have
• quite
• making (forms of make)
• few
• rather
• thing
• stuff
• anyway
• because
• “ly” adverbs
• excessive adverb use
• so
• then
• and then
• even
• only
• down – up (as in sit down, stand up – can be redundant)
• got – get
• it – is
• am
• are
• was
• were
• wore
• wearing
• which
• when
• went
• put
• has
• had
• have
• been
• to be
• there is
• there are
• there was
• there were

I know it’s a long list. It’s something I’ve compiled over the past year or so from reading craft of writing and punctuation/grammar books. Or from online classes and other resources.