Want a quick and dirty way to make your writing appear more professional on the Web and in print collateral? Avoid cliches. Avoid them like the plague.
Cliches are like dirty old men at the bar: they'll try to get you drunk on raspberry Kamakazi shots and then act like the innocent Boy Scout wanting to give you a ride home. Steer clear.
Work your prose without having to use cliches. They will bog your writing down to a dreary level of "acceptable" and not much more.
The BBC has provided an updated list of cliches that have worn out their welcome with nearly everyone:
1) "Basically"
2) "To be fair..." -- often followed by a comment that isn't fair
3) Its ugly sister: "To be honest"
4) "Going forward" -- you wouldn't go backward, so why clarify 'going foward' -- this used to be a cardinal sin of mine. Too easy to use when trying to be gentle in correcting someone else's mistake.
5) "The fact of the matter is"
6) "Let's face it"
7) "Touch base" -- I'll forgive you if you use this one, but try to live without it.
8) "110%"
9) "In the pipeline" -- I see this one in my email maybe 2-3x a day. That's one heck of a pipeline. Call a plumber.
10) "The reason being"
11) "You know" -- Jeff Foxworthy pretty much squeezed every last penny out of this one. If you coach someone in public speaking, you may not write it down, but correct them every single time they blurt it out without thinking, especially when responding to questions.
Keep 'em out of your RFPs, Web content, and yes, even your emails. Kick your habitual use of cliches today.
Cliches are like dirty old men at the bar: they'll try to get you drunk on raspberry Kamakazi shots and then act like the innocent Boy Scout wanting to give you a ride home. Steer clear.
Work your prose without having to use cliches. They will bog your writing down to a dreary level of "acceptable" and not much more.
The BBC has provided an updated list of cliches that have worn out their welcome with nearly everyone:
1) "Basically"
2) "To be fair..." -- often followed by a comment that isn't fair
3) Its ugly sister: "To be honest"
4) "Going forward" -- you wouldn't go backward, so why clarify 'going foward' -- this used to be a cardinal sin of mine. Too easy to use when trying to be gentle in correcting someone else's mistake.
5) "The fact of the matter is"
6) "Let's face it"
7) "Touch base" -- I'll forgive you if you use this one, but try to live without it.
8) "110%"
9) "In the pipeline" -- I see this one in my email maybe 2-3x a day. That's one heck of a pipeline. Call a plumber.
10) "The reason being"
11) "You know" -- Jeff Foxworthy pretty much squeezed every last penny out of this one. If you coach someone in public speaking, you may not write it down, but correct them every single time they blurt it out without thinking, especially when responding to questions.
Keep 'em out of your RFPs, Web content, and yes, even your emails. Kick your habitual use of cliches today.
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