It's Time to Kill Weak Words

Words have the power to transport us to new worlds, paint pictures and invoke emotions. They can also put us to sleep.

When writing it is easy to fall in the trap of overusing weak words, however, there is an escape route. I love words which makes a thesaurus one of my favorite resources and writing tools. It provides strong, unique words to add power to a narrative.

Eliminate repeated words with the use of a thesaurus

Read the following example of a paragraph that repeats the word “bad.”

Joe had many bad days. His teacher disciplined him when he was bad in school. He was bad at home, but his parents did not realize that he was bad at school too. Joe had to learn to not be bad.

By using either a thesaurus or the synonym feature on the computer, stronger words can easily be found.

Read the revision with different words substituted.

Joe had many terrible days. His teacher disciplined him when he was naughty in school. He was mischievous at home, but his parents did not realize that he was unpleasant at school too. Joe had to learn to not be troublesome.

Some writers seize the opportunity to replace weak or repeated words but do not consider how the replacement can alter the meaning. Beware! Some words change the message even if they are synonyms. Joe’s parents would be concerned if they read the above paragraph about their son. However, their response might be quite confrontive if different words from the synonym list were inserted.

Joe had many sinful days. His teacher disciplined him when he was evil in school. He was wicked at home, but his parents did not realize that he was abysmal at school too. Joe had to learn to not be terrible.

As I relaxed on my front porch, a butterfly glided past my nose. Then I glimpsed a grasshopper creeping from the step to the lawn, and then it vanished. Flies buzRevise a bland paragraph by eliminating weak words

Weak words are passive and nondescriptive. They consist of words that are overused, abstract, do not create images, and provide no action. Linking verbs: is, are, was, were, be, being, been are also week and can be easily replaced.

Notice the highlighted words are weak words.

As I sat on my front porch, a butterfly went past my nose. Then I saw a grasshopper go from the step to the lawn, and then it was gone. Flies were flying by the screen door. The hot sun shined in the sky. I got up. I got the hose. I played in the water to cool off.

Insert descriptive words to create images in the reader’s mind.

As I relaxed on my front porch, a butterfly glided past my nose. Then I glimpsed a grasshopper creeping from the step to the lawn, and then it vanished. Flies buzzed by the screen door. The hot sun radiated in the sky. I rose, searched for the hose and dowsed myself with water to cool off.

Activity to practice using the thesaurus or synonyms tab

In this paragraph the weak word “pretty” is overused.

Jenny looked like she had just walked out of a fashion magazine. She had a pretty face and a pretty smile. Her short curly hair was pretty. The black leggings and pink flowered top that she wore were pretty. Jenny caught your attention as soon as she entered the room.

Rewrite the paragraph using powerful words that paint a vibrant image.

Jenny looked like she had just walked out of a fashion magazine. She had a __________ face and a __________ smile. Her short curly hair was __________. The black leggings and pink flowered top that she wore were _____________. Jenny caught your attention as soon as she entered the room.

By increasing awareness to word choice, writers gain power over the writing. They learn to engage readers and all it requires is a thesaurus.

In this age of technology, the thesaurus has been replaced with a tab on the computer that offers synonyms. When a writer, working in Word, wants to replace a word with a synonym, they can simply highlight the word, right click on the mouse, choose synonyms from the dropdown list, and insert an alternative.

If one of the immediate responses are not effective, click on “Thesaurus” and a larger list of options will be provided.

If you are a writer, you know how to use a thesaurus. However, are you using the thesaurus? Do you need to kill off some weak words to enrich your writing? What one word is overused and needs to be buried?