“Dead words,” by my definition, are words students “use to death” in their writing samples.

Some
words in the English language tend to be overused and, therefore, lose their power. These are called
dead words. Below is a list of dead words and some interesting alternatives

Also: too, moreover, besides, as well as, in addition to Awesome, Cool, Rad: fine wonderful,
marvelous, great, fantastic
Scared: afraid, fearful, terrified, frightened, horrified
Have to: need to, must
Very: extremely, exceedingly, fantastically, unusually, incredibly, intensely, truly, fully,
especially, shockingly, bitterly, immeasurably, infinitely, severely, surely, mightily,
powerfully, chiefly
Like: such as, similar to, similarly
Kid: child, boy, girl, youngster, youth
Mad: angry, frustrated, furious, incensed, enraged
Got, Get: received, obtained, attained, succeed in
Then: first, second, next, later, finally, afterward, meanwhile, soon
Nice: pleasant, charming, fascinating, captivating, delightful, pleasurable, pleasing
Lots/ a lot: Numerous, heaps, many, scores, innumerable, myriad
So: thus, accordingly, therefore, hence
Fun: pleasant, pleasurable, amusing, entertaining, jolly
Good: excellent, exceptional, fine, marvelous, splendid, superb, wonderful
But: however, moreover, yet, still, nevertheless, though, although, on the other hand
Bad/Awful: dreadful, alarming, frightful, terrible, horrid, shocking
Great: wonderful, marvelous, fantastic
Guy: man, person, fellow, boy
Funny: amusing, comical, laughable, jovial, hysterical, hilarious

 Identifying the dead words:

“Wow,” said Clarisse to her friend. “That new guy over there is really cute.”
Rudolph was really happy to hear that. “Did you hear that?” he said to his friend. “She said I’m
cute.” He was so happy that he jumped really high in the air. Then he started flying through the
air. He was really surprised. All the other reindeer were surprised too. Suddenly, Rudolph’s nose
started to shine again. All the other reindeer were mad at Rudolph. They all said, “Don’t let
Rudolph join in any more reindeer games.” Santa was surprised too. He said Rudolph should be
ashamed of himself. Rudolph walked sadly away all by himself.

 Sample Revision of Dead Words Paragraph

“Wow,” whispered Clarisse to her friend. “That new guy over there is really cute.”
Rudolph blushed. “Did you hear that?” he whispered to his friend. “She said I’m cute.” He leapt
into the air. Then he started soaring through the sky. He shivered with excitement. All the other
reindeer gasped. Suddenly, Rudolph’s nose started to glow again. All the other reindeer sneered
at Rudolph. They shouted, “Don’t let Rudolph join in any more reindeer games.” Santa grimaced.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” he scolded. Rudolph limped away, his head hanging.
How to Get Rid of Dead Words in Writing

 Avoid Passive Voice

Maintain an active voice in your writing. This means the subject is performing the action
that your verb describes, advises the American Management Association's August 2010 column
"Get Red of Those Pesky 'Weasel Words.'" By contrast, a passive voice sentence's subject receives
the action, but doesn't clarify who does what to whom. Put the emphasis on your subject to
eliminate confusion. Instead of saying, "Mistakes were made," rewrite the statement for active
voice as "I made a mistake."

 Delete Irrelevant Expressions

Edit sentences ruthlessly for redundant words and expressions that add nothing to the sentence
meanings. For example, "the ambitious employee" is a better option than "the employee with
ambition," according to Purdue University's Online Writing Lab. Similarly, weed out redundant
word pairings that imply one another -- such as "true facts" -- and unnecessary modifiers that sound
fine conversationally but only drag written sentences down. That's why you would say, "Any
dessert is fine," as opposed to its lengthier alternative, "Any particular type of dessert."

 Eliminate Vague Qualifiers

Tightening sentences alone won't get rid of every dead word. Scrutinize rough drafts for so-called
"weasel words" or vague modifiers that suggest uncertainty about what you're trying to convey.
Examples of these expressions include "as much as," "believe," "can," "could," "possibly," and
"virtually," according to the AMA column. Failure to purge weasel words is considered a signal
of weak writing, as they soften a sentence's intended meaning. Find a stronger word or cut it from
your text.

 Shorten Lengthy Sentences

Keep subjects and verbs together to create stronger sentences, the University of Pennsylvania
School of Arts and Science states in its writing tips. For example, a weak writer might say, "The
leaders of East Germany, who had always supported a more aggressive strategy toward the Allied
presence in West Berlin, felt that the time was ripe to ask the Soviet Union to give the green light
for decisive action." Instead, place your strongest elements first by stating, "East German leaders
had always itched for the chance to seal off West Berlin. Now they pleaded with Moscow to strike."

 Use Fewer Adverbs

Minimize adverbs unless you're using them to convey a particular effect, advises contemporary
author and poet Jessica Bell in her April 2013 column for "Writer's Digest." As Bell observes,
adverbs are considered a common symptom of weak writing, because they don't commit the author
to describe what's really happening. To avoid this trap, focus on small details that you can describe
without adverbs. For example, instead of having a character "knock lightly," say, "She tapped on
the door."
I. Analyzing Dead Words Diagram
UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM DALTA
Alabang-Zapote Road, Pamplona 3, Las Pinas City, Metro Manila 1740, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

ENG 603-3
ENGLISH FOR THE PROFESSION

VERBAL DEAD WORDS

SUBMITTED BY:

GARCIA, AVE JIANNE DELOS REYES

BS ECE – V

SUBMITTED TO:

MS. BENJAMINITA A. PUKASUI

SEPTEMBER 30, 2017