As a writer, one of your biggest challenges will be knowing which words to keep, and which ones to cut. It can be tempting to use flowery prose and fluffy phrases (especially if you have a word count to meet), but there is almost always a more concise—and oftentimes, clearer—option. 

For example, many amateur writers are fond of using “has the ability to” when they could easily use “can.” Other examples include: 

• “in order to” instead of “to” 
• “due to the fact that” instead of “because”
• “in the event that” instead of “if”

What Is Verbal Deadwood?

Verbal deadwood, or deadwood phrases, are wordy ways of expressing simple ideas. Although they can sound formal and educated, oftentimes, all they do is muddle up the thoughts that could have been stated more clearly using less words. 

Examples of Deadwood Phrases to Replace 

To help you identify wordiness, here is a list of the most common deadwood phrases and their shorter alternative: 

Deadwood Phrases	Shorter Option
accordingly	so
a majority of	most
according to our data	we find
a sufficient amount of	enough
addressees	you
affirmative	yes
along the lines of	like
anonymous	stranger
as is the case with	like
ascertain the location of	find
at the present time	now
be deficient in	lack
come to a conclusion	conclude
despite the fact that	although
fewer in number	fewer
for the purpose of	for
for this reason	therefore
give indication of	show
has proved to be	is
if conditions are such that	if
in close proximity to	near
in all cases	always
in most cases	usually
in some cases	sometimes
in view of the fact that	because
it is interesting to note that	note that
notwithstanding the fact that	although
serves the function of being	is
there can be little doubt that	probably
during the time that	while
on the basis of	because
prior to	before
provided that	if
the question as to	whether
utilize	use
with the exception that	except that
it is possible that	perhaps
make inquiry regarding	ask about
it is our opinion that	we think
in the neighborhood of	near
in the near future	soon
is capable of	can
has the ability to	can
is able to	can
the manner in which	how

Examples of Deadwood Phrases You Can Remove 

In other cases, you may not be able to find a viable alternative, but you can remove these words inside the parentheses without affecting the overall meaning: 

1. after (the conclusion of) 
2. as a(n) (added) bonus
3. (anonymous) stranger 
4. (armed) gunman
5. depreciate (in value) 
6. (in order) to 
7. (put an) end (to) 
8. (very) unique

How Do You Avoid Deadwood Phrases?

Here are some practical tips to help you remove deadwood from your writing: 

1. Use active verbs.

One of the best ways to cut back on unnecessary words is to write active and not passive verbs. This means the subject is doing the action. 

For example: 

Passive: The murals were done by the college students. 

Active: The college students did the murals.

2. Choose simple words.

One temptation for writers is to show off by using difficult words and long phrases. But simplicity is much better. 

For example: 

Wordy: Despite the fact that elections were looming on the horizon, the mayor still made the decision to make controversial statements on national TV. 

Better: Though the elections were near, the mayor still made controversial statements on national TV. 

3. Remove empty phrases.

Deadwood phrases can also sometimes be removed altogether without affecting the meaning of the sentence. 

For example: 

Wordy: As a matter of fact, it is my humble opinion that the girl will, all things considered, have the biggest possibility that she will recover. 

Better: I believe the girl will most likely recover.

4. Avoid converting verbs into nouns.

The process of converting verbs into nouns is called nominalization. Instead of doing this, use the active verb. 

For example: 

Wordy: The teacher was impressed by the explanation of the students for their thesis statement. 

Better: The students explained their thesis statement and impressed the teacher. 

5. Use specific nouns. 

Vague nouns also play a big role in the forest of deadwood phrases. These include words like thing, aspect, area, factor, situation, manner, and way. The best way to deal with these is to choose specific nouns instead. 

For example: 

Wordy: Upon having read a number of things in the area of the biological sciences, I am greatly convinced that I should make the decision to pursue a career in the field of biology. 

Better: After reading several biology books, I’ve decided to pursue a career in biology. 

6. Remove descriptors like “who/that/which was.” 

If you are describing something within a clause or sentence, see if you can do away with the “who was,” “that was,” or “which was.” 

For example: 

Wordy: The boy who was sitting in the far corner of the room fell asleep. 

Better: The boy sitting in the far corner of the room fell asleep. 

7. Skip empty openers.

Check how you start your sentences. Words like “There is” or “There are” are considered empty openers because they do not add to the meaning of your sentence.

For example: 

Wordy: There are many hornbills perched on the tree. 

Better: Many hornbills are perched on the tree. 

Removing Deadwood Phrases to Improve Your Writing

If you commit to removing deadwood phrases from all your writing, you will definitely be on your way to become a much better writer. 

To continue honing your craft, check out some of our other writing articles too. 

Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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