Is this the most superfluous word in the English language?
A discussion about pruning
In these posts for paid subscribers I either explore useful hints and tips for (especially) nonfiction writers, or explain how I went about creating a particular ‘experiment in style’.
There’s a lot to be said for cutting out extraneous words, which is why a lot of people say it.
I’ve started to view words as employees: they need to earn their keep. If they’re just loafing around adding nothing to the narrative, why am I keeping them on?
But determining which words are superfluous, that’s the tricky part. Getting rid of most, if not all, adjectives and adverbs is often a safe bet I’ve found. But there is one adverb in particular that I take exception to.
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