My list:
Highlight: (* match word & case) not* ly ing would should could may* might* can* cannot* can’t* a bit about* a little almost* like* already* appear approx close to even* just* then* kind of now* pretty* quite* rather* seem so* some sort of there very* down* over* had been by means of
Filter phrases:
hear
feel/felt
saw
watched
sense
realize
wonder
thought/think
sound of
Overused words that might slip in:
bombastic
harrangue
jeer (jeeringly)
sneer (sneeringly)
gyrate
hue
incredibly
proliferating
shockingly
coax (coaxingly)
cajole
sudden, suddenly (everything can't be sudden, I'm sorry. Some things just happen without any suddenness at all; most things, in fact.)
decadent
anything that ends in -ingly (ok sometimes, for some people--but not for you. Sorry, you just lost your privileges.)
Crutch words to watch out for:
a number of (change to “several”)
about (e.g. “about three feet tall”)
about to
actually
almost
alright (should be “all right”)
and
anyway
as
been
began/beginning to
being
end (result)
even
felt/feeling/feels
gerunds (nouns ending in "ing" at beginning of sentence)
going to
got/get
had (had been)/have/had/has*
-ing to (double verbs)
just
laughed
like
-ly (adverbs)
manage to/managed to
notice (verb)
of
of course,
okay (should be OK)
over (to convey quantity – use “more than”)
pretty (as a qualifier, not meaning “beautiful”)
really
realize
seem/seems/seemed/seemingly
smiled
so
some
somehow
started to
still
such
that
then
to
very
was/were/is/are (passive voice)
well (in dialogue)
Highlight: (* match word & case) not* ly ing would should could may* might* can* cannot* can’t* a bit about* a little almost* like* already* appear approx close to even* just* then* kind of now* pretty* quite* rather* seem so* some sort of there very* down* over* had been by means of
Filter phrases:
hear
feel/felt
saw
watched
sense
realize
wonder
thought/think
sound of
Overused words that might slip in:
bombastic
harrangue
jeer (jeeringly)
sneer (sneeringly)
gyrate
hue
incredibly
proliferating
shockingly
coax (coaxingly)
cajole
sudden, suddenly (everything can't be sudden, I'm sorry. Some things just happen without any suddenness at all; most things, in fact.)
decadent
anything that ends in -ingly (ok sometimes, for some people--but not for you. Sorry, you just lost your privileges.)
Crutch words to watch out for:
a number of (change to “several”)
about (e.g. “about three feet tall”)
about to
actually
almost
alright (should be “all right”)
and
anyway
as
been
began/beginning to
being
end (result)
even
felt/feeling/feels
gerunds (nouns ending in "ing" at beginning of sentence)
going to
got/get
had (had been)/have/had/has*
-ing to (double verbs)
just
laughed
like
-ly (adverbs)
manage to/managed to
notice (verb)
of
of course,
okay (should be OK)
over (to convey quantity – use “more than”)
pretty (as a qualifier, not meaning “beautiful”)
really
realize
seem/seems/seemed/seemingly
smiled
so
some
somehow
started to
still
such
that
then
to
very
was/were/is/are (passive voice)
well (in dialogue)