Don't Never Use These Words: Really!

"10 Words to Avoid When Writing"
Precise Edit

Well, most of the time.

"Writing is a combination of art and craft. The art comes from lots of reading, talking, thinking, dreaming, and writing. The craft is primarily technique. Some techniques are complex, but a few are very simple and will instantly strengthen your writing. In many cases, however, strengthening writing simply means avoiding those things that weaken it.

"We have identified 10 words that nearly always weaken writing. In no particular order, they are as follows.

"1. Really: 'Avoiding this word is a really great idea.' Reason: A really great idea is the same as a...."

The basic idea behind this list is valid. However, the first paragraph has words and phrases that I'd avoid in a formal paper: "lots of" and "things," for example.

So: this is a fairly good resource, as long as you don't take it as an absolute guide. There are times when an author would want to break some or all of the rules listed, particularly when writing something with a conversational tone.