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Andrzej Ornitolog
Help me out! Alternatives for overused words!
Hello everybody!
The reason why I'm writing this is that I recognize I use a bounch of words too often and my English sounds just ok and I would like to bring it to the next level, to sound like a pro. I see that I sometimes use the word "very" which is extramly overused, but I must use it, cause I own little alternatives I have lack of words in my brain. In this text I've already used the verb "to use" 3 times and it's just a short statement! Please, give me a hand and help me out with some ideas for better adjectives to keep off very and maybe even phrasal verbs to keep off commonly used words which repeat to often even in short texts.
Thank you in advance!
May 25, 2020 9:21 PM
Comments · 6
You could try this also as well as Guyomar's good suggestions.
I see that I frequently and often use the word "very" which is extremely overused,
sometimes does not suggest overusing.
but I must rely on it,
but I have to rely on it,
but I need to rely on it,
but I always rely on it,
because I have a limited vocabulary at this stage of (my) learning.
I have no other choice because I know so few words/I have a limited vocabulary
I've already written the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already utilised the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already applied the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already used the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already made use of the verb "to use" 3 times
if you want to be fancy and flowery
I've already plied the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already abused the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already squandered the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already availed myself the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already made available the verb "to use" 3 times
I've already benefited from the use of the verb "to use" 3 times
May 25, 2020
These days using the word "very" excessively sounds presidential lol
You can always use a thesaurus to get synonyms for words and some are just a stronger version of that word. For example, "very pretty" can be "beautiful" or even more intense than beautiful, gorgeous.
Are there particular words you'd like to know the more extreme synonyms for?
May 25, 2020
Instead of the verb "to use" in the second sentence, you could write "resort to":
"but I must resort to it because I know few alternatives."
It is appropriate because it suggests that you would rather not repeat the verb "to use" but that you have little choice in the matter. You can also say that you fall back on these familiar words because nothing else comes to mind.
May 25, 2020
Hi Jacob!
Thank you for your comment! I've tried ready Thesaurus, but I don't like it at all, some of the proposed words aren't even far synonim and they mean something completely different. Well, I know already some alternatives, for example:
Very hungry--ravenous
very clean- spotless
Very short--brief.
As I'm thinking now, I wouldn't be accually a big problem to find some stronger versions of the adjectives instead of using the word very. Could you give me alternatives, that could be phrasal verbs for the commonly used verbs, for example:
- use
- try etc. Also, I would love to be better at telling stories, when I try to quote there are to words that always repeat: say and tell. Could you give me some other to make it possible to replace them?
May 25, 2020
I tell my IELTS and TOEFL writing students all the time that they're no longer allowed to use words like "so", "quite" or "very" - You can experiment with a greater range of more descriptive adjectives of course, but if you want you can also use better intensifiers to replace "very" like - Incredibly, Extremely, Insanely, Wonderfully (these are just adverbs but used in conjunction with an adjective instead of a verb)
Example: It was a very hot day
It was an extremely hot day
It was an incredibly hot day
it was an insanely hot day
it was a wonderfully hot day (if you LIKE the heat of course)
- - - -
It was a sweltering day
It was a blazing day
it was a balmy day
I like to play around with both better adjective AND better intensifiers to maximize my students scores!
It was an extremely sweltering day!
It was an incredibly blazing day!
It was a wonderfully balmy day! (only "wonderfully" if you actually like the heat though)
May 26, 2020
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