One of the first steps in avoiding overuse of common clichés in your writing is to first learn to identify them. We are so used to hearing them in our daily conversation that we sometimes forget that they make our writing dry and boring.
Here are some examples of cliches or overused phrases and what you could say instead:
“Everyday life” – This is a common cliché that can be completely eliminated in most cases. You can also remedy this by being more specific. Everyday life can vary depending on who you are and where you are in life. Speak directly and specifically with whom you are speaking.
“In today’s society” – You can kill it with a simple “today” or “currently”.
“Pros and Cons”: try to use the pros and cons or maybe the costs and benefits
Some other types of cliché phrases that often crop up in article writing include:
All walks of life
writing on the wall
Winds of change
Hook, line and sinker
The calm before the storm
Nip it in the bud / nip it in the bud
It sticks out like a sore thumb
jumps and limits
chewing a little
sleeping dog lie
Run for the hills
the devil’s work
Avoid it like the plague
The future depends on it
slippery slope
the existence of bane
Often these phrases are used as a method of illustrating a point. Since they are well-known phrases, we think it will be easier to get our point across using them. The problem with this is twofold: First, you’ve lost an entire audience to anyone who doesn’t know what these phrases are. Second, you’re not finding a new, unique, or interesting way to say what you want to say. There is nothing creative about reusing an old cliché over and over again.
There are so many great words out there and so many great ways to use them that you’ll want to challenge yourself to avoid these common clichés and find new ways to express your point of view. A good exercise to help you do this is to write freely for a certain period of time and then read what you have written. Print it out and highlight the cliché or overused phrases so you can really notice it and avoid it in the future. This will help you reduce the number of clichés you use from now on and your writing will be stronger and more interesting.