Gustavus Adolphus College

Emphasize the active voice. Try to write direct sentences with active verbs: "This sentence needs an active verb," rather than "This sentence is in need of an active verb." The passive voice ("An active verb is needed in this sentence.") does have a place in softening a statement but will be more effective if not overused.

Similarly, avoid the frequent use of nouns as verbs (as in "he authored the book"), which also tend to take the action out of a sentence. Apply the "test of necessity": Does the noun-as-verb fill a need not already filled by verbs in conventional use?

Avoid cliches like the plague.

Likewise, avoid vogue words: Words like "groovy," "tubular," and "grungy" are quickly dated.

Avoid repetitive redundancies and meaningless modifiers: A wide variety is, after all, a variety.

Try to keep academic jargon to a minimum when writing for a general audience.

Be careful about using the superlative—it’s a lot to live up to.

Avoid high levels of abstraction: Don’t diagram theorems, draw pictures.