An ellipsis is a figure of speech in which a word or words have been omitted, but are understood.

The truth is that there are many kinds of these informal phrases floating around; they’re not all the same thing, and they’re not always bad. Two main types of these phrases that are often confused and mishandled are idioms and colloquialisms.

Good writers use the right word; clumsy writers use adverbs to bolster up the wrong verb.The right verb is not just concise, it pops at the reader, conveying just the right meaning.

One of the most difficult tasks for a writer is avoiding repetition. One of the most difficult tasks for a reader is figuring out what’s going on when the writer succeeds.

Here are 16 things your writing can do without.

AP style is widely used by newspapers and those wishing to be in the newspapers. Crafted for consistency, the style often makes choices not immediately intuitive. Here is a brief overview of some of the guiding principles of AP style.

Problem:

Your writing is full of vague, non-specific words that leaves it limp and lifeless or worse, conveying the wrong meaning.
Solution:

Substitute vague words for their more interesting counterparts and be sure that those words mean what you think they mean.