ChanteSez … Don’t say too much

As a writer, you want to use words and phrases that reflect your voice, your personality.

But in most articles, there are phrases that could be edited out so that more of your authentic voice is heard.

Here are a few unnecessary phrases:

• “In order to” should simply be “to.”
• “As a matter of fact” … . Let the facts speak for themselves and get rid of this phrase. Same goes for “The fact that” or “The fact is.”
• “In terms of” … what? Again, just get to the matter and edit these words out.
• “Whether or not” can be cut to “whether.”
• Are you really “begging the question”? Probably not. If you have to use a phrase like this one, it’s more accurate to say “raising” or “asking” the question.