₦airaland Forum

1. And also This is often redundant.
2. And/or Outside of the legal world, most of the time this construction is used, it is neither necessary nor logical. Try using one word or the other.
3. As to whether The single word whether will suffice.
4. Basically, essentially, totally These words seldom add anything useful to a sentence. Try the sentence without them and, almost always, you will see the sentence improve.
5. Being that or being as These words are a non-standard substitute for because. Being that Because I was the youngest child, I always wore hand-me-downs.
6. Considered to be Eliminate the to be and, unless it's important who's doing the considering, try to eliminate the entire phrase.
7. Due to the fact that Using this phrase is a sure sign that your sentence is in trouble. Did you mean because? Due to is acceptable after a linking verb (The team's failure was due to illness among the stars.); otherwise, avoid it.
8. Each and every One or the other, but not both.
9. Equally as Something can be equally important or as important as, but not equally as important.
10. Etc. This abbreviation often suggests a kind of laziness. It might be better to provide one more example, thereby suggesting that you could have written more, but chose not to.
11. He/she is a convention created to avoid gender bias in writing, but it doesn't work very well and it becomes downright obtrusive if it appears often. Use he or she or pluralize (where appropriate) so you can avoid the problem of the gender-specific pronoun altogether.
12. Firstly, secondly, thirdly, etc. Number things with first, second, third, etc. and not with these adverbial forms.
13. Got Many writers regard got as an ugly word, and they have a point. If you can avoid it in writing, do so. I have got to must begin studying right away. I have got two pairs of sneakers.
14. Had ought or hadn't ought Eliminate the auxiliary had. You hadn't ought not to pester your sister that way.
15. Interesting One of the least interesting words in English, the word you use to describe an ugly baby. If you show us why something is interesting, you're doing your job.
16. In terms of See if you can eliminate this phrase.
17. Irregardless No one word will get you in trouble with the boss faster than this one.
18. Kind of or sort of. These are OK in informal situations, but in formal academic prose, substitute somewhat, rather or slightly. We were kind of rather pleased with the results.
19. Literally This word might be confused with literarily, a seldom used adverb relating to authors or scholars and their various professions. Usually, though, if you say it's "literally a jungle out there," you probably mean figuratively, but you're probably better off without either word.
20. Lots or lots of In academic prose, avoid these colloquialisms when you can use many or much. Remember, when you do use these words, that lots of something countable are plural. Remember, too, that a lot of requires three words: "He spent a lot of money" (not alot of).
21. Just Use only when you need it, as in just the right amount.
22. Nature See if you can get rid of this word. Movies of a violent nature are probably just violent movies.
23. Necessitate It's hard to imagine a situation that would necessitate the use of this word.
24. Of Don't write would of, should of, could of when you mean would have, should have, could have.
25. On account of Use because instead.
26. Only Look out for placement. Don't write "He only kicked that ball ten yards" when you mean "He kicked that ball only ten yards."
27. Orientate The new students become oriented, not orientated. The same thing applies to administrate -- we administer a project.
28. Per Use according to instead. We did it per your instructions? Naah. (This word is used frequently in legal language and in technical specifications, where it seems to be necessary and acceptable.)
29. Plus Don't use this word as a conjunction. Use and instead.
30. Point in time Forget it! At this time or at this point or now will do the job.
31. Previous as in "our previous discussion." Use earlier or nothing at all.
32. So as to Usually, a simple to will do.
33. Suppose to, use to. The hard "d" sound in supposed to and used to disappears in pronunciation, but it shouldn't disappear in spelling. "We used to do that" or "We were supposed to do it this way."
34. The reason why is because Deja vu all over again!
35. Thru This nonstandard spelling of through should not be used in academic prose.
36. 'Til Don't use this word instead of until or till, even in bad poetry.
37. Try and Don't try and do something Try to do something.
38. Thusly Use thus or therefore instead.
39. Utilize Don't use this word where use would suffice. (Same goes for utilization.)
40. Very, really, quite (and other intensifiers) Like basically, these words seldom add anything useful. Try the sentence without them and see if it improves.

Whether you're hitting the textbooks in philosophy class, reading long-winded emails from co-workers, or just reading the morning newspaper, chances are at one time or another you've wished you could read a little faster. A host of companies now offer books, training sessions and even computer programs to increase reading speed, sometimes at a cost of hundreds of dollars. But why fork over your paycheck or student loan money for a speed reading system when you can start reading faster today by following these simple steps?


1. Time your current reading speed.
Not only will timing help you to tell if you're improving, but it will also keep you motivated.
You can break out a book and a stopwatch and either time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page or find out how many words you read in a given amount of time.
An easier way to time yourself is to take an online reading speed test. There are plenty of these available: just enter "reading speed test" in your search engine. Many of these have reading comprehension tests, as well, so you can see how well you're understanding what you're reading.
Regardless of how you decide to time yourself, be sure to read at your normal speed during the timing, and time yourself on a few different pages - the average of your times should approximate your average reading speed.

2. Get rid of distractions.
Even if you think you read better when you have music playing or when you're in a crowded coffee house, you can probably increase your speed if you reduce distractions to a bare minimum. Try to find a solitary place to read, and turn off the TV, radio and cell phone. Even being in a room of people talking is distracting. If no solitary place is available, try using earplugs to block out any distractions around you.

3. Adjust reading speed depending on the material.
Often, we must trade off comprehension for speed, so an important part of increasing reading speed is deciding how thoroughly you need to comprehend a particular piece of writing. So before you even start reading, decide how fast you intend to go. If you're reading a newspaper article, chances are you just want to get the main ideas, and you can skim through the passages quite rapidly. If, however, you're reading a mathematics textbook or a demanding philosophical treatise - and you need to fully understand the material - you do not want to rush.
4. Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff with pre-reading.

No matter what you are reading, there is frequently a lot of "filler" that you can read quickly through or even skim over. With practice, you will be able to identify the most important parts of a book as you skim through it. When you get to such a passage, slow down. Before you begin a chapter or book, look over the entire piece very quickly. Try to find patterns of repeated words, key ideas, bold print and other indicators of important concepts. Then, when you actually do your reading you may be able to skim over large portions of the text, slowing only when you come to something you know is important.

5. Train yourself not to reread.
Most people frequently stop and skip back to words or sentences they just read to try to make sure they understood the meaning. This is usually unnecessary, but it can easily become a habit, and many times you will not even notice you're doing it.
One exercise to help you avoid rereading is to take a sheet of paper or index card and drag it down the page as you read, covering each line once you've read it. Try to drag the card in a steady motion; start slowly, and increase your speed as you feel more comfortable.

6. Stop reading to yourself.
As you read you probably subvocalize, or pronounce the words to yourself. Almost everybody does it, although to different degrees: some people actually move their lips or say the words under their breath, while others simply say each word in their heads. Regardless of how you subvocalize, it slows you down.
To break the habit, try to be conscious of it. When you notice yourself pronouncing words to yourself, try to stop doing it. Practice visualizing a word at the moment you see it, rather than confirming the word in your mind and then visualizing it. It may help to focus on key words and skip over others, or you may want to try humming to yourself or counting "1,2,3,4" repeatedly in order to prevent subvocalizing. One exercise to stop your lips from moving is to put a finger on your mouth and keep it there while you read.

7. Read with your hand. Smooth, consistent eye motion is essential to speed reading.
You can maximize your eyes' efficiency by using your hand to guide them. One such method is to simply draw your hand down each page as you read. You can also brush your hand under each line you read, as if you are brushing dust off the lines.
Your eyes instinctively follow motion, and the movement of your hand serves to keep your eyes moving constantly forward.
Note, however, that many speed reading instruction books warn off using a tracking member in speed reading as it inhibits the process.

8. Practice reading blocks of words.
Nearly everyone learned to read word-by-word or even letter-by-letter, but once you know the language, that's not the most efficient method of reading. Not every word is important, and in order to read quickly, you'll need to read groups of words - or even whole sentences or short paragraphs - instantaneously. The good news is you probably already do this to some extent: most people read three or four words at a time.
Try focusing on the middle of the line while reading the entire line. Do not let any word take shape before moving on the next word. This causes confusion, and at the beginning, problems of not understanding are there. Usually after a month of vigorous practice there is enough practice to skip over many words without misunderstanding the text.
Once you have mastered that, concentrate on the center of the page, not the line.

9. Practice and push yourself.
While you may see some gains in speed the moment you start using these tips, speed reading is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Always push yourself to your comfort level and beyond - if you end up having to reread a section, it's not a big deal. Keep practicing regularly.

10.Time yourself regularly.
After a week or so of practice, time yourself again. Do this regularly thereafter, and keep track of your improvement. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back every time your reading speed increases!

11. Have speed reading work sessions of 20 minutes with one book and one clear purpose.
If you feel you still need more from a book, don’t go back to it until you’ve had a break.

12. Have a clear purpose for reading.
Know what you want to get from a book before you start reading. Are you reading for pleasure (doing what pleases you) or for information? If you’re reading for information, set your purpose, which will either be to find specific information, or to discover its message, what it’s about.
Have a SMART purpose for your reading. In business, people are often told to set a ‘SMART’ goal or purpose. This applies to reading too. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Real (WIIFM), Time-bound (or timely).