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Empty Phrases

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Empty phrases are group of words that don’t actually mean anything. They are verbal filler that distract from and undermine the substance of your writing. Recognizing and correcting for empty phrases is important on the ACT and SAT. Many questions on ACT English and SAT Writing require you to choose the answer with the least amount of empty phrasing. You also want to steer clear of empty phrases when writing the ACT or SAT essay.

 

Examples of Empty Phrase

Empty phrases are equivalent to beginning an essay with, “the topic that I’m going to write about is…” At best, they are distracting and redundant. At worst, they weaken your argument by introducing implicit questions that the phrases are incapable of answering. Here are some common empty phrases, along with commentary on why using them is a bad idea:

 

It is my opinion that…

I feel that…

It seems to me that…

I truly believe that…

Who else would the opinion belong to besides you? All these phrases do is distract from your actual position.

 

It likely holds true that…

By what standard does “it” hold true? Also note that using “likely” is the same as saying that your position is “probably” correct.

 

For all intents and purposes…

This is the same as saying “in every practical sense.” All it does is weaken a definitive statement by making it sound less emphatic.

 

As it is often said…

It has been said that…

Said by whom? These phrases should be either eliminated or replaced with a specific source.

 

Eliminating Empty Phrases

Here is an example of a paragraph filled with empty phrases:

 

For the most part, human beings are irrevocably shaped by their childhoods. Each of us has unique experiences during our youth. I believe, for all intents and purposes, that these experiences fundamentally influence who we are. We internalize these experiences and take them with us throughout our lives. By and large, a person who grows up in extreme poverty develops a very different outlook on life than a person who spends his or her childhood in the lap of luxury. It likely holds true that, even if an individual’s situation changes, he or she will continue to be affected to some degree. My grandmother spent her early years struggling to survive by saving and reusing whatever she could. Despite becoming a financially successful adult, she continued to wash and reuse sandwich bags and to sell back empty cans for five cents each. This is what I truly believe.

 

Here is the same paragraph with the empty phrases removed:

 

Human beings are irrevocably shaped by their childhoods. Each of us has unique experience during out youth that fundamentally influence who we are. We internalize these experiences and take them with us throughout our lives. A person who grows up in extreme poverty develops a very different outlook on life than a person who spends his or her childhood in the lap of luxury. Even if an individual’s situation changes, he or she will continue to be affected to some degree. My grandmother spent her early years struggling to survive by saving and reusing whatever she could. Despite becoming a financially successful adult, she continued to wash and reuse sandwich bags and to sell back empty cans for five cents each.

 

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