Bury the dead phrases

Dead and Padded Phrases

ANTYHING THAT DOES NOT ADD TO THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE NEEDS TO GO

What do these phrases even mean??? They sound like they are effective, but ultimately the words are wordy and empty.

Be that as it may…
That being said…
More or less …
In the last analysis …
In terms of …
The fact of the matter I, or The truth of the matter is….
Just say what you mean.

If you are writing in first person, your personal opinion is implied. There is no need to state it.

"Personally, I believe in UFOs."
Just say "I believe in UFOs."

Instead of:
Personally, I think he’s a jerk.
Just say
"I think he’s a jerk." Or "He’s a jerk."

"As for me I prefer carrots."
Just say "I prefer carrots."

Instead of "In my opinion, he should go skating."
Just say,
"He should go skating."
or "I think he should go skating."

TIGHTEN YOUR WRITING
Also,
Avoid boring and gratuitous adjectives.

Very, really, totally, truly..these adjectives don’t add anything, so don’t use them

He was really very cute
Just say
He was cute.
OR if you want to use more specific detail:

He was a tall, lean mass of muscles, and his face could grace on the cover of People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.