Clichés—In his classic books on writing, the Pulitzer Prize winning writer William Safire warned “Last, but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.” He deliberately used two clichés in one sentence to make his point. Clichés are trite, overused words and phrases that are a hallmark of writing without much thought. In a college essay, a cliché stands out (and never say “like a sore thumb”) and alerts the reader this essay is likely to be a lump of clay (which is the German derivation of the word cliché; it later morphed into a nineteenth-century French term for a metal printing plate for books that would eventually wear out—like a cliché).
When you write your essay, no matter how good your message is, a cliché or two will doom your chances to write a great essay. Most of the grammar rules and usages that we suggest are meant to make you a better writer; you will not be penalized by the college reader if you do not use them. Using clichés may be one of the exceptions. A reader is almost certain to be turned off by a string of clichés in a 650-word essay.
The list of clichés is practically endless (and don’t say “too numerous to count”). To give you an example, here is a sample from US humorist Frank Sullivan,
My nods are significant. My offers are standing. . . . My motives are ulterior, my circles are vicious, my retainers are faithful, and my hopefuls are young. My suspicions are sneaking, my glee is fiendish, my stories are likely. I am drunk. Q: Drunk? A: Yes, with power. You know where? Q: Where? A: Behind the throne.
Clichés come in different categories (and never say “all sizes and shapes”). Some were created by great writers, and obviously weren’t clichés when they were first used. In the Bible you can find phrases like “the apple of your eye” or “wallow in the mire” (which probably became a cliché the day the Doors’ Jim Morrison decided to use it in the rock classic “Light My Fire”). These were wonderful words “once upon a time” (don’t use that phrase in your essay) but are regarded as clichés today. Shakespeare coined some brilliant phrases—“short shrift” (Richard III), “neither here nor there” (Othello), “the be-all and end-all” (Macbeth), “wild goose chase” (Romeo and Juliet), “heart of gold” (Henry V)—but you wouldn’t want to use them in your essay. Great writers from Jonathan Swift to George Orwell railed against writing that included these types of clichés. Orwell once wrote, “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”
Some clichés just evolved over time. Good examples include “clear blue sky,” “read between the lines,” and “time flies.” No one knows where they came from. Clever writers have turned a cliché into a humorous saying—“time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” Groucho Marx memorably did this with his quote, “outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend; inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” It’s the only time using a cliché is acceptable.
Then there are the modern clichés, the ones students occasionally use like “at the end of the day” and “for all intents and purposes.” “NOT!” (Don’t use that in your essay.) A special “tip of the hat” (don’t use that phrase) goes to words and phrases that are currently popular. A quick visit to Google Ngrams, the site that tracks word and phrase usage, shows that these have “taken off like a rocket” (don’t use that, either).
Awesome: Whenever you find yourself using this word, look quickly for another. The word has become so overused that it means everything—and nothing. It typifies the vacuity of the cliché.
Impact: It’s a ubiquitous noun that has become a verb, that has become an adjective (impactful), that has become an adverb (impactfully), and finally a cliché. Never use impact as an adverb or as an adjective (unless you are talking about an “impacted tooth”). Do not use it as a noun or verb unless you are talking about a dramatic collision or effect (“the meteor impacted the earth with tremendous force,” “the stock market crash had a huge impact on the American economy”). In other cases, for a verb use influence or affect in place of impact:“the ruling will affect many citizens” rather than “the ruling will impact many citizens.” “The news influenced my decision” rather than “the news impacted my decision.” For a noun, consider influence or effect. In both cases, impact is not as effective (not impactful) as “Her friendship had an important influence on me.” “The effect of the ruling is unknown.”
Comfort zone: Comfort zone has become such a cliché that even essay prompts use it. This may legitimize it somewhat, but avoid the term if for no other reason than thousands of writers will use it in their essays. It’s lazy writing; find some other way to express your level of comfort. That’s the point of avoiding clichés like the plague (don’t use that phrase). Their use is symptomatic of lazy writing. Show the reader that you are not a lazy writer. That’s the long and short of it (don’t use that phrase).
Need to: The phrase “need to” as in “you need to see this movie” has become one of the clichés of our time. According to the Google NGram Viewer, use of the phrase “need to” rose 500 percent between 1950 and 2000. Besides becoming a cliché, “need to” has become obnoxious. When you are told, “you need to do something” it implies doing that thing is in some way necessary for your mental, physical, or spiritual well-being. It often carries an unwelcome message and contributes to the general diminution of manners and courtesy in our society.
In place of need to, try using should or must. (Google NGram notes that in the same period that the use of “need to” went up 500 percent, the use of both “should” and “must” went down by 33 percent.) The use of should and must do not serve as substitute for need to in every situation, but in many cases they not only retain the advantage of brevity—one word as opposed to two—but also nuance. Should often implies actionable but discretionary advice. When someone says, “If you want help, you should call me,” there is an implied volition that is not present in “If you want help, you need to call me.” That sounds like more of an unforgiving order.
In most cases, must implies taking some action is essential. “You must do this” is not much different from “You need to do this”—both of them tell you to take action. But the former implies there may benefit conferred to others rather than simply a personal benefit doing what you are told. Consider the mother who beseeches the fireman going into the burning building, “You must help my children.” Far different than telling the rescuer, “You need to help my children.”
Affect vs. Effect: Affect is almost always used as a verb that means “to influence or change.” “The high winds affected the ability of our boat to get to shore.” It can also be a verb that means to act in a specific way: “to affect an air of superiority.” Rarely “affect” is used as a noun in psychology when it refers to how someone displays an emotion: “a flat or depressed affect.” This is essentially the only exception to using “affect” as a verb.
Effect is almost always used as a noun, meaning the consequences or results of an action. “The effect of the high winds was that our boat ran aground.” It can also be used as a noun meaning someone’s belongings “personal effects” or in film terminology “special effects.” Rarely, effect can be used as a verb in the phrase “effect change.” This is basically the only time effect would be used as a verb instead of affect.
Here’s how to remember the difference between the two (besides the specific exceptions). Affect is a verb, an action. Effect is a “noun, the end result of an action. Affect causes effect. Affect and action both begin with the letter a. Effect and end result both begin with the letter e.
Apart of vs. A part of: Consider the sentence “The University of Michigan community in Ann Arbor is something I would like to be apart of.” Don’t ever write this (even if you’re talking about a school other than Michigan). It’s wrong on a number of levels. First of all, apart of versus a part of. You don’t want to be apart of the University of Michigan (unless, of course, you want to attend Michigan State University in East Lansing). It means the exact opposite of what you want to say. Apart, one word, means you want to be physically separated. A part, two words, means you want to join the Michigan community. In this usage you can eliminate the word a and substitute part of for a part of. They mean the same thing here.
(We know of one college admissions officer who basically told students in an information session that if their essays contained the phrase, “I want to be apart of your college community,” their applications would be discarded on the spot. Imagine how many times that admissions officer must have encountered that error.)
Even then, the construction, “The University of Michigan community in Ann Arbor is something I would like to be part of,” should be rewritten. Is something I would like to be part of is a wordy, passive voice construction. Make it shorter, make it active construction, and make it clearer: I would like to be part of the University of Michigan community in Ann Arbor.
Between you and I vs. Between you and me: Even though many well-educated people write and say “between you and I,” the correct usage is “between you and me.” The well-known Harvard linguist and psychologist Steven Pinker, who frequently publishes on style and grammar, writes, “between you and I” is “not a heinous error.” Maybe not, but it is an error nonetheless. As an article of speech, between is a preposition, and “between you and me” is a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases take object pronouns. Me is an object pronoun, and I is a subject pronoun, which is why me should be used in the prepositional phrase. (The confusion comes from the fact that you is both a subject and an object pronoun. And the error also sounds educated.) You would never say “between we, this looks right.” We is a subject pronoun, so the correct use is the object pronoun us—“between us, this looks right.” As this book points out, grammar is dynamic and many usages that were once considered wrong are now considered acceptable. But “between you and I” hasn’t graduated yet. It’s between you and me.
Classmate, Roommate, or Suitemate: Most authorities consider them all one word, without a hyphen. Class mate, room mate, and suite mate are incorrect.
Compare to vs. Compare with: To compare is to examine the similarities or differences between two things. There is a subtle difference between the two usages. When you are comparing two things and want to point out the similarities, use compare to. When people ask who the most complete player in basketball is, LeBron James is often compared to Michael Jordan. When comparing two objects or concepts and want to point out the differences, use compare with. You can’t compare heavy metal with classical music; they are two different art forms.
Comprise vs. Compose: To comprise means “to include” or “to contain,” in the sense of the whole includes or contains the parts (you can tell if you are using comprise right if you can substitute “is made up of”). The United States comprises fifty states. When you use the word comprise, the whole, not the parts, should always begin the sentence (not fifty states comprise the United States). To compose means to make up (you can tell if you are using compose right if you can substitute make up.) Fifty states compose the United States. When using compose, the parts come first. However, with the word compose you can use the phrase composed of. The United States is composed of fifty states. Composed of is an acceptable usage and basically means the same as comprise. Comprised of is never right.
Continual vs. Continuous: Continual means frequent, but not all the time; there is a break in the action. I am continually getting spam phone calls from telemarketers. Continuous means all the time, without stopping. The water from the river is continuously running down the waterfall.
Every day vs. Everyday: Every day are two words that mean “each day.” I have a cup of coffee every day. Everyday is one word and it is an adjective that means common or ordinary. Playing piano takes my mind off my everyday concerns.
Farther vs. Further: Farther refers to distance (think “far”). I live farther from the school than you do. Further refers to everything else in term of metaphorical distance. I don’t wish to discuss this any further.
Fewer vs. Less: Use fewer for things you can count. There are fewer plants in the desert than in the rain forest. Use less for things that are not countable. There is less sand in the rain forest than in the desert. There are several exceptions to this general rule: distance, time, money, and weight. I live less than ten miles from you. It takes me less than twenty minutes to get to your house. (Note that all your essay prompts use the phrase “250 words or less.” In this case, longstanding custom prevails and makes it an exception to the rule.) The rule for things you can count also applies to number vs. amount. If you can count it, use number. The number of plants in the desert was small. If you cannot count it, use amount. The amount of sand in the rain forest is negligible.
It’s vs. Its: It’s amazing how often students get this wrong on their essays because the rule is quite simple. It’s is a contraction of two words: it is. It’s very simple. Its is a possessive. A dog cannot change its spots.
Lead vs. Led: Many students led their clubs or their teams in high school. In their essays, they often miswrite this as “lead.” Lead, which rhymes with seed, is the present tense of led, and that is why they are confused. (Another reason is that lead is a homophone of led—when lead refers to the metal element, number 82 in the periodic table it is pronounced the same as led.) But remember, it’s “I led my chess team to victory in the state tournament.”
Lie vs. Lay: Basically, lie means to recline (on a bed, sofa, the ground, etc.). I had to lie down after work. Lay means to put an object other than yourself down. I am going to lay that book on the table. As grammar author Mignon Fogerty, an excellent reference, points out one good way to remember the difference is that the songs “Lay Down Sally” by Eric Clapton and “Lay Lady Lay” by Bob Dylan both use the wrong word.
Many vs. So many: Students routinely use so many when they simply mean many. Use so along with many when you want to emphasize a large number, rather than as a routine modifier—Many weekends during the summer my parents take me to the cabin rather than “So many weekends during the summer my parents take me to the cabin” (unless you want to emphasize you are unhappy about going).
May vs. Might: The difference between the two words is subtle. Both words indicate the likelihood of something happening. May is more likely than might. “If it doesn’t rain today, I may go to the ballgame” indicates a stronger possibility than “If it doesn’t rain today, I might go to the ballgame.” There are a couple of exceptions: Might is the past tense of may. Always use might if you are talking about the past. “Yesterday, I told her I might go” is correct; “Yesterday, I told her I may go” is incorrect. Might is also used to indicate sarcasm. “I might clean the garage if you become president” would indicate you think neither is going to happen. The rule to remember is to use may if you think something is likely to occur, and use might if you think it is unlikely or when you are using the past tense.
Principal vs. Principle: Principle is always a noun and it means a moral belief, a law, or a rule. “I have principles” is what you say when you want to emphasize you would not do something against your beliefs. If you want to teach good writing, you would teach the principles of good writing. Principal can be a noun or an adjective. When principal is used as a noun, it means a person in charge, “the principal of the school.” When referring to the head of a school, always remember “the princiPAL is your PAL.” It can also mean the money owed in a transaction before interest is charged. “My mortgage payment includes the principal and interest.” When principal is used as an adjective it means important or primary. The principal reason I took the job was for the money. The two words are pronounced the same and are often confused especially in legal matters, where a principal is a person or party involved in a dispute, but the dispute may involve a legal principle or rule.
Renown vs. Renowned: Renown is a noun, which essentially means fame. Renowned is an adjective, which essentially means famous. If you are talking about a professor or researcher who is well-known, then the correct term is that “she is a renowned professor.” Alternatively, she is a professor of some renown. But she is not a renown professor.
Should have vs. Should of: Should have is right. Should of is wrong. Many students who wrote “should of” should have known better.
This past vs. Last: Many students who write their essays in the fall talk about what they did “this past summer.” Last summer is preferable to this past summer.
Say what you mean—other words and phrases to avoid include some of the following.
To have the opportunity: In their supplemental essays students often write something like “I want to have the opportunity to study abroad.” Occasionally, they are actually talking about the chance to do something rather than actually doing it, but in most cases what they actually mean is “I want to study abroad.” To have the opportunity is generally just empty chatter. Omit it if possible.
To be able to: Another empty phrase is to be able to. When you say “I would like to be able to attend the University of Wisconsin,” that isn’t what you want to convey. Step right up and say “I would like to attend the University of Wisconsin.” These are three words you can get rid of whenever you see “to be able” to.
Reach out: When communicating with a school official, especially in emails, students commonly use the phrase, “I am reaching out to express my interest in your program” or “I am reaching out to see if I can arrange an interview.” “Reach out” is usually unnecessary and often causes you to use too many words to express what you want to say. What you really want to say is “I am interested in your program. Can I arrange an interview?”
The times, they are a’changing—here are some once unbreakable rules that may now be breakable: Certain rules of grammar were once immutable. But usages change over time and what was once unacceptable is now seen even in formal writing. We suggest sticking with the long-established rules, but if you feel more comfortable breaking these rules, only traditionalists may object.
Hopefully: Hopefully was once an adverb that meant “with hope.” I looked at the report on my grades hopefully. Today many, if not most people, use hopefully to mean “I hope” or “it is to be hoped.” Hopefully, we will make it to the airport on time.
Splitting infinitives: If there is a rule to be broken, this is the one. Most of the time an adverb should be placed after the verb in an infinitive construction He decided to look closely at the item in the window. But if you want to emphasize the adverb, there is nothing wrong with splitting the infinitive. In fact, the most famous example of a split infinitive is also probably the best example of why you should. It is the famous Star Trek opening, To boldly go where no man has gone before. Boldly does not fit anywhere else in the sentence.
Ending a sentence with a preposition: This is a rule that is “more honored in the breach than in the observance.” (It’s actually honoured in the original British because this is a Shakespearean quote from Hamlet. And it is breach, a violation or breaking of a rule, not breech, the back end of something.) That’s a fancy way of saying “never end a sentence with a preposition” is not really a rule. The best example of why this should not be a rule is a quote attributed to Winston Churchill, “That is a rule up with which I shall not put.” (Like so many other quotes attributed to Churchill, it may not be true that he actually said it.) Obviously, this shows how silly it is not to say “That is a rule I shall not put up with”—with being the preposition. The problem is that many people were taught that it was a rule and still believe that it is. So in deference to the reader who believes in it, avoid doing it if possible—try rewriting the sentence, but don’t go out of your way and wind up creating an unreadable one. If Churchill, or whoever said it, really wanted to avoid ending the sentence in a preposition he could have said, “I shall not put up with this rule.” But that would not make the point.
Plural everyone/their: Traditionally, everyone (or everybody) was a singular noun. Everyone was (not were) here. As such, it required a singular pronoun. Everyone brought his gloves. When everyone referred to men and women, or the sexes were indeterminate, this created a problem. Everyone brought his or her gloves, a sentence which is admittedly unwieldly. It was formerly wrong to use the plural pronoun their in that situation. However, now everyone brought their gloves has received a general level of acceptance.
The reason why: The reason why used to be considered redundant. The reason why we took the trip is that we had vacation time says exactly the same thing as The reason we took the trip is that we had vacation time or We took the trip because we had vacation time. Many people now consider the reason why acceptable. The same is true of The reason is because, where because is redundant but now accepted. This is a situation where we suggest you stay with the traditional “The reason is.” The reason is the newer versions use more words but are no clearer.
Unique: Unique means “without like or equal.” His car was unique in that it was the only one ever made. Although unique should not be qualified, many people today write “very unique” or “truly unique,” and this has gained some acceptance. In general, use the descriptor unique sparingly; outside of snowflakes, there aren’t that many things that are unique.
Finally, about spell-check.
Spell-check is vital, but be careful. When you have finished your essay, you must use spell-check for an initial edit. It will identify commonly misspelled words. It’s helpful when you have hit the wrong key because you were typing fast; for rules like “i before e”; and for words you think you know how to spell but don’t. Everyone has those problems, and spell-check can identify them quickly.
But spell-check doesn’t know the difference between rain, rein, or reign. (It’s rain that is part of the weather—rain waters the grass; rein for something you want to take control of—the president wants to rein in spending; and reign for something that rules—the Queen reigns over her subjects. The correct expression is “free rein” not “free reign.”) Spell-check doesn’t know the difference between their and there or your and you’re. So that means that after you have checked your essay with spell-check, you must read it over and make sure that the bell you were writing about at your school was pealing, not peeling.