🌱 Fighting Repetition in Writing

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During my stay at this digital garden for the past 36 days, I find myself repeating these words:

• Now
• Certainly
• Which
• So

So… (oops) what can I do to find better words to express what I mean? That’s what I’m gonna figure out. In finding the solution for myself, I hope it gives you some ideas if you find yourself using the same words for everything also.

Now

Meaning in the present time, I usually use as a synonym to mean, “in the time immediately to follow”, also called forthwith.

Forthwith isn’t used that often nowadays like it was in Theodore Roosevelt’s day, though J.K Rowling used it in her novels. I suppose I could say instead of now having had a thinkpad, it can be, forthwith having had a thinkpad… nevermind, that sounds too formal.

The word since can also be used instead of Now, however I got the feeling I use that word a good bit too. For example, now that I have a thinkpad, I can install linux into since I have a thinkpad, I can install linux. In switching out now for since I used one fewer word: that, which I also use quite a bit, making this a good alternative word.

When it comes to time, the adjective existing is another substitution.

Certainly

Specific, factual, I’ll only use this adverb if something sounds so reasonable that it can’t be anything else. Somehow I use certainly a lot despite my not being sure I’m factual in anything, yet on the other hand, I’m often quite sure if something is absolutely reasonable.

Assuredly, certainly doesn’t have to be used so often due to my lack of assuredly, ayyy? That right there is a substitution, assuredly.

Lastly, certainly can also be used as an adjective, like I am certain.

Which

Pronoun used as an interrogative to “introduce a restrictive clause”- whatever that is (alright fine the dictionary said it just means a word that can’t be removed).

Which is a hard word to substitute for, other than that. Another use is whichever but might as well use which for short, maybe instead of which way to turn I’ll say whatever the heck to turn ‘cause I’m getting annoyed with not having a substitution for which.

So

So how’s it going? So yeah? So what? It’s so easy to use the adverb so, usually in the same way as adding just is, like just because I can sounds more friendly than because I can. For example, if I were to write a story with a fictitious name, call him Darryl, I could be like “So Darryl, am I ready? I think so. Would it take trapping me in a plane to propose? I think so, and so off into the woods I run.”

What other uses could there be for so then? There are actually some alternatives, including therefore, “Therefore Darryl, am I ready? I think therefore.” Notice it isn’t as flexible as using so at every possible convenience. Thus is another alternative. “Am I ready? I think thus”, yet that doesn’t seem like a good synonym. Maybe saying, “Thus far, I’m ready Darryl. Or even using hence or consequently as those are synonyms of thus and indirectly of so. Like, “Consequently the more I see you the more I am in love.” Sounds much more specific than substituting consequently for so.

Takeaway

Thus, to consequently become more literate, I shall assuredly use these words that I have learned today forthwith. How’d that sound?

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This article may be updated as I become more literate.