The Never List

Words and Phrases Never To Be Used In Pre-AP English 

Words and Phrases Pre AP students will NEVER use in their writing:

 For All Essays   (these are vague)  

a lot     

huge (teen speak)                     

lots       

massive(teen speak)                

stuff                                                                                                         

many   really 

good  

nice 

random(teen speak)                   

thing                                                      

very

For Rhetorical Analysis/Formal essays    

(use these only in informal pieces)  

 our, ours we, us    I, me, my, mine     you, your, yours         

Sentence Starters Pre AP students will NEVER use:

Well                           So                               Also 

First,                           Second                       Third

Finally                       In conclusion,              Lastly

And also (because this is redundant)

Phrases Pre AP students will NEVER use:

The author uses ____________ to draw the reader in.

The author uses ______________to catch the reader’s attention.

The author uses __________ to show….

The author ____________ to prove a point.

Any phrase that refers to the paper itself or the reader 

is one Pre AP students will NEVER use:

As was previously mentioned. . . .

As you can see, by my astute analysis. . . 

Author or Piece Commentary Phrases 

Pre AP students will NEVER use

The author is a good writer.

This is a well-written piece.

NEVER use slang, or cliché, or informal words in any piece that is not a narrative.

Do not write anything that remotely resembles the above examples. 

Each use of the above will reduce your score.  

Always use the most specific word or words you can, as you 

must be concise, as well as clear.  

Do not use the thesaurus to drop words into your writing; often, the 

connotation is incorrect, resulting in your seeming ignorant of the 

language and less scholarly.

The expectations are high because you are capable of great things!