Showdown at Deadwood Glitch

Deadwood is a term writing teachers use to describe unnecessary words. Some writers, in an effort to sound more intelligent or just because they don't know any better, add words and phrases which, to them, sound "deeper." This is not to be confused with the jargon of various professional fields. Engineers, scientists, doctors, and lawyers have a certain vocabulary which serves a purpose. It provides them with more specificity when they're speaking (or writing) to one another. But even they can get bogged down with deadwood.

Dr. Write taught at a law school for a while. One of the primary sources for law students is the casebook, a collection of legal decisions which they study in order to become familiar with the various points of law. That's why you may hear them make reference to "Plessey vs. Fergusson" or "Miranda vs. the United States." The trouble is that these casebooks aren't representative of the best writing. The cases are included because of their legal significance, not because of their stellar writing.

Nonetheless, many law students insist on mimicking the style found in these casebooks. As a result, you have a lot of unnecessary words and phrases showing up in legal documents. It is just as legally valid to say "The defendant has a good reason for bringing his case to court," as it is to say "Having brought forth this matter with just cause and due diligence, the defendant hereby presents such evidence as may prove substantial and forthright..." and so on and so on.

But this kind of deadwood is not the sort most writers have to eliminate. Here's a list of such words and phrases and a second list showing the simpler, better way to say it.

...came at a time when ...came when
...during the year 1999 ...during 1999
...throughout the entire week ...throughout the week
...twelve in number ...twelve
...neat in appearance ...neat
...enclosed herewith ...enclosed
...at a price of nine dollars ...at nine dollars
...at a distance of 100 feet ...at 100 feet
...circular in shape ...circular
...at the hour of midnight ...at midnight
...in the state of Maine ...in Maine
...that is the situation at this time ...that is the situation now
...the main problem is a matter of ...the main problem is
...until such time as you can ...until you can
...remember the fact that ...remember that
...the actual truth ...the truth
...advance planning ...planning
...advised and informed ...advised
...at a later date ...later
...attached hereto ...attached
...basic fundamentals ...fundamentals
...canceled out ...canceled
...city of Chicago ...Chicago
...in close proximity to ...close to
...continue on ...continue
...cooperate together ...cooperate
...depreciate in value ...depreciate
...each and every ...every
...exactly identical ...identical
...fair and just ...fair
...final completion ...completion
...first and foremost ...foremost
...important essentials ...essentials
...made out of ...made of
...month of June ...June
...necessary requirements ...requirements
...obligation and responsibility ...[use on or the other]
...over again ...over
...the reason is because ...because
...small in size ...small
...three week's time ...three weeks
...adjacent to ...next to
...at such time as ...when
...at the present time ...now
...in close proximity to ...near


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