Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and a while ago I talked about why you shouldn’t use the word “very.” It’s “very” unnecessary and clutters up your writing without adding any valuable information. Well, now I’m back with another clutter culprit: really.
Suppose a car whizzes past you on the freeway, and you’re trying to convey just how fast it was. There are two ways you could do this: you could say “it went really fast!” or you could describe how your car shook, how you swerved on instinct, how your heart rate shot up, how for one panic-filled moment, you thought he was going to hit you … aaaand do you see what I mean? “Really fast” isn’t interesting, but the event ^is. And if you can describe it using a phrase more interesting than “really”—that is, almost any other way—your readers will be hooked.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.