Challenge for the course!  There are a few words that I try to avoid and encourage my students to avoid also.

 

They are:

 

things

stuff

 I challenge all of you to avoid using these words.  I believe you will find your writing will be more descriptive and detailed when you avoid these *things* (oops, I mean words).

 

How about avoiding these phrases?

 

Verbose expressions

at this juncture in time

now

in the not too distant future

soon

in light of the fact that

because

despite the fact that

although

in such a way that

so/ so that

a significant proportion of 

some

 

 

What are your thoughts on this?  Can you think of any others?