WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: Is There a Place for Cliches in Good Writing?

Episode Date: October 24, 2024

You just never know ... but you will after listening to today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith, and it's raining cats and dogs in Hillsdale today. Actually, it's not, it's clear blue sky. I just said that to give you a taste of all the lovely cliches English has to offer. If anything about the previous sentences feels stale to you, that's because I've used at least three cliches already. I'm defining cliches as any commonly used sequence of words that is not direct and to the point. So, for example, give you a taste is a cliche. Don't get me wrong, these do have a place in good writing, but you have to use them with caution,

because if the reader has heard them often enough or if they aren't used in a fresh way, they can make it sound like you're not expressing original ideas. What's stopping you from coming up with your own phrase, or just saying exactly what you mean? It's raining like the giant mushroom at the water park is entertaining. It's raining is concise. Take your pick. That's your grammar minute.