Whether or not you fashion yourself a writer, you most likely deal with business writing every day. Whether it’s a customer PowerPoint presentation, a company-wide email or even a LinkedIn post, you have the opportunity to create a valuable punch and make an impression through words.

Promotional Consultant Today shares these tips to avoid the mundane and add power to your message.

No matter how carefully you scrutinize your writing, subtle problems will remain. Certain words and phrases are so commonplace-and so seemingly benign-that they glide unnoticed under your editing radar. But these words and phrases can silently erode your reader’s attention. They don’t stand out. The reader may not even notice them. But they weaken your writing and dilute your ideas. And soon, the delicate thread of attention connecting you and your reader snaps.

So save your character space by avoiding these ho-hum common phrases, and replace them with more succinct content.

Here are some commonplace phrases you should avoid:

About – Try not to use this term when discussing quantities. Use “approximately” or a range instead. Example: About 20 people attended. Better: Approximately 20 people attended.

Accordingly – Use a simpler replacement, such as so. Example: Accordingly, be careful next time. Better: So, be careful next time.

All things being equal – It’s an empty phrase. Don’t use it. Example: All things being equal, we should arrive tonight. Better: If all goes well, we should arrive tonight.

Caused a drop in X – Nominalization (wordiness introduced when someone uses the noun equivalent of a verb or adjective). Use the verb or adjective form for more powerful sentences. Example: Pay cuts caused a drop in morale within our company. Better: Pay cuts demoralized our company.

Completely eliminate – Redundant phrase. You don’t need completely. Example: You must completely eliminate your foes. Better: You must eliminate your foes.

Few in number – Redundant phrase. You don’t need in number. Ex: First-time homebuyers are too few in number to absorb excess inventory. Better: First-time homebuyers are too few to absorb excess inventory.

Go ahead and – Clunky expression. You don’t need it. Just start with the verb that follows this expression. Example: I might have to go ahead and call the cops. Better: I might have to call the cops.

Resulted in a decrease (an increase) – Use the verb or adjective form of a word for more powerful sentences. Example: The mandate resulted in an increase in taxes. Better: The mandate increased taxes.

Take action (to) – Flabby verb construction. Use act instead. Example: You must take action to resolve the matter now. Better: You must act to resolve the matter now.

Talk about – More flabby verb construction. Use discuss instead. Example: Let’s talk about it. Better: Let’s discuss it.

You can – Flabby verb helpers. Delete or revise. Example: You can visit Oz by following the Yellow Brick Road. Better: To visit Oz, follow the Yellow Brick Road.

Source: Shane Arthur is a former copyeditor for Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging certification program, which teaches writers to get their work featured on the world’s biggest blogs and online magazines.