Mistakes Reflection

Starting too many sentences with So and using redundant intensifiers (very, really, extremely)

WHY TO AVOID:
Beginning with So too often makes your speech sound hesitant or repetitive.
Overusing intensifiers weakens your message — powerful words lose their punch when you over-amplify them.

FORMULA:
→ Start sentences directly (cut So unless it connects ideas).
→ Use one precise or powerful word instead of piling intensifiers.

EXAMPLES:

• ❌ So, I think I’ll start with my routine. → ✅ I’ll start with my routine.

• ❌ So, what I realised is… → ✅ What I realised is…

• ❌ Very, very tired → ✅ Exhausted

• ❌ Really, really good → ✅ Impressive

• ❌ Extremely important → ✅ Crucial

EXTRA NOTE:
Use So naturally only when linking cause and effect.
Intensifiers are best reserved for emotion or emphasis, not for every sentence.

Pain is important for gowth

1. Redundancy

• Using extra or repetitive words that don’t add meaning.

  • ❌ “Extremely necessary” → ✅ “Essential”

  • ❌ “Checking scientifically the science…” → ✅ “Scientifically…”

  • ❌ “Working out… working out…” → ✅ “When you work out…”

2. Repetition of Nouns or Phrases

• Saying the same noun again when a pronoun or shorter form works better.

  • ❌ “It repairs your muscles, it later grows into muscles.”

  • ✅ “When they repair, they grow stronger.”

3. Awkward Sentence Flow

• Combining rhetorical or conversational phrases with explanation incorrectly.

  • ❌ “What does a workout do to the body?” inside a long scientific explanation.

  • ✅ Separate the rhetorical question or turn it into a statement.

4. Wordiness / Filler Language

• Using unnecessary fillers like “you understand what I’m saying?” or “so this is one way…” too often.

  • ✅ Use concise alternatives: “Do you see what I mean?” or “This shows how pain helps.”

5. Verb Form / Clarity Issues

• “Later then grows into muscles” is ungrammatical.

  • ✅ Use simple present: “They grow stronger.”

EXAMPLES OF CLEANER WRITING:

• “Pain is vital for growth.”

• “After working out, you feel pain, which helps your muscles rebuild stronger.”

NOTE TYPE: (Grammar & Style note)

Narration

1. Redundancy & Repetition

• Repeating phrases or words that don’t add meaning.

  • ❌ “I realised I wasted a day today, too.” → ✅ “I realised I’d wasted another day.”

  • ❌ “We watched Mission Impossible. We watched Mission Impossible.” → ✅ “We watched Mission: Impossible.”

  • ❌ “My routine… my routine.” → ✅ “My routine… it.”

2. Punctuation & Flow

• Misusing commas or failing to separate clauses smoothly.

  • ❌ “And Sarah, was at her friend's Maame’s end.” → ✅ “Sarah was at her friend Maame’s place.”

  • ❌ “Before I noticed, it was almost 12 and…” → ✅ “Before I noticed, it was almost twelve, and…”

  • Use dashes (—) for smooth interruptions:
    ✅ “I think I’ve been too focused on perfecting my routine — not literally — but…”

3. Word Choice & Natural Expression

• Choosing stiff or awkward wording when simpler ones sound natural.

  • ❌ “End” (as in “Maame’s end”) → ✅ “Place”

  • ❌ “Keep being consistent” → ✅ “Stay consistent”

  • ❌ “Look like or appear to be” → ✅ “Look on camera”

4. Formal vs Conversational Tone

• Overusing “And” at the start of sentences or being too informal in structure.

  • ❌ “And she even watched a third…” → ✅ “She went on to watch a third…”

  • Avoid “okay” or “you know” inside sentences unless used for tone intentionally.

5. Grammar & Style Details

• Articles missing in a list.

  • ❌ “An interview, assessment, and video rehearsal.” → ✅ “An interview, an assessment, and a video rehearsal.”

• Use British English spelling:

  • ✅ realise, favourite, colour

• Numbers one to twelve should be written in words.

  • ✅ “Before I knew it, it was nearly twelve.”

6. Verb Tense & Precision

• Ensure the tense reflects time order clearly.

  • ❌ “I realised I wasted a day.” → ✅ “I realised I had wasted a day.”

EXAMPLES OF CLEANER WRITING:

• “I realised I’d wasted another day.”

• “Before I knew it, it was nearly twelve.”

• “She was at her friend Maame’s place.”

• “I stay consistent, and I’ll pull it off perfectly.”

NOTE TYPE: (Grammar & Style note)

Redundancy and casual phrasing in professional speech.

WHY TO AVOID: Repetition (“that helps you,” “when you are”) and casual words (“stuff”) weaken authority.
FORMULA:
→ Replace repeated structures with connectors (“and,” dashes, or clauses).
→ Swap casual nouns for specific, professional ones.
EXAMPLES:
❌ When you are home, when you are online…
✅ Whether you’re home, online, or outside…
❌ Purchase your stuff.
✅ Purchase your merchandise.
GRAMMAR TOPICS: Conciseness; Formal vs. informal tone; Parallel structure