Eliminate Sticky Words

I use too many sticky words in my writing. Most writers do. As a teacher, I watch my students craft long, winding sentences with only kernels of meaning buried within. We think more words equal better writing, but strong nouns and verbs pack more punch than a dozen connectors.

In his book Plain English for Lawyers, Richard C. Wydick explains why:

In every English sentence are two kinds of words: working words and glue words. The working words carry the meaning of the sentence. In the preceding sentence the working words are these: working, words, carry, meaning, and sentence. The others are glue words: the, the, of, and the. The glue words do serve a purpose; they hold the working words together to form a proper English sentence. But when you find too many glue words, it is a sign that the sentence is badly constructed. A good sentence is like fine cabinetwork: the pieces are cut and shaped to fit together with scarcely any glue.

Tools for Detection

Several tools help me catch sticky sentences:

  1. ProWritingAid's Sticky tool: Identifies glue-heavy sentences and suggests alternatives. As they explain, "Sticky sentences wobble around without getting to the point. They are hard to follow, and should be rewritten to increase clarity."
  2. Grammarly: Flags sticky sentences among other suggestions.
  3. Readable: Improves text flow and identifies glue words. Their blog notes, "Glue words are sometimes also referred to as 'sticky words'...an overabundance can make the sentence slow and gloopy—in other words, sticky."
  4. PaperEdits (Mac): Highlights sticky sentences. From their blog: "Many successful authors make judicious use of glue words and receive accolades for their work... treat each sticky sentence it highlights as merely a suggestion."
  5. Writers Helping Writers Crutch Word List: Identifies commonly overused words: "Crutch words are words that many writers tend to repeat, resulting in overuse."

Strategies for Improvement

Through practice, I've developed these approaches:

  • Locate working words - your strong nouns and verbs - and strip away excess.
  • Split complex sentences into focused ideas.
  • Rearrange working words to eliminate unnecessary connections.

According to ProWritingAid and IngramSpark, the industry standard suggests keeping glue words below 40% of your document. But remember - some glue words are necessary. Use them purposefully.

Good writing isn't about word count. It's about making every word count.