I’ve been doing a lot of critiquing lately, of my work, my critique partner’s work, and for another writer I hope will become my second critique partner. Since I am in an editing frame of mind, I decided to discuss repetitive words. You know, the ones that sneak into your sentences without you even realizing they’re there.

Was.   That.  Seemed.   Felt.   Even.   Just.   And.   Then.   Ever.

My other problem words are there, their, and they’re. I know what they all mean and when to use them, yet I routinely find I’ve used the incorrect form.

When I perform an edit, the above words are at the top of my search and destroy list.

What words or phrases do you tend to repeat in your writing?