Clichs Created by Kathryn Reilly Clich Basics What are clichs? Clichs are overused phrases or ideas. What do clichs look like? Under the weather feeling blue take a chill pill you cant teach an old dog new tricks a matter of life and death easy as pie Lets take a look! Can you think Of anymore Clichs? Common Clichs Below are very common clichs to avoid when writing (this is just a tiny list!). All talk, no action Cold shoulder Cute as a button Facts of life Hold your horses Jack of all trades Kiss and tell My two cents Read my lips Using or Avoiding Clichs For the most part, writers should avoid clichs. They are considered unoriginal Audiences become bored quickly Clichs tend to be wordy Clichs should be avoided in academic writing Writers can use clichs sparingly In creative writing In speeches Avoiding Clichs Mark my words: A writer should always rely on original words. When editing the text, if a writer spots a clich he or she should try to rephrase the text. Dont get bent out of shape, the ball is in the your court. The long and short of it is entire websites are devoted to helping writers eliminate clichs, as they are nothing to write home about! Horror Clichs Clichs exist in many forms they are not unique to writing. This illustration identifies horror movie clichs. In other words, horror plots that are over done, predictable and should be avoided. Creative Commons image/1/20_Horror_Movie_Cliches_by_EllaBlack.png For More Help Try these websites: avoid-cliches.aspxavoid-cliches.aspx