The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill

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Clichs
What this handout is about
This handout discusses clichs and why you should generally avoid them in order to achieve specificity in both your
academic writing and your application essays.

INTRODUCTION: WHATS SO BAD ABOUT CLICHS?

Lets say you are on a study abroad applications review committee. You are responsible for making sure a limited
amount of money goes to the most qualified applicantsand you have to read through hundreds of application
essays! Here are two personal statements:
Im a people person, so I am certain to get along well with new people in a strange country. I know how to adapt,
because Im a jack-of-all-trades. I am also prepared to deal with adversity and learn from challenges because I
know that every cloud has a silver lining.
I will be able to immerse myself in another country because I have experience as an ESL tutor interacting with
people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Growing up in a military family taught me how to quickly adapt to new
people and environments. I wont let the inevitable challenges of living abroad deter me from my educational goals.
As my numerous failed experiments for my chemistry senior project show, challenges are profitable in the long-run. I
finally made a contribution to my field after 200 experiments!
Who gets the money? Both applicants made the same basic argument about themselves. But the second did it with
more specificityin other words, by using detailed evidence to reinforce her more general claims about herself. The
first applicant relied on clichsIm a people person, jack-of-all-trades, every cloud as a silver liningthat
anybody could have used. We didnt learn anything specific about this person. The second applicant gets the
money.
This example shows the problem with clichsthey are general statements that do not add any detailed evidence or
unique support to a piece of writing, whether that writing is a personal statement or an academic essay.

WHAT IS A CLICH?
Clichs are expressions that either have a general meaning or have lost their meaning over time. These overused
phrases do not provide a specific meaning or image. You are probably familiar with many of them, although you
might find it difficult to pinpoint their exact definition. Some are idioms, where the figurative meaning of a group of
words is different from the literal definition. For example, The devil is in the details should hopefully not be taken
literally! Other clichs may once have possessed a precise meaning that made them creative metaphors, but they
have now lost their edge because that specific definition has been forgotten or dulled through overuse. Survival of
the fittest once evoked Charles Darwins theory of evolution through natural selection. Because readers have
largely lost this unique context, the phrase has also lost the specificity which may have once made it a potent
metaphor. Clichs can also obscure fully-developed ideas by serving as placeholders for a more sophisticated
discussion. Clichs lack specificity and complexity; therefore, they do not make distinctive or memorable
contributions to your writing.

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WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CLICHS?

Weve divided some common clichs into categories based on the genre in which you might encounter them. Follow
the links at the end of this handout for much more comprehensive lists of clichs.
Academic Writing especially in formulaic introductions or conclusions (see our handouts on introductions and
conclusions to make sure that you dont start or end your papers with clichs):
In modern society
Throughout history (Be warned: History TAs hate this one!)
In this day and age
In the current climate
From the dawn of man (Historians are also not fond of this one!)
Application Essays where talking about yourself can lead to getting mushy and using clichs (check out our
handout on application essays to make your personal statements specific and effective):
Good things come to those who wait
Every cloud has a silver lining
Little did I know
I learned more from them than they did from me
Every rose has its thorn
The time of my life
Any type of writing:
In the nick of time
Opposites attract
You win some, you lose some
Easy come, easy go

WHY SHOULDNT YOU USE CLICHS?

Clichs are usually not acceptable in academic writing, although some may be effective in daily conversation and
less formal writing. Evaluate the context of your writing and be aware that youre making a choice when you use
them.
Clichs make you seem boring. By using a clich, youre telling your reader that you lack originality, making
them want to yawn and stop reading your paper.
Clichs make your writing and argument interchangeable with anybody elses. Make sure that your argument
and writing are specific to you and your writing task.
Clichs are vague. It is best to use the most precise wording in order to present evidence and support your
arguments as clearly as possible. Specific details and explanations make better evidence than
generalizations and trite phrases.
Clichs make you seem lazy. They are a hedge when you dont want to do creative work.

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Clichs make you lose credibility. Your reader will not trust you as an authoritative source if you cant come up
with a better description than a clich.
Clichs are poor substitutes for actual evidence. Because clichs are not specific, they do not offer strong
enough commentary to prove your point. Make sure that every sentence of your paper is working toward a
goal by eliminating meaningless phrases.

HOW TO TELL WHEN YOURE USING A CLICH

If instructors provide feedback such as too general, vague, or be more specific, what they might really
mean is that your writing relies on clichs.
Ask a friend to listen as you read your writing out loud. If he or she can finish any sentence before you read
the whole thing, you have probably employed a clich.
Read through your writing alone. Read it slowly and out loud, stopping often to develop mental pictures that
reflect what you have written. If youre writing a paper that needs to be descriptive, do all of your sentences
evoke strong images? If youre writing about something theoretical or persuasive, are all of your points
specific and clear? If something is easy to skip over or you cant assign a direct meaning to it, go back! You
may have a clich.
Ask yourself if what youve written is a product of your research, an original argument, or a portrayal of your
personal experiences. Could what you wrote appear in anyone elses essay? If so, you may be relying on
clichs. No other writer has had exactly the same personal experiences as you, conducted the same
research, or formulated the same arguments.
Look through your introduction and your conclusion. Often writers rely on clichs to power through what many
consider to be the most difficult sections of a paper. If youre using phrases that sound like they could belong
in any generic paper, chances are theyre not serving you well. Of course, you may reuse certain transition
words or forms of argument in multiple papers, but try to avoid hackneyed phrases like Throughout history
or In conclusion

HOW TO GET RID OF CLICHS

Research or brainstorm some more. If you are relying on clichs, you might not have prepared enough for
your writing assignment. Check out our brainstorming handout. If you think you may be relying on clichs
instead of actual evidence, consult our handout on evidence for clarification.
Stop and think about what youre trying to say. What do you really mean? Say your answer out loud and then
write it down. List the main ideas that you want to convey in each sentence, and then list synonyms of each
idea underneath. Pull out a thesaurus if necessary. This method leaves you with a list of many words, and you
can pick the most fitting combination.
Try to pinpoint exactly what you want to say, and write it! Often, keeping it simple is a good idea.
Ask yourself questions as you write. Use who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to spur
your thinking. Rather than writing throughout history as your introductory line, stop and ask yourself,
When? In what era? Where? Who was in power during the specific historical context I am addressing? The
answers to these questions will give you a more focused opening line. For example, imagine youre writing a
paper about papal history. Rather than saying something generic such as, Throughout history, only two
popes have resigned, you can write something better with the help of a little research. You could end up with
the more precise: In what represented a nearly unprecedented departure from papal tradition, Pope Benedict
XVI became the second pope to resign in 2013.

RESOURCES
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Consult these resources for lists of clichs:

Clich List: Definition, Meaning & Examples. http://www.clichelist.net/
Clichs. WSU Writing Center. http://wsuonline.weber.edu/wrh/cliches.htm
Examples of Clichs. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-cliches.html
The Book of Clichs. http://utopia.knoware.nl/~sybev/cliche/bad.htm

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