weakish · February 3, 2011 15:33 · Feb 8, 2011 · Feb 8, 2011 · Feb 8, 2011 · Feb 3, 2011
diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 
 - **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
 - **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
-
+<!-- markdown cannot separate lists! -->
 + **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
 + **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 

diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 
 - **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
 - **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
+
 + **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
 + **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 

diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 
 - **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
 - **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
-- **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
-- **Better**: We isolated four samples.
++ **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
++ **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 
 Beholder words
 ----------------

diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@ My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 
 - **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
 - **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
-
-
 - **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
 - **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 

diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 - **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
 - **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
 
+
 - **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
 - **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 

diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-Below is adapted from Matt Might's blog post [3 shell scripts to improve your writing, or "My Ph.D. advisor rewrote himself in bash." ][advisor].
+Below is adapted from Matt Might's blog post:
+
+[3 shell scripts to improve your writing, or "My Ph.D. advisor rewrote himself in bash." ][advisor].
 
 [advisor]: http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
 
@@ -23,11 +25,11 @@ New grad students sprinkle in salt and pepper words for seasoning.  These words
 My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
 *a number of*, *fairly*, and *quite*.  Sentences that cut these words out become stronger.
 
-    Bad:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
-    Better: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
+- **Bad**:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
+- **Better**: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
 
-    Bad:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
-    Better: We isolated four samples.
+- **Bad**:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
+- **Better**: We isolated four samples.
 
 Beholder words
 ----------------
@@ -37,9 +39,9 @@ Beholder words are those whose meaning is a function of the reader; for example:
 
 Peer reviewers don't like judgments drawn for them.
 
-    Bad:    False positives were surprisingly low.
-    Better: To our surprise, false positives were low.
-    Good:   To our surprise, false positives were low (3%).
+- **Bad**:    False positives were surprisingly low.
+- **Better**: To our surprise, false positives were low.
+- **Good**:   To our surprise, false positives were low (3%).
 
 
 Lazy words
@@ -58,8 +60,8 @@ Other offenders include *several*, *exceedingly*,
 
 
 
-    Bad:    There is very close match between the two semantics.
-    Better: There is a close match between the two semantics.
+- **Bad**:    There is very close match between the two semantics.
+- **Better**: There is a close match between the two semantics.
 
 
 Adverbs
@@ -72,5 +74,5 @@ any technical writing would be a net positive for my newest graduate
 students.  (That is, new graduate students weaken a sentence when they insert adverbs more frequently than they strengthen it.)
 
 
-    Bad:    We offer a completely different formulation of CFA.
-    Better: We offer a different formulation of CFA.
+- **Bad**:    We offer a completely different formulation of CFA.
+- **Better**: We offer a different formulation of CFA.
diff --git a/README.markdown b/README.markdown
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+Below is adapted from Matt Might's blog post [3 shell scripts to improve your writing, or "My Ph.D. advisor rewrote himself in bash." ][advisor].
+
+[advisor]: http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+Weasel words
+=================
+
+Weasel words--phrases or words that sound good without conveying
+information--obscure precision.
+
+I notice three kinds of weasel words in my students' writing: 
+
+- salt and pepper words
+- beholder words
+- lazy words. 
+
+
+Salt and pepper words
+--------------------------
+
+New grad students sprinkle in salt and pepper words for seasoning.  These words look and feel like technical words, but convey nothing.
+
+My favorite salt and pepper words/phrases are *various*,
+*a number of*, *fairly*, and *quite*.  Sentences that cut these words out become stronger.
+
+    Bad:    It is quite difficult to find untainted samples.
+    Better: It is difficult to find untainted samples.
+
+    Bad:    We used various methods to isolate four samples.
+    Better: We isolated four samples.
+
+Beholder words
+----------------
+
+
+Beholder words are those whose meaning is a function of the reader; for example: *interestingly*, *surprisingly*, *remarkably*, or *clearly*.
+
+Peer reviewers don't like judgments drawn for them.
+
+    Bad:    False positives were surprisingly low.
+    Better: To our surprise, false positives were low.
+    Good:   To our surprise, false positives were low (3%).
+
+
+Lazy words
+----------------
+
+Students insert lazy words in order to avoid making a quantitative characterization.  They give the impression that the author has not yet conducted said characterization.
+
+These words make the science feel unfirm and unfinished.
+
+The two worst offenders in this category are the words
+*very* and *extremely*.  These two adverbs are never
+excusable in technical writing.  Never.
+
+Other offenders include *several*, *exceedingly*,
+*many*, *most*, *few*, *vast*.
+
+
+
+    Bad:    There is very close match between the two semantics.
+    Better: There is a close match between the two semantics.
+
+
+Adverbs
+-----------
+
+In technical writing, adverbs tend to come off as weasel words.
+
+I'd even go so far as to say that the removal of all adverbs from
+any technical writing would be a net positive for my newest graduate
+students.  (That is, new graduate students weaken a sentence when they insert adverbs more frequently than they strengthen it.)
+
+
+    Bad:    We offer a completely different formulation of CFA.
+    Better: We offer a different formulation of CFA.
diff --git a/check-weasel.sh b/check-weasel.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Author: Matt Might
+# URL: http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+### Find weasel words in text
+
+
+weasels="many|various|very|fairly|several|extremely\
+  |exceedingly|quite|remarkably|few|surprisingly\
+  |mostly|largely|huge|tiny|((are|is) a number)\
+  |excellent|interestingly|significantly\
+  |substantially|clearly|vast|relatively|completely"
+
+wordfile=""
+
+# Check for an alternate weasel file
+if [ -f $HOME/etc/words/weasels ]; then
+  wordfile="$HOME/etc/words/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ -f $WORDSDIR/weasels ]; then
+  wordfile="$WORDSDIR/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ -f words/weasels ]; then
+  wordfile="words/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ ! "$wordfile" = "" ]; then
+  weasels="xyzabc123";
+  for w in `cat $wordfile`; do
+    weasels="$weasels|$w"
+  done
+fi
+
+
+if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
+  echo "usage: `basename $0` <file> ..."
+  exit
+fi
+
+egrep -i -n --color "\\b($weasels)\\b" $*
+
+exit $?