Too Many "and's"

Avoid Overusing the Word "and"

When the word "and" is overused, a piece of writing begins to sound overly simplistic and repetitive. In order to cut down on the number of times that the word "and" is used, one useful challenge for writers is to try to use the word no more than two times in any single sentence, and no more than six times in a single paragraph. One way to reduce the number of unnecessary times that the word "and" is used in a sentence is to think critically about how the word is best used. "And" is a connective word, which is used to link together phrases or clauses or words of equal value. Accordingly, writers should use the word "and" when making a list, but not when making an argument. Words that advance an argument include "therefore" or "so" or "however." Here is a simple example of how to change a sentence to reduce the number of "and's" –

• "It is dark and rainy outside and driving is currently dangerous."

Alternatives could be –

• "It is dark and rainy outside, so driving is currently dangerous."

• "It is dark and rainy outside, therefore driving is currently dangerous.

• "Driving is currently dangerous because it is dark and rainy outside."