1# Structures to Avoid
2 
3## Binary Contrasts
4 
5These create false drama. State the point directly.
6 
7| Pattern | Problem |
8|---------|---------|
9| "Not because X. Because Y." / "Not because X, but because Y." | Telegraphed reversal |
10| "[X] isn't the problem. [Y] is." | Formulaic reframe |
11| "The answer isn't X. It's Y." | Predictable pivot |
12| "It feels like X. It's actually Y." | Setup/reveal cliche |
13| "The question isn't X. It's Y." | Rhetorical misdirection |
14| "Not X. But Y." / "not X, it's Y" / "isn't X, it's Y" | Mechanical contrast |
15| "It's not this. It's that." | Same formula, different words |
16| "stops being X and starts being Y" | False transformation arc |
17| "doesn't mean X, but actually Y" | Negation-then-assertion crutch |
18| "is about X but not Y" | False distinction |
19| "not just X but also Y" | Additive hedge |
20 
21**Instead:** State Y directly. "The problem is Y." "Y matters here." Drop the negation entirely.
22 
23## Negative Listing
24 
25Listing what something is *not* before revealing what it *is*. A rhetorical striptease.
26 
27| Pattern | Problem |
28|---------|---------|
29| "Not a X... Not a Y... A Z." | Dramatic buildup through negation |
30| "It wasn't X. It wasn't Y. It was Z." | Same structure, past tense |
31 
32**Instead:** State Z. The reader doesn't need the runway.
33 
34## Dramatic Fragmentation
35 
36Sentence fragments for emphasis read as manufactured profundity.
37 
38| Pattern | Problem |
39|---------|---------|
40| "[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing]." | Performative simplicity |
41| "X. And Y. And Z." | Staccato drama |
42| "This unlocks something. [Word]." | Artificial revelation |
43 
44**Instead:** Complete sentences. Trust content over presentation.
45 
46## Rhetorical Setups
47 
48These announce insight rather than deliver it.
49 
50| Pattern | Problem |
51|---------|---------|
52| "What if [reframe]?" | Socratic posturing |
53| "Here's what I mean:" | Redundant preview |
54| "Think about it:" | Condescending prompt |
55| "And that's okay." | Unnecessary permission |
56 
57**Instead:** Make the point. Let readers draw conclusions.
58 
59## Formulaic Constructions
60 
61| Pattern | Problem |
62|---------|---------|
63| "By the time X, I was Y." | Narrative template |
64| "X that isn't Y" | Indirect. Say "X is broken" |
65 
66## False Agency
67 
68Giving inanimate things human verbs. Complaints don't "become" fixes. Bets don't "live or die." Decisions don't "emerge." A person does something to make those things happen. AI loves this because it avoids naming the actor.
69 
70| Pattern | Problem |
71|---------|---------|
72| "a complaint becomes a fix" | The complaint did nothing. Someone fixed it. |
73| "a bet lives or dies in days" | Bets don't have lifespans. Someone kills the project or ships it. |
74| "the decision emerges" | Decisions don't emerge. Someone decides. |
75| "the culture shifts" | Cultures don't shift on their own. People change behavior. |
76| "the conversation moves toward" | Conversations don't move. Someone steers. |
77| "the data tells us" | Data sits there. Someone reads it and draws a conclusion. |
78| "the market rewards" | Markets don't reward. Buyers pay for things. |
79 
80**Instead:** Name the human. "The team fixed it that week" beats "the complaint becomes a fix." If no specific person fits, use "you" to put the reader in the seat.
81 
82## Narrator-from-a-Distance
83 
84Floating above the scene instead of putting the reader in it.
85 
86| Pattern | Problem |
87|---------|---------|
88| "Nobody designed this." | Disembodied observation |
89| "This happens because..." | Lecturer voice |
90| "This is why..." | Same |
91| "People tend to..." | Armchair sociologist |
92 
93**Instead:** Put the reader in the room. "You don't sit down one day and decide to..." beats "Nobody designed this."
94 
95## Passive Voice
96 
97Every sentence needs a subject doing something. Passive voice hides the actor and drains energy.
98 
99| Pattern | Fix |
100|---------|-----|
101| "X was created" | Name who created it |
102| "It is believed that" | Name who believes it |
103| "Mistakes were made" | Name who made them |
104| "The decision was reached" | Name who decided |
105 
106**Instead:** Find the actor. Put them at the front of the sentence.
107 
108## Sentence Starters to Avoid
109 
110| Pattern | Fix |
111|---------|-----|
112| Sentences starting with What, When, Where, Which, Who, Why, How | Restructure. Lead with the subject or the verb. |
113| Paragraphs starting with "So" | Start with content |
114| Sentences starting with "Look," | Remove |
115 
116Wh- openers become a crutch. "What makes this hard is..." becomes "The constraint is..." or better, name the specific constraint.
117 
118## Rhythm Patterns
119 
120| Pattern | Fix |
121|---------|-----|
122| Three-item lists | Use two items or one |
123| Questions answered immediately | Let questions breathe or cut them |
124| Every paragraph ends punchily | Vary endings |
125| Em-dashes | Remove. Use commas or periods. No em dashes at all. |
126| Staccato fragmentation | Don't stack short punchy sentences |
127| "Not always. Not perfectly." | Hedging disguised as reassurance |
128 
129## Word Patterns
130 
131| Pattern | Problem |
132|---------|---------|
133| Lazy extremes (every, always, never, everyone, everybody, nobody) | False authority. Use specifics instead of sweeping claims. |
134| All adverbs (-ly words, "really," "just," "literally," "genuinely," "honestly," "simply," "actually") | Empty emphasis. See phrases.md for full list. |
135