Writing Prose Like a Human

Core Principle

AI writing has a statistical signature: regression to the mean. Models replace specifics with generalities, inflate importance with stock phrases, and smooth over the uneven texture that makes human writing feel real. The result reads like a press release about everything.

Human writing is specific, uneven, and comfortable with imperfection. A human writer says "the bridge opened in 1973" where an AI says "the bridge stands as a testament to the region's rich engineering heritage." A human writer says "I don't know" where an AI says "while specific details remain limited in available sources."

The antidote is concrete detail and restraint. Say what happened. Skip the commentary about why it matters. Trust the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The Five Rules

1. Be specific, not significant

State facts without editorializing their importance. Cut words that inflate: "pivotal", "crucial", "vital", "key" (as adjective), "testament", "watershed", "indelible mark", "deeply rooted", "groundbreaking" (figurative), "lasting legacy", "broader movement." Let facts carry their own weight.

Before:

The 1987 renovation played a pivotal role in shaping the building's enduring legacy, serving as a testament to the community's deeply rooted commitment to architectural preservation.

After:

The building was renovated in 1987. The city council funded the project after the roof collapsed during a storm.

The second version is more informative. The first version says the renovation was important without saying why.

2. Use plain verbs

Write "is", "are", "has" instead of "serves as", "stands as", "represents." Write "shows" not "showcases", "stresses" not "underscores", "has" not "boasts" or "features." Plain copulas are the backbone of clear prose. Don't replace them with verbs that sound more impressive but mean the same thing.

Better yet, find the active verb hiding inside the noun phrase. "The tool serves as a validation mechanism" becomes "The tool is a validation mechanism" (better), which becomes "The tool validates inputs" (best).

Before:

The museum showcases an extensive collection that encompasses works from diverse artistic movements, offering visitors a glimpse into the region's vibrant cultural tapestry.

After:

The museum has paintings from the 16th through 20th centuries, mostly Dutch and Flemish.

3. End sentences at the fact

Do not append participial commentary — those "-ing" phrases that editorialize after the main clause. "The population grew 12%, reflecting broader demographic trends" says less than "The population grew 12%." The participial phrase adds opinion disguised as analysis.

Watch for: "highlighting its importance", "reflecting broader trends", "underscoring the significance", "ensuring continued relevance", "emphasizing the need for", "solidifying its position as."

Before:

The company opened a second factory in 2019, highlighting its commitment to expanding operations and underscoring the region's growing economic significance.

After:

The company opened a second factory in 2019.

4. Vary your rhythm

Mix sentence lengths. Some sentences should be short. Others can run longer when the content demands it, but length should follow from the complexity of the idea, not from a habit of packing three clauses into every sentence.

Don't default to the rule of three. Two items or four items are fine. One is fine. Don't use "Not only X but Y" as a crutch — keep it to one per document at most, if at all. Don't open consecutive sentences with "Additionally," "Furthermore," or "Moreover."

Before:

Not only does the festival celebrate local traditions, but it also fosters community engagement, promotes cultural awareness, and attracts visitors from across the region. Additionally, it serves as a platform for emerging artists. Furthermore, it contributes to the local economy.

After:

The festival runs for three days each September. About 200 local vendors set up stalls. Attendance has been around 15,000 since 2018.

5. Earn every adjective

Cut "vibrant", "rich" (cultural), "profound", "intricate", "enduring", "bustling", "stunning", "breathtaking", "dynamic", "meticulous", "robust", "comprehensive", "seamless", "multifaceted" unless they carry specific, non-decorative meaning. If removing the adjective doesn't change the meaning, remove it.

The test: does the adjective tell the reader something they couldn't infer from the noun? "A tall building" works because not all buildings are tall. "A vibrant community" fails because the writer means "a community" — the adjective is decoration.

Before:

Nestled in the heart of the vibrant downtown district, the bustling market offers a rich tapestry of diverse culinary experiences.

After:

The market is on 4th Street between Pine and Oak. It has about 30 food stalls.

Vocabulary Watchlist

These words and phrases appear at statistically elevated rates in LLM output. Their presence alone doesn't prove AI authorship, but clusters of them are a strong signal. When you catch yourself reaching for one, pause and ask whether a plainer word works.

Significance inflation

Avoid	Write instead
pivotal, crucial, vital	important (or cut entirely)
key (adjective)	main, or rephrase
testament (to)	evidence, or cut
watershed moment	(state what changed)
indelible mark	(state the effect)
deeply rooted	long-standing, or cut
lasting/enduring legacy	(state what persists)
broader movement	(name the movement)
evolving landscape	(state what changed)
focal point	center, focus
tapestry (abstract)	(cut — describe the actual thing)
groundbreaking (figurative)	new, first, original
captivate	interest, draw
plays a significant role	matters, affects
reminder (as in "is a reminder")	evidence, sign, or cut
key turning point	state what changed
marks/represents a shift	state what changed
contributing to the	state the contribution, or cut

False sophistication

Avoid	Write instead
delve (into)	look at, examine, discuss
intricate	detailed, complex
interplay	relationship, interaction
garner	get, receive, earn
underscore (verb)	stress, show
showcase	show, display, has
foster	encourage, support
encompass	include, cover
align (with)	match, agree with, fit
resonate (with)	appeal to, affect
vibrant	(cut, or be specific)
enduring	long-lasting, or cut
enhance	improve
nestled	located, situated, is in
in the heart of	in, in central
boasts	has
navigate	handle, manage, deal with
leverage	use
elevate	raise, improve
reimagine	redesign, rethink
orchestrate	organize, arrange
paradigm	model, approach
robust	strong, reliable
seamless	smooth
meticulous	careful, thorough
multifaceted	complex, varied
bespoke	custom
facilitate	help, enable, allow
instrumental	important, useful
highlight (verb)	show, point out
exemplify	show, illustrate
cultivate (figurative)	build, encourage
intricacies	details, complexities
valuable	useful, or cut
renowned	well-known, or cut
featuring	with, including, has

Structural tics

Avoid	Write instead
Additionally, (sentence opener)	(cut, or restructure)
Furthermore,	(cut, or restructure)
Moreover,	(cut, or restructure)
However, (overused)	but, or restructure
Therefore, (overused)	so, or restructure
It is worth noting	(just state the thing)
It's important to remember	(just state the thing)
Despite these challenges,	(state the challenge directly)
reflects broader	(name what it reflects)
setting the stage for	before, leading to
marking/shaping the	(rephrase without gerund)
Not only X but Y	(use sparingly — max 1 per doc)
In today's fast-paced world	(cut entirely)
In the realm/world of	in
At its core	(cut, or just state the thing)
A delicate balance	(describe the actual trade-off)
It is not just about X, it's Y	(rephrase without the negation setup)
Challenges and Legacy (as heading)	(avoid as section title)
Future Outlook (as heading)	(avoid as section title)
While specific details are limited	state what's known, or say "unknown"
based on available information	(cut — just state the information)

Vague attribution

Avoid	Write instead
Industry reports suggest	(name the report)
Experts/observers/critics argue	(name the person)
Some critics argue	(name the critic, or cut)
several sources/publications	(name them, or say "two" if there are two)
such as (before exhaustive lists)	(just list the items — don't imply more exist)
profiled in	(say what the profile said, or cut)
active social media presence	(state follower count or cut)
independent coverage	(name the outlet and what it said)

Structural Patterns to Avoid

• Don't end sections with summaries. No "In summary", "In conclusion", "Overall." If the section made its point, stop.
• Don't write the "challenges and future" formula. "Despite X, Y faces challenges... but the future looks promising" is the most recognizable AI paragraph structure. State problems directly without the redemptive arc.
• Don't create exhaustive bold-header bullet lists for everything. "Scalability: The system scales well" wastes the reader's time. Use prose when content flows naturally; reserve bullet lists for genuinely list-shaped data.
• Don't overuse em dashes for emphasis. One or two per page is fine. More than that reads as a stylistic tic. Prefer commas, parentheses, or colons.
• Don't inflate attribution. "Featured in The New York Times and profiled by CNN" — if the citations matter, say what the sources said. If they don't, cut them.
• Don't create small decorative tables. Tables work when data has two or more dimensions. For two or three items, prose is clearer.
• Don't write false ranges. "From X to Y" requires X and Y to be endpoints of a real scale. "From biology to politics" is not a range.
• Don't use title case in headings unless the style guide requires it. Sentence case reads more naturally.
• Prefer straight quotation marks. Some AI models (notably ChatGPT and DeepSeek) default to curly quotes ("\u2026") and curly apostrophes (\u2019). Use straight quotes ("...") and straight apostrophes (') for consistency, unless the style guide specifies otherwise.
• Don't moralize or append safety padding. "It is crucial to approach this topic with sensitivity" and "We must remember the human cost" are AI-generated moral wrappers. State the facts. If the facts are serious, the reader will notice without being told how to feel.

What Human Writing Actually Sounds Like

Human prose has positive characteristics that AI rarely reproduces:

• Uneven sentence and paragraph length. Some paragraphs are one sentence. Some run long. The variation isn't random — it follows the shape of the ideas.
• Comfortable use of "is" and "are." Plain copulas are fine. "The bridge is 200 meters long" needs no synonym for "is."
• Natural repetition over forced variation. "The bridge was built in 1910. The bridge connects the north and south banks" is better than "The structure... the span... the crossing." Elegant variation is a trap.
• Opinions stated plainly. "This approach is simpler" beats "Not only is this approach more elegant, but it also serves as a more maintainable solution."
• Incomplete knowledge acknowledged directly. "The date is unknown" instead of "While specific details regarding the precise date remain limited in currently available sources."
• Specificity over generality. A concrete fact ("the budget was $2.4 million") is worth more than a vague claim of significance ("a substantial investment reflecting the community's commitment").
• Willingness to leave things unsaid. Not every paragraph needs a concluding sentence. Not every topic needs a transition.

Reference

For the complete guide with full examples, structural patterns, and the exhaustive vocabulary reference, see REFERENCE.md.