{"id":6822,"date":"2025-11-28T09:58:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/another-word-for-another-example\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:58:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:58:41","slug":"another-word-for-another-example","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/another-word-for-another-example\/","title":{"rendered":"[ Another Word for Another Example ]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You know that moment when you\u2019re mid-sentence, typing away, and suddenly your brain hits a wall? You\u2019ve already said \u201cfor example\u201d twice in the same paragraph, and now you\u2019re scrambling for a synonym so your high school English teacher doesn\u2019t haunt your dreams? Yeah, I\u2019ve been there \u2014 like the time I tried to help my niece with her college essay about \u201cleadership.\u201d By the third draft, every other sentence started with \u201cFor example\u2026\u201d She looked at me and deadpanned, \u201cAunt Kate, are we writing a textbook or a personal statement?\u201d (Spoiler: She got into her top choice. But we fixed that essay first.)<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the thing: <strong>\u201canother example\u201d is a workhorse phrase<\/strong>, but leaning on it too hard can make writing feel robotic. Over the years \u2014 through grading my students\u2019 papers, writing DIY blogs, and surviving my own cringey LinkedIn phase \u2014 I\u2019ve learned a few alternatives that actually stick. Not from a thesaurus, but from trial and error. Like the time I tried to sound smart in a work email by using \u201cto wit\u201d instead of \u201cfor example.\u201d My boss replied, \u201cIs this a legal brief or a Zoom invite?\u201d (Lesson learned: Know your audience.)<\/p>\n<h3>Real-World Swaps That Won\u2019t Scream \u201cThesaurus!\u201d<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cCase in point\u201d<\/strong>: My go-to when I need to sound a little punchier. Used this in a PTA fundraiser email last fall (\u201cCase in point: Our 2022 bake sale funded the new library chairs!\u201d). Got 20% more donations than the year before. Coincidence? Maybe. But it feels less stuffy than \u201cfor instance.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cLike\u2026\u201d or \u201cSay\u2026\u201d<\/strong>: Casual but effective. When explaining VPNs to my tech-wary mom: \u201cIt\u2019s like sending mail in a locked box instead of a postcard.\u201d Lightbulb moment achieved.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cPicture this\u201d<\/strong>: Gold for storytelling. Used it in a blog about fixing a leaky faucet: \u201cPicture this: It\u2019s 11 PM, Home Depot\u2019s closed, and you\u2019ve got a cereal bowl under the sink\u2026\u201d Readers loved the vibe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cHere\u2019s the kicker\u201d<\/strong>: Saved this one for my rogue garage-sale-Flippa-empire phase (RIP 2019). In a Facebook Marketplace post: \u201cVintage typewriter works perfectly\u2026 here\u2019s the kicker: It still has a love letter from 1972 tucked inside.\u201d Sold in 4 hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But here\u2019s what nobody tells you: <strong>Sometimes repetition is okay<\/strong>. I learned this the hard way while editing a friend\u2019s wedding website. We\u2019d swapped every \u201cfor example\u201d with \u201cto illustrate,\u201d \u201cas evidenced by,\u201d and even a reckless \u201cper the instance of.\u201d It read like a Dickens novel filtered through a corporate jargon generator. The bride\u2019s feedback? \u201cThis doesn\u2019t sound like <em>us<\/em>.\u201d Back to basics we went.<\/p>\n<h3>When to Break the Rules<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dialogue\/natural writing<\/strong>: If you\u2019re quoting someone or aiming for a conversational tone, lean into repetition. My uncle\u2019s fishing rant \u2014 \u201cAnd then I lost another one! Another example of why we need better rods!\u201d \u2014 loses its saltiness if I \u201ccase in point\u201d it to death.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technical contexts<\/strong>: Writing a manual for my neighbor\u2019s pool-cleaning side hustle? Clarity beats creativity. \u201cFor example\u201d is your friend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Tiny Hack That Changed Everything<\/h3>\n<p>Keep a \u201cbanned words\u201d list. Mine lives on a neon Post-It above my desk (next to a Starbucks cup from the Obama era \u2014 don\u2019t ask). Whenever I notice overusing a phrase, I add it and brainstorm 2-3 alternatives. \u201cAnother example\u201d shares space with \u201cutilize\u201d (just say \u201cuse\u201d), \u201cleverage\u201d (unless we\u2019re talking actual levers), and my arch-nemesis \u201csynergy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last thing: <strong>Read your writing aloud<\/strong>. If you trip over your fancy synonym, ditch it. Your reader\u2019s inner voice will thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Now go forth and vary those examples \u2014 or don\u2019t. Either way, you\u2019ve got options. (And if all else fails, hit \u2018em with a \u201c\u2026\u201d or an em dash. Works every time \u2014 trust me.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You know that moment when you\u2019re mid-sentence, typing away, and suddenly your brain hits a wall? You\u2019ve already said \u201cfor example\u201d twice in the same paragraph, and now you\u2019re scrambling for a synonym so your high school English teacher doesn\u2019t haunt your dreams? Yeah, I\u2019ve been there \u2014 like the time I tried to help&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}