Write and edit prose that reads as human rather than AI-generated. Use when drafting or revising articles, essays, documentation, emails, blog posts, or any natural-language text where an obviously "AI" tone would undermine the work. Catches and fixes tells like puffery, weasel-word attribution, the "rule of three", not-just-X-but-Y parallelism, filler transitions ("moreover", "furthermore"), copula avoidance ("serves as" for "is"), and em-dash overuse.
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Write and edit prose that reads as human rather than AI-generated. Use when drafting or revising articles, essays, documentation, emails, blog posts, or any natural-language text where an obviously "AI" tone would undermine the work. Catches and fixes tells like puffery, weasel-word attribution, the "rule of three", not-just-X-but-Y parallelism, filler transitions ("moreover", "furthermore"), copula avoidance ("serves as" for "is"), and em-dash overuse.
Human Writing
Language models leave tells. Readers notice them, and the writing ends up
feeling hollow or salesy. This skill catalogs the tells and shows how to write
past them. The point is to write well, not to hide who did the writing — a
careful human writer is the thing to imitate.
Derived from Wikipedia's Signs of AI
writing (CC
BY-SA 4.0). See reference.md for the full catalog, the complete flagged
vocabulary list, and — importantly — the "ineffective indicators" that are
not reliable tells, so you don't overcorrect clean prose into blandness.
How to use this skill
When drafting: keep the rules below in mind, but do not let them make you
stilted. Natural writing is the target, not a different set of rules to follow
mechanically.
When revising your own or another's draft: read it against the checklist
at the end. Each tell you find is a place to cut or rewrite, not just reword.
Rewrite, don't reword. Most tells are symptoms of empty content. Swapping
a flagged word for a synonym leaves the emptiness. Ask what the sentence
actually claims; if the answer is "nothing," delete it.
The core habits
1. State things plainly. Don't inflate significance.
Models pad claims with importance the facts don't earn. Cut the editorializing
and let the fact stand.
❌ "The festival stands as a testament to the region's rich cultural heritage,
marking a pivotal moment in its history."
✅ "The festival has been held every August since 1974."
Watch for: stands as, serves as a testament, marks a pivotal moment, plays a
vital/significant role, highlights the enduring legacy, underscores the
importance of, is a cornerstone of.
2. Cut promotional adjectives.
Encyclopedic and technical writing describes; it does not sell.
❌ "Nestled in the vibrant heart of the city, this groundbreaking initiative
boasts a rich array of features."
✅ "The office is downtown. The program offers three services."
3. Attribute claims to real, named sources — or drop them.
Vague attribution implies authority that isn't there.
❌ "Industry observers suggest the approach could reshape the field, and
experts note its growing influence."
✅ "In a 2023 review, Chen argued the approach reduces latency by half." (with
a citation) — or just delete the sentence if you have no source.
Watch for: observers argue, experts say, studies suggest, it is widely
regarded, many believe, industry reports indicate — with no actual name or
citation attached.
4. Use "is" and "has". Don't dodge the plain verb.
Models avoid simple copulas, reaching for fancier verbs that add nothing.
❌ "The library serves as a hub for research and features an extensive
collection." / "The city boasts a population of 40,000."
✅ "The library holds 2 million volumes." / "The city has 40,000 residents."
Watch for: serves as, functions as, stands as, features, boasts used where
is or has would be plainer and truer.
5. Kill the parallelism gimmicks.
Two constructions dominate AI prose. Both are cheap ways to sound profound.
Not just X, but Y — ❌ "It's not just a tool, but a philosophy." Usually
the "Y" is vaguer than the "X". Rewrite as a direct claim, or cut it.
X, rather than Y as filler — ❌ "This reflects growth rather than decline."
Fine occasionally; a tell when every third sentence does it.
6. Break up the "rule of three".
Models compulsively group things in triples: three adjectives, three clauses,
three examples. Real writers use the count the meaning calls for — often one or
two.
❌ "a strategic, efficient, and sustainable solution"
✅ "a cheaper solution" (if that's the actual point)
7. Drop filler transitions and present-participle tack-ons.
❌ "Moreover, the results were significant. Furthermore, they align with prior
work, highlighting the study's contribution and underscoring its relevance."
✅ "The results match earlier findings."
Watch for: sentence-initial Moreover, Furthermore, Additionally, In
conclusion, and trailing -ing clauses (highlighting…, emphasizing…,
reflecting…, showcasing…) that assert a connection the evidence doesn't show.
8. Avoid the "challenges and future prospects" formula.
❌ "Despite these strengths, the project faces challenges. Nevertheless, with
continued investment, it is poised to play an increasingly important role."
✅ End when you've said the thing. You don't need a hopeful coda.
9. Punctuation and formatting.
Em dashes: use them, but sparingly. Three per paragraph is a tell.
Boldface: don't bold key terms mid-sentence for emphasis. Reserve bold for
genuine structure (defined terms, table headers).
Headings: use sentence case ("Early life"), not Title Case ("Early Life
And Career").
Quotes: match the surrounding document's convention (straight vs. curly).
Lists: don't turn flowing prose into a bulleted "Term: description"
list unless the content is genuinely a list.
Signs of human writing (what to aim for)
The Wikipedia article names only a few positive signs, but they point the way:
A specific, explainable voice. A human writer can say why a sentence is
shaped the way it is. Write sentences that carry a real decision, not a
statistical average.
Idiosyncratic syntax. Vary rhythm. Let some sentences run long and others
land in three words. Uneven is human; uniform is machine.
Concrete detail over smooth generality. A real number, name, date, or
quoted phrase beats a fluent abstraction every time.
Willingness to be plain, and occasionally blunt. Humans state things
flatly, admit uncertainty, and stop when done. They don't wrap every point in
a bow.
Revision checklist
Read the draft and mark each hit. Every mark is a candidate for cutting or
rewriting — not reordering.
Any sentence that inflates significance (stands as, pivotal, testament)?
