deslop-en

What this skill does

# Deslop: Remove AI Writing Patterns from English Prose

## Core Principles

1. **Naturalness first.** Don't add slang or forced quirkiness to "sound human." If it's already clean, don't touch it.
2. **Subtraction over addition.** Delete before you tweak. Kill filler, adverbs, and throat-clearing before adjusting rhythm.
3. **Preserve meaning.** If removing a pattern alters the author's intent, keep the original.
4. **Match register to context.** A blog post and a grant proposal have different standards.

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## Quick Checklist

- [ ] Any adverbs (-ly words)? Delete them.
- [ ] Any passive voice? Find the actor, make them the subject.
- [ ] Inanimate thing doing a human verb ("the decision emerges")? Name the person.
- [ ] Any "here's what/this/that" throat-clearing? Cut to the point.
- [ ] Any "not X, it's Y" contrasts? State Y directly.
- [ ] Any self-posed rhetorical question answered immediately? Fold into a statement.
- [ ] Three consecutive sentences match length? Break one.
- [ ] Paragraph ends with a punchy one-liner? Vary it.
- [ ] Em dash anywhere? Replace with comma, period, or parenthetical.
- [ ] Vague declarative ("The implications are significant")? Name the specific implication.
- [ ] Meta-joiners ("The rest of this essay...")? Delete.
- [ ] Any "Let's break this down" / "Let's dive in" pedagogical hand-holding? Delete.
- [ ] Tricolon stacking? Use two items or one.
- [ ] Every list item starts with bold keyword? Reformulate.

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## AI Writing Patterns to Eliminate

### Throat-Clearing Openers
Remove announcement phrases. State content directly.

> ❌ Here's the thing: / The truth is, / Let me be clear / It turns out / I'm going to be honest / Can we talk about / Here's the kicker / Here's where it gets interesting
> ✅ State the point without preamble.

### Adverbs
**Kill all -ly words.** Softeners, intensifiers, hedges — all of them.

> ❌ really, just, literally, genuinely, honestly, simply, actually, deeply, truly, fundamentally, inherently, inevitably, interestingly, importantly, crucially, quietly, remarkably, arguably, certainly

Also cut these filler phrases:
> ❌ At its core / In today's [X] / It's worth noting / It bears mentioning / Notably / At the end of the day / When it comes to / In a world where / The reality is

### Passive Voice & False Agency
Every sentence needs a human subject doing something. Inanimate objects don't perform human verbs.

> ❌ "the complaint becomes a fix" → Someone fixed it.
> ❌ "a bet lives or dies in days" → Someone kills or ships the project.
> ❌ "the decision emerges" → Someone decides.
> ❌ "the culture shifts" → People change behavior.
> ❌ "the data tells us" → Someone reads the data and concludes.
> ❌ "the market rewards" → Buyers pay for things.

✅ Name the actor. "The team fixed it that week" beats "the complaint becomes a fix." If no specific person fits, use "you" or "we."

### Binary Contrasts (Negative Parallelism)
The most common AI tell. Creates false drama by framing everything as a surprising reframe.

> ❌ "It's not X — it's Y." / "Not because X. Because Y." / "The question isn't X. It's Y." / "It feels like X. It's actually Y." / "stops being X and starts being Y"
> ✅ State Y directly. "The problem is Y." Drop the negation entirely.

### Negative Listing
Listing what something is *not* before revealing what it *is*.

> ❌ "Not a X. Not a Y. A Z." / "It wasn't X. It wasn't Y. It was Z." / "Not ten. Not fifty. Five hundred."
> ✅ State Z directly.

### Self-Posed Rhetorical Questions
Asking a question nobody was asking, then answering it for dramatic effect.

> ❌ "The result? Devastating." / "The worst part? Nobody saw it coming." / "What if I told you..."
> ✅ State it directly: "The result was devastating."

### Tricolon Abuse
Overuse of the rule-of-three pattern.

> ❌ "Products impress people; platforms empower them. Products solve problems; platforms create worlds. Products scale linearly; platforms scale exponentially."
> ✅ Use two items or one. A single tricolon is fine. Back-to-back tricola are pattern recognition failure.

### Anaphora Abuse
Repeating the same sentence opener multiple times.

> ❌ "They assume that users will pay... They assume that developers will build... They assume that ecosystems will emerge..."
> ✅ Vary sentence openings. Combine related points.

### Dramatic Fragmentation
Sentence fragments for manufactured emphasis.

> ❌ "[Noun]. That's it. That's the [thing]." / "He published this. Openly. In a book. As a priest." / "Platforms do."
> ✅ Use complete sentences. Trust content over presentation.

### Meta-Commentary
Self-referential asides that announce structure instead of moving forward.

> ❌ "In this section, we'll explore..." / "As we'll see..." / "Let me walk you through..." / "The rest of this essay explains..." / "And so we return to where we began."
> ✅ Delete. Let the essay move without announcing itself.

### The "Serves As" Dodge
Replace pompous alternatives to "is" or "are" with the simple copula.

> ❌ serves as / stands as / marks / represents / constitutes / boasts (as 'has') / features (as 'has')
> ✅ is / are / has

### Emphasis Crutches
These add no meaning.

> ❌ Full stop. / Period. / Let that sink in. / This matters because. / Make no mistake. / Here's why that matters.
> ✅ Delete.

### Pedagogical Hand-Holding
Phrases that assume the reader needs a teacher.

> ❌ Let's break this down. / Let's unpack this. / Let's dive in. / Think of it as... / Imagine a world where...
> ✅ State the information directly.

### Superficial Participle Analyses
Tacking "-ing" phrases onto sentences for shallow analysis.

> ❌ "contributing to the region's rich cultural heritage" / "highlighting its importance" / "underscoring the need"
> ✅ If the analysis applies to literally any subject, it adds nothing. Delete it or replace with specific evidence.

### False Ranges
Using "from X to Y" where no real spectrum exists between X and Y.

> ❌ "From innovation to implementation to cultural transformation."
> ✅ Only use "from X to Y" when there's a real, identifiable midpoint on a real scale.

### Listicle in a Trench Coat
Numbered points disguised as continuous prose.

> ❌ "The first wall is the absence of a free API... The second wall is the lack of delegated access..."
> ✅ If a list is genuinely needed, use a list. Don't disguise it as prose paragraphs.

### Notability Overemphasis
Listing every source that covered the topic to prove it deserves to be written about.

> ❌ "Her views have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, Wired, and The New York Times..."
> ✅ Mention sources only where they naturally belong in the narrative. Don't recite a press list.

### Vague Attribution
Hiding behind unnamed authorities.

> ❌ "Experts argue..." / "Many believe..." / "Studies show..." / "It is widely regarded..." / "Observers note..."
> ✅ Name the source, or don't invoke one at all.

### The "Despite Its... Faces Challenges" Formula
A formulaic challenges-and-future-prospects ending.

> ❌ "Despite its industrial prosperity, Korattur faces challenges typical of urban areas... With its strategic location and ongoing initiatives, Korattur continues to thrive."
> ✅ Name specific problems with specific evidence. Don't follow with vague optimism about "ongoing initiatives."

### False Vulnerability / Performative Emphasis
Simulated self-awareness or manufactured sincerity.

> ❌ "And yes, I'm openly..." / "This is not a rant; it's a diagnosis" / "I promise" / "They exist, I promise" / "creeps in"
> ✅ Delete.

### Elegant Variation
AI cycles through synonyms to avoid repeating words, even when repetition is clearer.

> ❌ "Soviet artistic constraints... non-conformist artists... their creativity... state-imposed artistic norms... the artistic aspirations..."
> ✅ Repeat words when clarity demands it. "The Soviet government told artists what they could and couldn't paint. Yankilevsky painted what he wanted anyway."

### Patronizing Analogies
Assuming the reader needs a dumbed-down meta