humanize-text-en

# Humanize English text

Remove predictable AI writing patterns so English text reads like a real person wrote it.

## When to use

Use this skill whenever you:

- Generate English text (articles, guides, tutorials, emails, copy, social media)
- Edit or review drafts to remove artificial tone
- Hear that something "sounds like AI", "reads like ChatGPT", or "feels robotic"
- Need to adapt generated text to a conversational, natural style

## Core principles

### The anti-AI mantra

```
Write like you talk, not like a textbook.
Say it once, say it clearly.
Trust the reader — don't explain the obvious.
Mix short and long sentences. Break the rhythm.
```

### Core rules

1. **Cut filler phrases.** Remove throat-clearing openers and emphasis crutches. See [references/phrases.md](references/phrases.md).
2. **Break formulaic structures.** Avoid binary contrasts, rule of three, rhetorical Q&A setups. See [references/structures.md](references/structures.md).
3. **Vary rhythm.** Mix sentence lengths. Two items beat three. End paragraphs differently each time.
4. **Trust readers.** State facts directly. Skip softening, justification, hand-holding.
5. **Kill quotables.** If it sounds like a LinkedIn pull-quote or motivational poster, rewrite it.
6. **Be specific.** Replace abstract claims with concrete details, numbers, and examples.

## Quick checks

Before delivering any text, run through these:

- Three consecutive sentences roughly the same length? Break one up.
- Paragraph ends with a punchy one-liner? Vary the ending.
- Em dash before a reveal? Remove it, use a comma or period.
- Explaining a metaphor after using it? Trust it to land.
- Opening with "In today's fast-paced world..." or similar? Delete and start with what matters.
- More than one em dash in a paragraph? Replace most with commas or periods.
- Ending a section with "In conclusion" or "Ultimately"? Cut it.
- Trailing -ing clause adding vague significance ("contributing to...", "highlighting the...")? Rewrite with a finite verb.
- Bold on every key term like a textbook? Remove most of it.
- Emoji bullets (💡🚀✅) organizing your points? Remove them entirely.

## Banned words and phrases

See the full list in [references/phrases.md](references/phrases.md), which covers:

- **AI vocabulary**: delve, tapestry, landscape, foster, underscore, nuanced, multifaceted, pivotal, testament, leverage, utilize, robust, seamless, streamline
- **Throat-clearing openers**: "In today's fast-paced world...", "It's worth noting that...", "Let's dive in..."
- **Emphasis crutches**: "Here's the thing:", "Let that sink in.", "Full stop.", "This matters because"
- **Wrap-up clichés**: "In conclusion", "At the end of the day", "The future looks bright"
- **Significance inflation**: groundbreaking, game-changing, transformative, revolutionary, unprecedented

## Structural patterns to avoid

See the full list with examples in [references/structures.md](references/structures.md). The most common:

- **Negative parallelism**: "It's not X, it's Y" / "Not just X, but Y"
- **Rule of three**: always grouping adjectives, benefits, or points in triplets
- **Rhetorical Q&A**: "The result? Chaos." / "Why? Because it matters."
- **Em dash overload**: using — for dramatic emphasis where commas or periods belong
- **Trailing -ing clauses**: ending sentences with vague significance claims
- **Compulsive summaries**: restating what was just said, even in short passages
- **False ranges**: "from X to Y" where X and Y aren't on an actual spectrum
- **Bolded list items**: every bullet starting with a **Bold Term:** followed by explanation

## Transformation examples

See [references/examples.md](references/examples.md) for complete before/after transformations.

## Scoring table

Rate 1–10 on each dimension:

| Dimension | Key question |
|-----------|-------------|
| Directness | Does it get to the point or announce what it's about to say? |
| Rhythm | Does sentence length vary naturally or feel metronomic? |
| Reader trust | Does it respect the reader's intelligence or over-explain? |
| Specificity | Does it use concrete details or stay abstract? |
| Density | Is every word earning its place? Anything cuttable? |

Below 35/50: needs serious revision.

## Adapting by text type

### Blog posts, articles, and guides
- Conversational tone, like talking to a knowledgeable friend
- Personality matters: opinions, anecdotes, specific examples
- No formal preambles or ceremonial conclusions

### Marketing copy
- Direct, benefit-focused
- Concrete outcomes, not adjective stacking
- Skip superlatives: "the best", "revolutionary", "game-changing"

### Technical documentation
- Clear and precise, no decoration
- Direct instructions: "run this", "open that", "set this to"
- No philosophical intros about why the technology matters

### Emails and professional communication
- Natural but respectful
- Get to the point in the first line
- No excessive courtesy padding

### Social media
- Conversational and brief
- No emoji bullets unless the user asks for them
- No motivational closers or hashtag walls

## Review process

When reviewing generated text:

1. Read the whole thing in one pass. If something "feels like AI", flag it.
2. Check words against [references/phrases.md](references/phrases.md). Replace each one.
3. Check structures against [references/structures.md](references/structures.md). Restructure each pattern found.
4. Vary rhythm: break runs of similar-length sentences.
5. Cut everything that doesn't add new information.
6. Read it aloud mentally. If it sounds like a press release, rewrite.
7. Score using the table above. Below 35, revise again.

## Important notes

- This skill doesn't change meaning or facts — only how they're expressed.
- It's not about writing badly on purpose. It's about writing with personality.
- Text can be accurate, well-sourced, and professional without sounding robotic.
- The word lists aren't absolute bans. A listed word can be used if it's genuinely the most precise choice. What we avoid is automatic, recurring use.

## References

- [Wikipedia: Signs of AI writing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) — WikiProject AI Cleanup guide
- [stop-slop](https://github.com/hardikpandya/stop-slop) — Hardik Pandya's skill for removing AI patterns (MIT)
- [humanizer](https://github.com/blader/humanizer) — blader's Wikipedia-based skill (MIT)
- [The AI-isms of Writing Bible](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3OLrnWaXUqH0ycS-0so65Hd6ayxSQqUypRtrFHMt3M/) — Community-sourced AI pattern document
- [Novelcrafter: AI-isms](https://www.novelcrafter.com/help/faq/ai-and-prompting/ai-isms) — Fiction writers' community list