Humanizing Text

Humanizing Text

Make writing sound human without changing its meaning. Generic writing can fail at two layers: wording (patterns 1-24 below) and construction, i.e. how the piece is built (patterns 25-38). Use these as review prompts, not a checklist the text must obey.

Task

1. Calibrate to the author - If source samples exist, identify their recurring choices before editing: what they include, how they order it, where they address the reader, how they handle uncertainty, and where they stop.
2. Review construction first - For multi-paragraph text, read reference/construction-patterns.md and check patterns 25-38. Make only grounded structural edits before polishing wording; do not restructure a piece to satisfy the checklist.
3. Identify surface patterns - Scan for patterns 1-24 below.
4. Edit surgically - Preserve unaffected spans and exact material such as quotations, code, commands, links, identifiers, and data. Prefer local edits over regeneration.
5. Preserve meaning and fingerprint - Keep the message, format, and the author's characteristic choices intact, including useful irregularities.
6. Restore voice - Surface real personality or experience that the draft flattened. Never invent it.

These patterns are editorial heuristics for making writing better, not a detector. Never use them to claim a text was AI-written.

Preserve the Author's Fingerprint

There is no single structure that makes prose human. When author samples exist:

• compare outlines, not just sentences
• preserve the author's selection, order, specificity, directness, and ending shape
• treat the author's corrections as stronger evidence than generic rules

When the target is Lachlan's voice, use speak-like-lachlan as the author guide. Author-specific guidance and same-mode examples override generic patterns in this skill.

Do not add direct reader address, time jumps, references, anecdotes, jokes, or ambivalence merely to make the text look human. If a fix needs a fact, opinion, or memory that is not present, ask; use a placeholder only when the user wants a draft with gaps marked.

Restore Voice

Removing generic patterns is only half the job. Recover what the author actually thinks and notices:

• own opinions and uncertainty when the source supports them
• vary rhythm instead of making every sentence the same shape
• use first person when the author's judgment matters
• preserve genuine asides, abrupt endings, and uneven emphasis; do not manufacture mess
• ground feelings in available detail: "The page went off at 3am, again. It was frustrating" beats invented cinematic imagery

The 24 Surface Patterns

Content Patterns

1. Undue emphasis on significance/legacy Watch for: stands/serves as, testament, pivotal moment, crucial role, underscores importance, reflects broader, symbolizing, marking/shaping, evolving landscape

• Before: "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of regional statistics"
• After: "was established in 1989 to collect regional statistics"

2. Undue emphasis on notability Watch for: independent coverage, media outlets, active social media presence

• Before: "cited in NYT, BBC, Financial Times"
• After: "In a 2024 NYT interview, she argued..."

3. Superficial -ing analyses Watch for: highlighting, emphasizing, reflecting, symbolizing, showcasing, fostering

• Before: "symbolizing Texas bluebonnets, reflecting the community's connection"
• After: "The architect said these colors reference local bluebonnets"

4. Promotional language Watch for: boasts, vibrant, rich, profound, nestled, groundbreaking, renowned, breathtaking, stunning

• Before: "Nestled within the breathtaking region..."
• After: "is a town in the Gonder region, known for its weekly market"

5. Vague attributions Watch for: Experts believe, Some critics argue, Industry reports, Observers have cited

• Before: "Experts believe it plays a crucial role"
• After: "according to a 2019 survey by the Chinese Academy of Sciences"

6. Formulaic challenges sections Watch for: Despite challenges... continues to thrive, Future Outlook

• Before: "Despite these challenges, continues to thrive"
• After: "Traffic congestion increased after 2015 when three IT parks opened"

Language Patterns

7. Stock vocabulary clusters Watch for repeated or unnecessary use of: Additionally, delve, crucial, enhance, fostering, interplay, intricate, landscape (abstract), pivotal, showcase, tapestry, testament, underscore, vibrant. A listed word is not, by itself, a reason to edit it.

8. Copula avoidance Watch for: serves as, stands as, boasts, features, offers (instead of is/are/has)

• Before: "Gallery 825 serves as the exhibition space"
• After: "Gallery 825 is the exhibition space"

9. Negative parallelisms Watch for: Not only...but..., It's not just X, it's Y

• Before: "It's not just about the beat; it's part of the aggression"
• After: "The heavy beat adds to the aggressive tone"

10. Rule of three overuse

• Before: "innovation, inspiration, and industry insights"
• After: "The event includes talks and panels"

11. Synonym cycling

• Before: "The protagonist... The main character... The central figure... The hero..."
• After: "The protagonist faces challenges but eventually triumphs"

12. False ranges

• Before: "from the Big Bang to the cosmic web, from star birth to dark matter"
• After: "The book covers the Big Bang, star formation, and dark matter theories"

Style Patterns

13. Dash overuse Watch for repeated em dashes doing the work of commas, periods, colons, and parentheses. Preserve dashes when they fit the author's normal style and improve the sentence.

14. Boldface overuse Remove mechanical bold emphasis on terms.

15. Inline-header vertical lists

• Before: "Performance: Enhanced through optimization"
• After: Prose combining the points when the list exists only for mechanical symmetry. Preserve lists that genuinely improve scanning.

16. Title Case in headings

• Before: "Strategic Negotiations And Global Partnerships"
• After: "Strategic negotiations and global partnerships" when sentence case matches the author or house style

17. Emojis Remove decorative 🚀 💡 ✅ and similar flourishes when they are not characteristic of the author or format. Preserve intentional emoji use.

18. Typography drift Do not change quote style merely to make text look more human. Preserve the typography expected by the author, format, or publishing system.

Communication Patterns

19. Chatbot artifacts Remove generic service-language such as "I hope this helps!", "Of course!", "Certainly!", or "Would you like..." when it is not a genuine part of the message. Do not ban ordinary closings the author actually uses.

20. Knowledge-cutoff disclaimers Remove boilerplate such as "While specific details are limited..." or "based on available information..." when it contributes nothing. Preserve dates and caveats that genuinely bound the claim.

21. Sycophantic tone Remove unearned praise such as "Great question!", "You're absolutely right!", or "That's an excellent point!" Preserve sincere acknowledgement when it serves the conversation.

Filler and Hedging

22. Filler phrases

• "In order to" → "To"
• "Due to the fact that" → "Because"
• "At this point in time" → "Now"
• "has the ability to" → "can"
• "It is important to note that" → (delete)

23. Excessive hedging

• Before: "could potentially possibly be argued that it might have some effect"
• After: "may affect outcomes"

24. Generic positive conclusions

• Before: "The future looks bright. Exciting times lie ahead."
• After: "The company plans to open two more locations next year."

The 14 Construction Patterns

Construction is how the piece is built, not how it is worded. For definitions, evidence levels, and fixes, read reference/construction-patterns.md. It distinguishes research findings from nonfiction adaptations and broader editorial heuristics.

Never inject synthetic humanity: fixes must surface something true. Ask when only the author knows; use an explicit placeholder only when the user wants a draft with gaps marked.

If an AI detector is used, compare matched text boundaries, formats, and window-level results. Treat its output as one diagnostic signal, never the editing objective or evidence of authorship. Do not add artefacts to chase a score.

Output

1. The rewritten text (or, for reviews: verdict, triggered patterns with evidence, and what's already working so edits don't remove it)
2. Brief summary of changes made (optional)

Reference

Surface patterns based on Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing. Construction-pattern evidence and provenance are documented in reference/construction-patterns.md.