Words that have no bite

There are some words in the English language that get used frequently, signifying nothing. These words should be avoided as they tend to undermine credibility due to their lack of specificity.

Very
This word was perhaps best used by Valley Girls in the 80s. That seems appropriate as it the epitome of uselessness.
What does it tell you? Nothing whatsoever. Let's take a look, shall we?

Example 1:
He was very mad.
What, isn't being mad enough? Very tells me nothing. However, if you were to say:
He was so mad his face turned the same color as Santa's jammies.
OK. Now I get the picture.
Example 2:
She looked very pregnant.
You're either pregnant or you're not. What constitutes "very" pregnant? Twins? Triplets? Again, very doesn't tell me anything.

Many
Another word that has tells us nothing. Journalists are told not to use this word as it can be misleading.

Example 1:
Many people believe Lee Harvey Oswald was just a patsy.
What are we talking about here - 60 percent? Two out of 10 people? There's no way for me to tell how many we're talking about here. It would be so much better to be able to say:
More than 80 percent of Americans surveyed by U.S. News & World Report said they think that Oswald was a patsy.

Same thing goes for the words "some" and "a lot." They don't really tell us much, do they? If you want your words to have meaning, your writing must be as specific as possible. Avoiding this vague words that tell you little, your writing will be stronger and your readers will have more confidence in what you're communicating to them.