Three shell scripts to improve your writing.

bin/dups

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+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+
+# Finds duplicate adjacent words.
+# http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+use strict ;
+
+my $DupCount = 0 ;
+
+if (!@ARGV) {
+  print "Usage: dups <file> ...\n" ;
+  exit ;
+}
+
+while (1) {
+  my $FileName = shift @ARGV ;
+
+  # Exit code = number of duplicates found.
+  exit $DupCount if (!$FileName) ;
+
+  open FILE, $FileName or die $!;
+
+  my $LastWord = "" ;
+  my $LineNum = 0 ;
+
+  while (<FILE>) {
+    chomp ;
+
+    $LineNum ++ ;
+
+    my @words = split (/(\W+)/) ;
+
+    foreach my $word (@words) {
+      # Skip spaces:
+      next if $word =~ /^\s*$/ ;
+
+      # Skip punctuation:
+      if ($word =~ /^\W+$/) {
+        $LastWord = "" ;
+        next ;
+      }
+
+      # Found a dup?
+      if (lc($word) eq lc($LastWord)) {
+        print "$FileName:$LineNum $word\n" ;
+        $DupCount ++ ;
+      } # Thanks to Sean Cronin for tip on case.
+
+      # Mark this as the last word:
+      $LastWord = $word ;
+    }
+  }
+
+  close FILE ;
+}

bin/passive

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+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Abuse of the passive voice
+# http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+
+irregulars="awoken|\
+been|born|beat|\
+become|begun|bent|\
+beset|bet|bid|\
+bidden|bound|bitten|\
+bled|blown|broken|\
+bred|brought|broadcast|\
+built|burnt|burst|\
+bought|cast|caught|\
+chosen|clung|come|\
+cost|crept|cut|\
+dealt|dug|dived|\
+done|drawn|dreamt|\
+driven|drunk|eaten|fallen|\
+fed|felt|fought|found|\
+fit|fled|flung|flown|\
+forbidden|forgotten|\
+foregone|forgiven|\
+forsaken|frozen|\
+gotten|given|gone|\
+ground|grown|hung|\
+heard|hidden|hit|\
+held|hurt|kept|knelt|\
+knit|known|laid|led|\
+leapt|learnt|left|\
+lent|let|lain|lighted|\
+lost|made|meant|met|\
+misspelt|mistaken|mown|\
+overcome|overdone|overtaken|\
+overthrown|paid|pled|proven|\
+put|quit|read|rid|ridden|\
+rung|risen|run|sawn|said|\
+seen|sought|sold|sent|\
+set|sewn|shaken|shaven|\
+shorn|shed|shone|shod|\
+shot|shown|shrunk|shut|\
+sung|sunk|sat|slept|\
+slain|slid|slung|slit|\
+smitten|sown|spoken|sped|\
+spent|spilt|spun|spit|\
+split|spread|sprung|stood|\
+stolen|stuck|stung|stunk|\
+stridden|struck|strung|\
+striven|sworn|swept|\
+swollen|swum|swung|taken|\
+taught|torn|told|thought|\
+thrived|thrown|thrust|\
+trodden|understood|upheld|\
+upset|woken|worn|woven|\
+wed|wept|wound|won|\
+withheld|withstood|wrung|\
+written"
+
+if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
+ echo "Usage: `basename $0` <file> ..."
+ exit
+fi
+
+egrep -n -i --color \
+ "\\b(am|are|were|being|is|been|was|be)\
+\\b[ ]*(\w+ed|($irregulars))\\b" $*
+
+exit $?

bin/proofread

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+#!/bin/bash
+
+# http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+
+# Common stuff
+CYAN="$(tput setaf 6)"
+UNDERLINE="$(tput sgr 0 1)"
+NOCOLOR="$(tput sgr0)"
+function header() {
+	echo -e "$UNDERLINE$CYAN$1$NOCOLOR"
+}
+
+
+if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
+	echo "Usage: `basename $0` <file> ..."
+	exit
+fi
+
+header "Weasel words"
+weasel $1
+echo
+
+header "Passive voice"
+passive $1
+echo
+
+header "Duplicates"
+dups $1

bin/weasel

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+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Weasel words
+# http://matt.might.net/articles/shell-scripts-for-passive-voice-weasel-words-duplicates/
+
+weasels="many|various|very|fairly|several|extremely\
+|exceedingly|quite|remarkably|few|surprisingly\
+|mostly|largely|huge|tiny|((are|is) a number)\
+|excellent|interestingly|significantly\
+|substantially|clearly|vast|relatively|completely"
+
+wordfile=""
+
+# Check for an alternate weasel file
+if [ -f $HOME/etc/words/weasels ]; then
+    wordfile="$HOME/etc/words/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ -f $WORDSDIR/weasels ]; then
+    wordfile="$WORDSDIR/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ -f words/weasels ]; then
+    wordfile="words/weasels"
+fi
+
+if [ ! "$wordfile" = "" ]; then
+    weasels="xyzabc123";
+    for w in `cat $wordfile`; do
+        weasels="$weasels|$w"
+    done
+fi
+
+
+if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
+ echo "Usage: `basename $0` <file> ..."
+ exit
+fi
+
+egrep -i -n --color "\\b($weasels)\\b" $*
+
+exit $?