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WORD CHOICE
The Power of Words
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“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
― Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale |
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Notice the power a few new words can have . . .
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Mark Twain once wrote in a letter, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
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If words have so much power, then we must choose our words wisely.
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SHOULD I USE MY THESAURUS? |
In “An Ode to the King of Writerly Tools”, the writer Lois Leveen opines on the humble thesaurus and its role in helping her hunt down just the right word.
But to a true connoisseur, a lover of language, traveling Roget’s branching lines of categories and subcategories to explore subtle shifts in meaning provides its own adventure. In all the years my thesaurus and I have been together, I’ve found few things as gratifying as reaching for it, consulting numerous entries and reaping the reward of encountering an elusive word. Finding the precise word matters. Take that last sentence: at first I wrote, finding the right word matters. Right wouldn’t have been wrong, exactly, but precise is more, well, precise. Although one of several words might convey the same general meaning in any given sentence, lighting on a word that does more makes prose memorable. |
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Let's give it a try!
Adding a little flavor to "Plain Vanilla"
Take this “plain vanilla” paragraph and use a thesaurus to write two different versions of it.
It was snowing and the world was quiet and white. The trees were covered in ice that looked pretty in the sunshine. I walked down the path to our neighbor’s house and felt cold air on my face. When she opened the door, I smelled warm things cooking. It felt cozy inside. I went in and sat down on the couch next to the dog. He smelled funny. I looked out the window and thought “this is nice.” I forgot all about the stuff I was worried about and enjoyed being stuck at my neighbor’s in the snow.
#1 First, in partners or in groups create a ridiculously overwritten version that has the kind of overblown, erudite vocabulary that students often think teachers and colleges want to hear. (That is, substituting “five-dollar words” for as many simple words as you can.)
Read your new versions aloud to decide whose is most over the top.
#2 Next, take the same basic paragraph, but this time try to write a better version of it, with interesting word choices that enhance the writing but don’t overwhelm it.
Again share your versions.
#3 Finally, discuss these questions:
It was snowing and the world was quiet and white. The trees were covered in ice that looked pretty in the sunshine. I walked down the path to our neighbor’s house and felt cold air on my face. When she opened the door, I smelled warm things cooking. It felt cozy inside. I went in and sat down on the couch next to the dog. He smelled funny. I looked out the window and thought “this is nice.” I forgot all about the stuff I was worried about and enjoyed being stuck at my neighbor’s in the snow.
#1 First, in partners or in groups create a ridiculously overwritten version that has the kind of overblown, erudite vocabulary that students often think teachers and colleges want to hear. (That is, substituting “five-dollar words” for as many simple words as you can.)
Read your new versions aloud to decide whose is most over the top.
#2 Next, take the same basic paragraph, but this time try to write a better version of it, with interesting word choices that enhance the writing but don’t overwhelm it.
Again share your versions.
#3 Finally, discuss these questions:
- Why were the overblown, over-the-top versions ineffective?
- How did you decide which synonyms to choose when looking for the right word, rather than the biggest (and therefore seemingly most impressive) word?
- In what ways did your second pieces wind up being more effective than the original version?
- What lessons does this exercise teach us about how we might most effectively use a thesaurus to revise our writing?
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NO-NO WORDS
to Avoid When Writing
Don't even think about them!
YOU FEEL THINK AS
JUST LIKE SAID THINGS
GET / GOT BAD / GOOD SORT OF / KIND OF
SHOULD OF / COULD OF / WOULD OF
STUFF A LOT ANYWAY / ANYWAYS
ANYBODY / ANYONE KID WANNA / GONNA
PRETTY REAL / REALLY TILL / 'TIL
USE TO / USED TO YEAH
JUST LIKE SAID THINGS
GET / GOT BAD / GOOD SORT OF / KIND OF
SHOULD OF / COULD OF / WOULD OF
STUFF A LOT ANYWAY / ANYWAYS
ANYBODY / ANYONE KID WANNA / GONNA
PRETTY REAL / REALLY TILL / 'TIL
USE TO / USED TO YEAH
Be assured that writing is an art. Inserting these poor boys into your writing will do nothing but weaken it. Don't even think about it!
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IMPROVING YOUR WRITING
Take out your latest writing. Look carefully at each sentence, and within each sentence, look carefully at your word choice. Just as you add flavor to the "plain vanilla" paragraph above, do the same to your writing. Just remember to avoid over-doing it.
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THE POWER of the VERB
What is the most powerful and descriptive type of word:
the adjective or the verb?
Read the following paragraph.
#1 Highlight all of the adjectives in one color. Count them.
#2 Highlight all of the verbs in another color. Count them.
Which type of words are the most powerful?
#1 Highlight all of the adjectives in one color. Count them.
#2 Highlight all of the verbs in another color. Count them.
Which type of words are the most powerful?
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What are these powerful words called verbs?
One way to make our verbs more powerful is to use active verbs as often as possible (instead of passive).
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IMPROVING YOUR WRITING
Take out your latest writing. Circle the verb(s) in each sentence.
#1 Make sure each verb is active not passive (if possible).
#2 Make sure each verb is the strongest action it can be.
#1 Make sure each verb is active not passive (if possible).
#2 Make sure each verb is the strongest action it can be.
Here are a few other over-used words that need some variety...
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For additional information on word choice, try this link:
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