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Learn the importance of precise word selection for impactful essays, craft better sentences with effective vocabulary, and avoid common pitfalls in expression.

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  1. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Personal Word List Section Header Good Word Choice! Your Mission, should you choose to accept it -

  2. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Personal Word List The Key to Great Essays!Establish personality with your VOICE

  3. Writing is a series of choices. As you work on a paper, you choose your topic, your approach, your sources, and your thesis; when it’s time to write, you have to choose the words you will use to express your ideas and decide how you will arrange those words into sentences and paragraphs.

  4. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Personal Word List As you revise, you make more choices. Ask yourself: Section Header “Is this really what I mean?” “Will readers understand this?” “Does this sound good?” Finding words that capture your meaning and convey that meaning to your readers is challenging. When your teachers write comments like “awkward,” “vague,” or “wordy” on your essay, they are letting you know that they want you to work on word choice.

  5. “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Personal Word List Difficulties with Word Choice aren’t the only cause of awkwardness, vagueness, or other problems with clarity. Sometimes a sentence is hard to follow because there is a grammatical problem with it or because of the syntax (the way the words and phrases are put together).

  6. Here’s an example: Personal Word List “Having finished with studying, the pizza was quickly eaten.” Section Header This isn’t hard to understand—everybody knows what studying, pizza, and eating are. The problem is readers naturally assume that first bit of the sentence “(Having finished with studying”) goes with the next noun that follows it—“the pizza”! It doesn’t make sense to imply that the pizza was studying. What I was actually trying to express was this: “Having finished with studying, the students quickly ate the pizza.”

  7. Questions to ask yourself Personal Word List Am I sure what each word I use really means? Am I positive, or should I look it up? Section Header Have I found the best word or just settled for the most obvious, or the easiest, one? Am I trying too hard to impress my reader? What’s the easiest way to write this sentence? (Sometimes it helps to answer this question by trying it out loud. How would you say it to someone?) What are the key ideas of my argument?

  8. Personal Dictionary Personal Word List Choose 24 new vocabulary words to incorporate into your writing. Section Header Define each word List 2 synonyms for each word List 1 antonym for each word Write a sentence using the new word.

  9. Here’s an example: Personal Word List ENIGMA (noun) • Define – one that is puzzling, ambiguous or inexplicable; a perplexing speech or text; a riddle. Section Header 2. Synonyms – puzzle, riddle, ambiguity 3. Antonym – explicit, certain 4. Sentence – Her unusual actions were an enigma to me.

  10. Here’s an example: Personal Word List ODYSSEY (noun) Section Header 1. Define – an extended adventurous voyage or trip; an intellectual or spiritual quest 2. Synonyms – journey, trek, expedition, quest 3. Antonym – NONE 4. Sentence – Suddenly, my ordinary summer vacation became an odyssey. .

  11. Here’s an example: Personal Word List GLIMPSE • Define – (noun) a brief, incomplete view or look (verb) glimpses, glimpsed, glimpsing – to obtain a brief, incomplete view or look Section Header 2. Synonyms – glance, blink 3. Antonym – study 4. Sentence – As he glimpsed in my direction, the blood rushed to my face revealing my embarrassment.

  12. Here’s an example: Personal Word List LOATHE (verb) Section Header • Define – to dislike (someone or something) • greatly 2. Synonyms – abhor , hate, despise 3. Antonym – admire, adore, love 4. Sentence – I loathe Mexican food.

  13. Eliminating “Dead”Words Personal Word List Some words in the English language tend to be overused and therefore lose their power.  These are called “Dead” Words.

  14. Eliminate “Dead” Words & Use More Descriptive Synonyms Personal Word List Also: too, moreover, besides, as well as, in addition to Section Header Awesome, Cool: fine, wonderful, marvelous, fantastic Scared: afraid, fearful, terrified, frightened Have to: need to, must Like: such as, similar to, similarly

  15. Eliminate “Dead” Words & Use More Descriptive Synonyms Personal Word List Very: extremely, exceedingly, fantastically, unusually, incredibly, intensely, truly, fully, especially, shockingly, bitterly,  immeasurably, infinitely, severely, surely, mightily, powerfully, chiefly Section Header Kid: child, boy, girl, youngster, youth, student

  16. Eliminate “Dead” Words & Use More Descriptive Synonyms Personal Word List Mad: angry, frustrated, furious, incensed, enraged Section Header Got, Get: received, obtained, attained, succeed in Then: next, later, finally, afterward, meanwhile, soon Nice: pleasant, charming, fascinating, captivating, delightful, pleasurable, pleasing

  17. Eliminate “Dead” Words & Use More Descriptive Synonyms Personal Word List Good: excellent, exceptional, fine, marvelous, splendid, superb, wonderful Section Header But:  however, moreover, yet, still, nevertheless, though, although, on the other hand Awful:   dreadful, alarming, frightful, terrible, horrid, shocking

  18. Eliminate “Dead” Words & Use More Descriptive Synonyms Personal Word List Great:   wonderful, marvelous, fantastic Section Header Guy:   man, person, fellow, boy Funny:  amusing, comical, laughable, jovial

  19. Eliminating “Dead”Words Personal Word List Another method to identify “Dead” Words and make a list of appropriate Synonyms is to make a Word Web.

  20. Eliminate “Dead” Words Personal Word List Evaluate your writing Section Header Identify words that are commonly used: • a lot • said • very • really • bad • good • like Replace these words with synonyms

  21. CreateWord Webs for “Dead” Words many portion numerous bountiful bulk a lot plentiful batch abundant various Personal Word List Section Header

  22. CreateWord Webs for “Dead” Words mumbled expressed whispered screamed accounted said announced mentioned articulated uttered Personal Word List Section Header

  23. CreateWord Webs for “Dead” Words notably deeply highly certainly amply very absolutely acutely largely decidedly Personal Word List Section Header

  24. CreateWord Webs for “Dead” Words honestly beyond doubt genuinely certainly actually really categorically assuredly undoubtedly admittedly Personal Word List Section Header

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