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The Power of Diction in Writing

Learn how to choose the perfect words to effectively convey your ideas and create vivid images in the minds of your readers. Discover the importance of denotation, connotation, and adapting your diction to suit your audience.

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The Power of Diction in Writing

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  1. VOICE

  2. Diction • Diction is one of the elements of the voice • Diction refers to the author’s choice of words. • Words are the basic tools of a writer. Just as a painter uses color, a writer uses words. In order to write well, you have to find the perfect word.

  3. The “Perfect” Word • The perfect word is clear, concrete, and exact. • In other words, it says exactly what you want it to say, is specific, and creates the picture you see in your mind. • A character doesn’t just look for something; she rummages. • You don’t hang around the house; you sop around. • The perfect word perfectly expresses the feeling and idea that you want to get across.

  4. Finding “Perfect” Words • It’s not always easy! • If you already know it’s not the perfect word, stretch yourself a little: • Ask someone for a better word • Look up the word you know in a dictionary and look for synonyms • Try using a thesaurus….but be careful! Make sure you know how to use the word properly before using it!

  5. Not-so-perfect Words • Some words are especially overused and tired, and certainly not perfect • These words have lost their freshness and impact • These words are general and abstract and create no clear picture in the reader’s mind • Consider these words “forbidden,” and eliminate them from your vocabulary! You will be a better writer for doing so!

  6. Good Nice Pretty Beautiful Fine Bad Thing Really Very Terrible Wonderful A lot “Forbidden Words”

  7. Denotation and Connotation • Words don’t simply have meaning. Words also have denotation and connotation. • Denotation is the literal meaning of the word. • Connotation is the meaning suggested by the word, the feeling evoked by a word.

  8. Denotation and ConnotationExample: • The words ambitious and eager have roughly the same denotation (literal meaning): desirous of reaching a goal. However, the connotations are quite different. • Ambitious carries with it the feeling of wanting something for selfish reasons and without any thought of how it may effect others. • Eager has a feeling of enthusiasm and fresh-faced optimism…it is a more positive word.

  9. Denotation and ConnotationExample: • How about the words: father, dad, and daddy? • Denotation? • Connotations?

  10. Good writers consider audience! • Words can be formal or informal, depending on the writer’s audience and purpose. • Just as you talk differently to your friends and your teachers, writers choose different words depending on whom they are writing for and why. • If you are writing a school paper to convince the principal that your opinion about school uniforms is the correct one, you should use formal, strong, and specific words with clearly understood meanings. • If you are writing a short story to be read by people your own age, you might want to use slang and lots of teen dialect. A writer’s words should always suit the audience and purpose of the piece.

  11. Diction Practice • Read and think: The neatly arranged rows of high-end, brightly-colored spring sandals filled the massive shoe section of the expensive department store. • What picture do you get in your mind when you read this sentence? • How would the meaning of the sentence change if we changed some of the words? Play with the sentence and change its meaning by changing the diction (word choice) in the sentence. • Change it so that it sounds like the store is not expensive, or not high-end.

  12. Diction Practice • The sloppy rows of sandals filled the shoe section of the small, crowded store. More diction practice: “That movie was sick! It has the sweetest special effects ever!” • Notice the diction, or word choice, in the sentence above. Change the sentence so that it sounds like it is coming from your grandmother. • Now change the sentence so it sounds like it is coming from someone from a refined background (perhaps Queen Elizabeth).

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