Section Header Personal Word List Your Mission, should you choose to accept it - The difference...

Section HeaderPersonal Personal Word ListWord List

Your Mission, should Your Mission, should you choose to accept you choose to accept

it - it -

Good Word Choice!

The Key to Great Essays!Establish personality with your VOICEVOICE

Personal Personal Word ListWord List

Writing is a series of choices.Writing is a series of choices. As you work on a paper, you choose As you work on a paper, you choose

your topic, your approach, your sources, your topic, your approach, your sources, and your thesis; when it’s time to write, and your thesis; when it’s time to write, you have to choose the words you will use you have to choose the words you will use to express your ideas and decide how you to express your ideas and decide how you will arrange those words into sentences will arrange those words into sentences and paragraphs.and paragraphs.


As you revise, you make more choices. As you revise, you make more choices. Ask yourself: Ask yourself:

“Is this really what I mean?”

“Will readers understand this?”

“Does this sound good?” Finding words that capture your meaning and convey that Finding words that capture your meaning and convey that

meaning to your readers is challenging. When your teachers meaning to your readers is challenging. When your teachers write comments like “awkward,” “vague,” or “wordy” on your write comments like “awkward,” “vague,” or “wordy” on your essay, they are letting you know that they want you to work essay, they are letting you know that they want you to work

on word choice. on word choice.


Difficulties with Difficulties with Word Choice Word Choice aren’t the aren’t the only cause of awkwardness, vagueness, only cause of awkwardness, vagueness,

or other problems with clarity.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).


““Having finished with studying, the pizza was Having finished with studying, the pizza was quickly eaten.” quickly eaten.”

This isn’t hard to understand—everybody knows what This isn’t hard to understand—everybody knows what studying, pizza, and eating are. The problem is readers studying, pizza, and eating are. The problem is readers naturally assume that first bit of the sentence “(Having naturally assume that first bit of the sentence “(Having finished with studying”) goes with the next noun that finished with studying”) goes with the next noun that

follows it—“the pizza”! It doesn’t make sense to imply that follows it—“the pizza”! It doesn’t make sense to imply that the pizza was studying. What I was actually trying to the pizza was studying. What I was actually trying to

express was this:express was this:

““Having finished with studying, the students Having finished with studying, the students quickly ate the pizza.”quickly ate the pizza.”


Am I sure what each word I use really means? Am I Am I sure what each word I use really means? Am I positive, or should I look it up?positive, or should I look it up?

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?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?What are the key ideas of my argument?


Choose 24 new vocabulary words to Choose 24 new vocabulary words to incorporate into your writing.incorporate into your writing.

Define each word

List 2 synonyms for each wordList 2 synonyms for each word

List 1 antonym for each word

Write a sentence using the new word.Write a sentence using the new word.


ENIGMAENIGMA (noun) (noun)

1. Define – one that is puzzling, ambiguous or one that is puzzling, ambiguous or inexplicable; a perplexing speech or text; a inexplicable; a perplexing speech or text; a riddle.riddle.

2. Synonyms – puzzle, riddle, ambiguity

3. Antonym – explicit, certain

4. Sentence – Her unusual actions were an enigma to me.


ODYSSEY (noun)ODYSSEY (noun)

1. Define – an extended adventurous voyage or – an extended adventurous voyage or trip; an intellectual or spiritual quest trip; an intellectual or spiritual quest

2. Synonyms – journey, trek, expedition, journey, trek, expedition, questquest

3. Antonym – NONE– NONE

4. Sentence – Suddenly, my ordinary summer Suddenly, my ordinary summer vacation became an vacation became an odysseyodyssey....


GLIMPSE GLIMPSE 1. Define – (noun) a brief, incomplete view or

look (verb) glimpses, glimpsed, glimpsing – to obtain a brief, incomplete view or look

2. Synonyms – glance, blink

3. Antonym – study

4. Sentence – As he glimpsedglimpsed in my direction, the blood rushed to my face revealing my embarrassment.


LOATHE (verb)LOATHE (verb)1. Define – to dislike (someone or something) greatly

2. Synonyms – abhor , hate, despise

3. Antonym – admire, adore, love

4. Sentence – I loatheloathe Mexican food.


Some words in the English language tend to be overused and therefore lose their power. These are called “DeadDead” Words.


AlsoAlso: too, moreover, besides, as well as, in addition to

Awesome, CoolAwesome, Cool: fine, wonderful, marvelous, fantastic

ScaredScared: afraid, fearful, terrified, frightened

Have toHave to: need to, must

LikeLike: such as, similar to, similarly


VeryVery: extremely, exceedingly, fantastically, unusually, incredibly, intensely, truly, fully, especially, shockingly, bitterly, immeasurably, infinitely, severely, surely, mightily, powerfully, chiefly

KidKid: child, boy, girl, youngster, youth, student


MadMad: angry, frustrated, furious, incensed, enragedGot, GetGot, Get: received, obtained, attained, succeed inThenThen: next, later, finally, afterward, meanwhile, soonNiceNice: pleasant, charming, fascinating, captivating, delightful, pleasurable, pleasing


GoodGood: excellent, exceptional, fine, marvelous, splendid, superb, wonderful

ButBut: however, moreover, yet, still, nevertheless, though, although, on the other hand

AwfulAwful: dreadful, alarming, frightful, terrible, horrid, shocking


GreatGreat: wonderful, marvelous, fantastic

GuyGuy: man, person, fellow, boy

FunnyFunny: amusing, comical, laughable, jovial


Another method to identify “DeadDead”

Words and make a list of appropriate

SynonymsSynonyms is to make a

Word WebWord Web.


Evaluate your writing

Identify words that are commonly used:a lotsaidveryreally

badgoodlike

Replace these words with synonyms


portion

bulk

batch

various abundant

plentiful

bountiful

numerousmany

a lot


expressed

accounted

mentioned

uttered articulated

announced

screamed

whisperedmumbled

said


deeply

amply

acutely

decidedly largely

absolutely

certainly

highlynotably

very


beyonddoubt

actually

assuredly

admittedly undoubtedly

categorically

certainly

genuinelyhonestly

really

Section Header Personal Word List Your Mission, should you choose to accept it - The difference...

Documents

Transcript of Section Header Personal Word List Your Mission, should you choose to accept it - The difference...