Transcript how to use word choice that catches the reader`s

HOW TO USE WORDS
THAT CATCH THE
READER'S

You want your reader to see what you are
writing about, but you have to create the
images with words, not pictures.
Why is word choice important in
argumentative writing?

Because word choice affects the
audience's response.
Here are some tips:
USE LANGUAGE THAT IS NATURAL
AND NOT OVERDONE
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If you overdo the language or use
language that just doesn't sound right,
your reader will know you are "faking" it.
USE SLANG AND CLICHÉS
SPARINGLY
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In fact, you should avoid them altogether
if possible. It is better to use something
original than something everyone has
heard or even said before.
AVOID REPETITION
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Don't use the same word over and over. Use a
thesaurus to find another way to say it.
However, be careful with the positive or negative
connotation the word has.
USE WORDS CORRECTLY
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If you aren't sure of a word, look it up.
Use not only a thesaurus, but a dictionary.
Just because a word is a synonym for
another does not mean they are
interchangeable, so double check it.
BE CONCISE
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Use words that are as descriptive as
possible. You'll get your meaning across
better and use fewer words. The fewer
words you use, the more likely you'll keep
your reader's attention.
USE POWERFUL ACTION VERBS
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Write sentences that have the subjects doing something. Avoid
linking verbs such as am, are, is, be, being, and been. Use verbs
that create specific images in the reader's mind. If you do this, you
will show rather than tell your reader what is happening, you will be
able to describe without stopping the action, and you will give more
information with fewer words.
To ensure you are using active verbs, find the doer of the action and
make it the subject of the sentence.
Example: The car was hit by the tractor. Doer = tractor The tractor
hit the car.
USE SPECIFIC, NOT GENERAL,
NOUNS
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Be descriptive with nouns. Instead of saying,
"the woman," give her name. Give the type of
car. Instead of "football player," tell his position.
Be as specific as you can.
USE ADJECTIVES THAT ARE AS
DESCRIPTIVE AS POSSIBLE
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Big, huge, and gigantic all mean the same
thing, but gigantic is a better choice if you
are describing a tyrannosaurus for
example.
CREATE A MENTAL PICTURE WITH
WORDS FOR THE READER
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Choose your words carefully. Look for the best word or phrase to
describe what you are writing about. Similes and metaphors are
good ways to describe something so your reader can picture it.
Example: They were out of control, running all over the place.
Simile: They had no more direction than a splattered egg.
Example: The candle in the window helped us find our way home in
the dark.
Metaphor: The candle was a beacon in the night.
AVOID VAGUE, BORING, AND
OVERUSED WORDS
Try to avoid the following words and phrases whenever
possible:
a little bit
a lot
actually
all
always
area
as far as....
aspect
at least
awesome
big
boring certainly
Incidentally
Interesting
involved with
Just
kind of
Little
Lots
Nice
obviously
of course
particularly
phrase
predicament
pretty
problem
somehow
something like
somewhat
sort of
specially
stuff
surely
that...
thing
too
totally
tremendously
very
which...
whole
"SHOW" RATHER THAN "TELL"
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Replace linking verbs with action verbs to
"show" rather than "tell" your reader what you
mean. Common linking verbs:
am
is
are
was were be
being been
Now let’s do some practise
Classify the following words into neutral, positive or
negative:
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student, apprentice, disciple, junior, learner, novice, scholar,
undergraduate
skinny, bony, angular, emaciated, gaunt, malnourished, scrawny,
slender, thin, anorexic
run, amble, bound, dart, dash, gallop, lope, scamper, sprint
vacation, break, fiesta, furlough, holiday, intermission, layoff,
recess, respite, sabbatical
useful, helpful, valuable, beneficial, functional, handy, practical
fat, obese, chubby, stout, plump, stocky
friend, companion, buddy, acquaintance, colleague, playmate
Underline what words stand out in
the text that make the passage
memorable.
Hence, quite aside from the injustice which stereotypes
do to others, they impoverish ourselves. A person who
lumps the world into simple categories, who type-casts
all labor leaders as "racketeers," all businessmen as
"reactionaries," all Harvard men as "snobs," and all
Frenchmen as "sexy," is in danger of becoming a
stereotype himself. He loses his capacity to be himself—
which is to say, to see the world in his own absolutely
unique, inimitable and independent fashion.
Look at the paragraph below. The word
decisions made in this paragraph need some
improvement. Rewrite the paragraph to
show better word choice.
Jennifer had quite a strange day last week. It began when she got
up. She was late for school. She raced around getting dressed in the
middle of the dark. It was quite a mistake. She put on mismatched
socks, two different color shoes, and a sweater with a large ketchup
stain on it. As she went downstairs, Jennifer tried to get a quick
breakfast. She thought she took a granola bar, but instead it was
something else. As soon as she went outside, she tripped down the
stairs. Of course, this happened just as the bus showed up in front
of her house. She got on the bus with no breakfast, a bad
wardrobe, and her face quite red. And, that was just the start of her
day.