Word Choice. Mastering Words: Transform Your Writing Weakness into Strength. A Study in Opposites. I want to share a quick thesaurus tip with you today that might help to strengthen your storytelling.
Robert McKee in his book Story asks us to consider opposites, to play out contrasting forces to create tension in scenes and chapters. Which powerful force will prevail in your story—the Light-as-Luke side, or Darth? Flip the Script: Use Adverbs Fearlessly. As you can tell from the previous installments in the Flip the Script series, I’m not much for writing “rules.”
Any advice that includes “you must always” or “you must never” has no place in my writer’s toolbox. So you can imagine how closely I suggest you follow the advice “Never use adverbs.” Affect vs. Effect – Grammar Rules. Q: Could you share some insight on the proper usage of the words affect and effect?
—Charlene Clark The misuse of the words “affect” and “effect” is such an epidemic that some folks are considering assembling regional support groups to deal with the problem. 4 Ways to Make Every Word Count. Getting the full value out of every word you write is especially important when it comes to the short story.
The key is to recognize the power of a single well-chosen word, and trust it to do its work. As a rule, the more economically you use language, the more powerfully you will deliver your message. Here are four techniques to help you make each word count. Homophones: Affect vs. Effect. Words That Can Get Us In Trouble (In the Age of Spell Check) The 13 Trickiest Grammar Hang-Ups (& How to Beat Them) I trust that you all know the difference between who and whom, and I trust that typos are the only reason you use the wrong it’s.
It happens to the best of us. For most writers, if you can just maintain your focus (perhaps with caffeine and frequent breaks), you’ll get the basics right. The following problems, however, may have you scrambling for a refresher. 1. Half can be both singular and plural. Typically, subjects and verbs agree: If the subject is singular, the verb is singular. Writing Tips: Abolish the Adverbs.
Are they slowly running or are they jogging?
Adjectives and adverbs are modifiers. Adjectives modify nouns whereas adverbs modify verbs, other adverbs, adjectives, phrases, and clauses. In fact, an adverb can modify an entire sentence. This gives adverbs a rather large playing field; maybe that explains why they are overused. For example, car is a noun and red is an adjective. On writing: when your PP runneth over. Hi, kids!
Verbs in Fiction. On October 11th, 2013 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill and last modified on October 12, 2013 Verbs bring action—motion and movement—to our sentences.
Without verbs, nothing happens. Verbs move story people, both literally and emotionally. Without verbs, characters and story go nowhere. 45 ways to avoid using the word 'very'. Writers Write is your one-stop resource for writers.
Use these 45 ways to avoid using the word ‘very’ to improve your writing. Good writers avoid peppering their writing with qualifiers like ‘very’ and ‘really’. They are known as padding or filler words and generally add little to your writing. According to Collins Dictionary: ‘Padding is unnecessary words or information used to make a piece of writing or a speech longer. Synonyms include: waffle, hot air, verbiage, wordiness.’ 100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections. David Bier Thanks for this – what a fun post considering there’s no actual narrative in it!
Cecily Some of these interjections are quite culturally and age specific, so if people need to be told what they mean, they should probably not be using them.For example, to many Brits, va-va-voom is not old-fashioned at all, but instead is firmly linked to the long-running ads that footballer Thierry Henry made for the Renault Clio.
Himanshu Chanda Whoa ! What a biiiig list. And yes this ones really great. 100 Words for Facial Expressions. 14 Words That Are Their Own Opposites. Here’s an ambiguous sentence for you: “Because of the agency’s oversight, the corporation’s behavior was sanctioned.” Does that mean, 'Because the agency oversaw the company’s behavior, they imposed a penalty for some transgression' or does it mean, 'Because the agency was inattentive, they overlooked the misbehavior and gave it their approval by default'? Words,words, words. Free English idioms, idiomatic expressions, proverbs and sayings.
Idioms – as clear as mud? Miranda Steel is a freelance ELT lexicographer and editor. She has worked as a Senior Editor for dictionaries for learners at OUP and has also worked for COBUILD. In this post, she looks at some of the weird and wonderful idioms in the English language. Idioms are commonly used in spoken and written English. 100 Exquisite Adjectives. Slang Search.
Cliche Finder. IdiomSite.com - Find out the meanings of common sayings. 100 Beautiful and Ugly Words. 100 Exquisite Adjectives. Word Spy. IdiomSite.com - Find out the meanings of common sayings. Idioms and phrases. The Phrontistery: Obscure Words and Vocabulary Resources. Free English idioms, idiomatic expressions, proverbs and sayings. 104 POWER VERBS. Slang Search. Careful, writers! 10 common words with opposite meanings. The English language is full of words with uncommon properties. Wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Active-Verbs-List.pdf. 59 Quick Slang Phrases From The 1920s We Should Start Using Again. Idioms – as clear as mud?