40 Literary Terms Every Bookworm Should Know. Five Weak Words that Make Your Writing Less Effective. Bonus: For more tips on becoming a stronger writer delivered directly to your inbox for free, click here.
I can’t stand frail, weak writing. And neither can you. You know when you’ve read content that compels you to do something that matters and when something bores you to tears. You may just not know exactly why. And you need to be able to identify those words that weaken your writing so that you can stamp them out of your vocabulary. Words are the lifeblood of your writing. Words matter. Untrained writers can be careless with their words. “Stuff” Stuff is a lazy word. Instead, use a more descriptive noun. “Things” Things is another lazy word. Things is nondescript and can often be replaced with much better nouns, such as “reasons” or “elements” or “issues” and so on… “Got” Got is a terrible verb. Instead of saying “I got up”, say “I woke up.” Instead of saying, “I got a baseball”, say, “I have a baseball” or “I found a baseball.” Not only is got a lazy word; it is also vague. “Was/Is/Are/Am” 20 obsolete English words that should make a comeback.
Photo: Katherine Hodgson If we all start using them, these words can be resurrected.
DURING MY UNDERGRADUATE studies as a Linguistics major, one of the things that struck me most is the amazing fluidity of language. New words are created; older words go out of style. Words can change meaning over time, vowel sounds shift, consonants are lost or added and one word becomes another. Living languages refuse to be static. The following words have sadly disappeared from modern English, but it’s easy to see how they could be incorporated into everyday conversation. Words are from Erin McKean’s two-volume series: Weird and Wonderful Words and Totally Weird and Wonderful Words. 1. Verb trans. – “To confuse, jumble” – First of all this word is just fun to say in its various forms.
Words I Never Want to See in Your Novel. Please. - StumbleUpon. 100 Exquisite Adjectives. By Mark Nichol Adjectives — descriptive words that modify nouns — often come under fire for their cluttering quality, but often it’s quality, not quantity, that is the issue.
Plenty of tired adjectives are available to spoil a good sentence, but when you find just the right word for the job, enrichment ensues. Practice precision when you select words. Here’s a list of adjectives: Subscribe to Receive our Articles and Exercises via Email You will improve your English in only 5 minutes per day, guaranteed! 21 Responses to “100 Exquisite Adjectives” Rebecca Fantastic list! List Over 300 Ways to Say. Word Frequency Counter.
15 unusual words that make writers swoon. In a previous post, I wrote about the value of using simple words in place of complex words.
Readers are not impressed by the use of complex words; they're frustrated by them. Though I strive to use simple, clear terms in my own writing, there are some words that I am just dying to use. Archaic, unusual words that I have stumbled upon in fiction. Words that have drawn me in. I like the ways these words sound. If I could only find a way to work them into my next article on surgical checklists.
Vex. Example: You take delight in vexing me by deliberately using bad grammar. Portmanteau. Example: That portmanteau will not fit in the overhead bin and must be checked. Naught. Example: Her behavior tends to set propriety at naught. Foible. Example: She loved him in spite of his foibles. Parvenu. Example: He was treated like a parvenu at the country club dinner. Sentinel. Example: Bennett heard a strange noise and asked the sentinel to stay close.