This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Careful word choice is central to top-notch writing. Whether you're a blogger, novelist, SEO professional, or student writing an essay for school, Slick Write can help take your writing … Am I trying too hard to impress my reader? For this reason, you need to strive to use language that is accurate and appropriate for the writing situation. You may find yourself using words and grammatical constructions that you didn’t use in your high school writing. Version 3: Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature. TOP REVIEWS FROM WRITING AND EDITING: WORD CHOICE AND WORD ORDER. Previous Next TOP; Share; Writing and Communication Centre. For me, I felt the pace incredibly amazing and could be followed even during tough and busy … You work on it for several days, producing three versions of your thesis: Version 1: There are many important river and shore scenes in Huckleberry Finn. What are some words that this feeling brings up? How would you say it to someone?). In an academic argument paper, what makes the thesis and argument sophisticated are the connections presented in simple, clear language. But the most important goal of academic writing is not to sound smart—it is to communicate an argument or informati… The French novelist Gustav Flaubert once remarked, “All talent for writing consists, after all, of nothing more than choosing words. 12th ed. Williams, Joseph M. and Joseph Bizup. 3rd ed. Your email address will not be published. Graders, in particular, like to see clearly stated thesis statements. The Grammatically Correct Handbook: A Lively and Unorthodox Review of Common English for the Linguistically Challenged. Monday 10 am-8 pm EDT Tuesday 10 am-10 pm EDT Wednesday 8 am-8 pm EDT Thursday 10 am-8 pm EDT Friday 10 am-4 pm EDT Saturday Closed Sunday 3 pm-7 pm EDT, © 2021 The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License. What words feel like they evoke that mood? Version 2: The contrasting river and shore scenes in Huckleberry Finn suggest a return to nature. 5 word choice exercises to try for yourself, The Author Writes the First Draft of His Wedding Vows, Online Stage and Broadcast Writing Courses, Online Creative Nonfiction Writing Courses, Online Lifestyle and Wellness Writing Courses, http://writers.com/word-choice-in-writing#exercises, Creative Nonfiction and the Personal Essay, In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction. When writing for your professors, think simplicity. New York: Pearson, 2016. A-Z. Hyperbole (Exaggerates on purpose to make a point): The victory was nothing short of miraculous! These are the things to do if you’re dawn, a honeybee, the sky, and more. 0127 SASB North As we’ve seen with adverbs above, you may find that your writing becomes more concise and economical—delivering more impact per word. This section provides tips for choosing the right words … Word choice. Beautifully illustrated and filled with words that sparkle into wonderful images, this is a lovely, lovely book I highly recommend! Audience. Thinking about your audience and their expectations will help you make decisions about word choice. Teachers, use this in writing workshop to study word choice. New York: Hyperion, 1997. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! Word choice is an important part of any type of writing-especially content writing. When your instructors write things like “awkward,” “vague,” or “wordy” on your draft, they are letting you know that they want you to work on word choice. Take a look at the following list for some examples. Download the. As you revise your draft, you make more choices. Correct word choice creates an accurate picture of the writer's topic that is both unique and easy to understand. It is not always easy to condense several paragraphs or several pages into concise key terms that, when combined in one sentence, can effectively describe the argument. It’s usually best to avoid slang and colloquialisms. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! 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). Who can use this service: Current students. Let’s consider the word choice issues in these statements. A collection of 3 word choice mini lessons designed to help students choose the correct word in their writing. A common problem with writing good thesis statements is finding the words that best capture both the important elements and the significance of the essay’s argument. Use big words like a potent spice; spread them sparingly throughout your writing. Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to: 1. define 'denotation,' 'connotation,' 'tone,' 'allusion,' and 'allegory' 2. discuss the relationship between word choice and each of these terms 3. outline the significance of word choice in writing 450 Ridge Road Subjects: Writing . Academic writing, like most other forms of writing, is a series of choices. Improving word choice is more than memorizing a list of fancy words. Word Choice Effective writing involves making conscious choices with words. Vague words shift the writer’s responsibility onto … If there isn’t, can you use two or three words to state the idea your own way? This use of language is considered an … How to Be Your Own Best Editor: The Toolkit for Everyone Who Writes. As a challenge, see how many alternatives you can create for the final two examples. “Things to do if you are RAIN / Polka dot sidewalks. What others do I need? It involves cutting out fluff and only using words that add to the meaning of your writing. Simplify your writing when possible. This handout can help you revise your papers for word-level clarity, eliminate wordiness and avoid clichés, find the words that best express your ideas, and choose words that suit an academic audience. Word choice is an area of writing concerned with using clear, descriptive words that engage readers. See more ideas about writing, teaching writing, word choice. Word Choice is the use of rich, colourful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. It's a mindset. Everyone can improve their professionalism by taking Professor Barry's writing on course, it's not just for lawyers. If I’ve borrowed the terms, can I find better ones in my own vocabulary, the texts, my notes, the dictionary, or the thesaurus to make myself clearer? However, taking the time to find the right words offers writers a significant edge. These two phenomena are not necessarily the same. In our culture, people tend to marry others who are like themselves. Thinking about your audience and their expectations will help you make decisions about word choice.Some writers think that academic audiences expect them to “sound smart” by using big or technical words. It’s precision that gives writing power.” This observation applies to all kinds of writing. As you work on a paper, you choose your topic, your approach, your sources, and your thesis; when it’s time to write, you have to choose the words you will use to express your ideas and decide how you will arrange those words into sentences and paragraphs. Grades: 3 rd, 4 th, 5 th. Why, you wonder, are instructors so fond of terms like “awkward”? To improve readability and comprehension, choose your words wisely and use them consistently. Jul 2, 2018 - Explore Wiley Teaching's board "Writing - VOICES word choice", followed by 1487 people on Pinterest. The American Heritage Book of English Usage: A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. Using simple words does not indicate simple thoughts. by SS Jul 1, 2020. PDF version. Which do I not need? More … For the purposes of this handout, let’s focus on the thesis statement—one of the most important sentences in academic argument papers. As the cliché words “ return to nature use really means thesis argument... 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