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Feb
Enhance the Power of Your Writing
Although important in all communication, choosing the correct words are especially important in writing, where ideas and attitudes are expressed without the help of facial expressions, tone of voice, or gestures. You can enhance the power of your writing by following these guidelines:
Use the correct word
Beware of confusing words that sound alike and have related or similar meanings, like imply/infer; convex/concave; disinterested/uninterested; emigrate/immigrate).
Example:
imply means to suggest but not express something. “His silence implied anger.”
infer means to deduce or arrive at a conclusion from facts on hand. “We inferred from his tone of voice that he was angry.”
Use descriptive words
Whenever possible, use a descriptive word over a vague word. Words such as thing and stuff and weak verbs such as walk, act, move can often be replaced by words that convey a more precise meaning.
Example:
Vague: My brother drove up in a rundown car.
Better: My brother sputtered to a stop in his old, dilapidated convertible.
Use appropriate words
Words that are right in one situation may be wrong in another (e.g., female siblings, is an acceptable expression by itself), but it would be awkward to use as follows:
Example:
Awkward: Jan, Sylvia, and I are best friends as well as female siblings.
Better: Jan, Sylvia, and I are best friends as well as sisters.
Happy writing!
