Some days my post revolves around generalities, and others it comes down to specifics. Today, I want to highlight the word choices we make when we write. It seems like a small thing, but it can make a difference in your final story, essay, or article.
Sometimes we:
- repeat words to excess
- use a utilitarian word when another would be better
- don't give thought to the verb choice--too often passive
- use words that are unfamiliar to our audience
- toss in an unnecessary word that does nothing to help the sentence
Repeating words is a common error we make, and one we don't catch when we proofread. Look at the paragraph below:
Susan visited the museum on Tuesday afternoon. The museum was one of her favorite places to visit. She liked Tuesdays because it was a free day.
I've highlighted each double use of three words. If you read that paragraph aloud, you'll see that it's a bit boring with repeated words. You might rewrite it like this:
Susan visited the museum on Tuesday afternoon. The Art Institue was one of her favorite places to spend time. She chose to go then because it was a free day.
When you proofread, look for repetition of words. Watch for using words like 'to, it, was, or pronouns like he, she, him, her' too frequently. You can't change every one, but even replacing a few will help.
Utilitarian words are ones we seem to pluck out of the air because they are familiar to us, but they might not offer much in the way of showing a reader what something is like. For instance, why use a word like 'shine' when 'glisten' means the same but gives a different feeling. Why use 'the leaves moved' when you can say 'the leaves shimmered' or why say 'the wine tasted good' when 'the wine danced on my tastebuds?' I admit that the last one is a bit of a stretch, but it does illustrate the point.
Verb choices are not always what is on our minds as we write. It's the story that is important, especially in that first draft. When you proofread, be very aware of an overuse of passive verbs. We all know that an action verb is better, but there are writers who figure if they can't swap one for the other in the same place in the sentence, then forget it. Sometimes, the only way to replace a passive verb with a better one is rearrange the order of the sentence.
A. Jack went to the football field so he could put in some extra practice time.
B. Jack sprinted to the football field so he could put in some extra practice time.
C. Jack needed some extra practice time, so he raced to the football field.
There are writers who like to showcase their excellent vocabulary. That's fine, but there are times when the readers don't have the same kind of word knowledge as the writer. A few seldom-used words are fine. It's one way readers learn new words, but if you pepper your entire essay with lengthy, little-used words, most readers will wander away in a hurry.
We all use those 'unnecessary' words in our everyday chatter, but we should be careful when writing not to toss them in as if they were vastly important to the meaning of your sentence. Words like 'very, just, really' don't add a great deal to your writing. In fact, they may detract the reader at times. Using these words becomes a habit. I recently critiqued a fine essay for a friend. One glaring problem leaped out time and again. She had a habit of beginning many sentences with And... I suggested deleting every one of them. They added nothing to the sentence. Some writers think that it puts emphasis on the sentence, but the sentence can stand alone quite well without the And...
Word choice seems like a small thing in the huge overall world of writing. In my mind, making fine word choices can make a good piece an excellent one.
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