Finding the right word was a lifelong quest for French novelist Gustave Flaubert:
Whatever you want to say, there is only one word that will express it, one verb to make it move, one adjective to qualify it. You must seek that word, that verb, that adjective, and never be satisfied with approximations, never resort to tricks, even clever ones, or to verbal pirouettes to escape the difficulty.
(letter to Guy de Maupassant)
A perfectionist (who happened to have an independent income), Flaubert would spend days worrying over a single sentence until he got the words just right.
Most of us, I suspect, don’t have that kind of time available. As a result, we often have to be «satisfied with approximations» when drafting. Near synonyms and almost-right words, like temporary bridges, let us move on to the next sentence before a deadline arrives.
Nonetheless, converting inexact words to precise ones remains a critical part of revising our drafts — a process that can’t be reduced to one simple method or clever trick. Here are 10 points worth considering the next time you find yourself in search of the right word.
1. Be Patient
In revising, if the right word is not at hand, run a search, sort, select process through your mind to see if you can find it. (Even then, a word may be elusive, refusing to emerge from the mind one day only to arise from the subconscious the next.) Be prepared to rewrite today what you revised yesterday. Above all, be patient: take the time to select words that will transfer your exact thought to the mind of a reader.
May Flewellen McMillan, The Shortest Way to the Essay: Rhetorical Strategies. Mercer University Press, 1984
2. Wear Out Your Dictionary
Once you have a dictionary, use it as much as possible.
When you sit down to write and need a particular word, pause to consider the key ideas you want to convey. Start with a word that’s in the ballpark. Look it up and go from there, exploring synonyms, roots, and usage notes. Many’s the time a usage note in the American Heritage Dictionary has led me to the word that fits, much as the right jigsaw puzzle piece slips into place.
Jan Venolia, The Right Word!: How to Say What You Really Mean. Ten Speed Press, 2003
3. Recognize Connotations
Do not be fooled into thinking you can substitute one word for another simply because a thesaurus groups them together under a single entry. The thesaurus will do you little good unless you are familiar with the connotations of possible synonyms for a given word. «Portly,» «chubby,» «chunky,» «heavy,» «overweight,» «stocky,» «plump,» and «obese» are all possible synonyms for «fat,» but they are not interchangeable. . . . Your task is to select the word that conveys most accurately the precise shade of meaning or feeling you intend.
Peter G. Beidler, Writing Matters. Coffeetown Press, 2010
4. Put Away Your Thesaurus
Using a thesaurus will not make you look smarter. It will only make you look like you are trying to look smarter.
Adrienne Dowhan et al., Essays That Will Get You Into College, 3rd ed. Barron’s, 2009
5. Listen
[B]ear in mind, when you’re choosing words and stringing them together, how they sound. This may seem absurd: readers read with their eyes. But in fact they hear what they are reading far more than you realize. Therefore such matters as rhythm and alliteration are vital to every sentence.
William Zinsser, On Writing Well, 7th ed. HarperCollins, 2006
6. Beware of Fancy Language
There is a difference between vivid language and unnecessarily fancy language. As you search for the particular, the colorful, and the unusual, be careful not to choose words merely for their sound or appearance rather than for their substance. When it comes to word choice, longer is not always better. As a rule, prefer simple, plain language over fancy language . . . Avoid language that seems stilted or unnecessarily formal in favor of language that sounds natural and genuine to your ear. Trust the right word — whether fancy or plain — to do the job.
Stephen Wilbers, Keys to Great Writing. Writer’s Digest Books, 2000
7. Delete Pet Words
They may be more pests than pets. They are the words you overuse without even knowing it. My own problem words are «very,» «just,» and «that.» Delete them if they’re not essential.
John Dufresne, The Lie That Tells a Truth. W.W. Norton, 2003
8. Eliminate the Wrong Words
I do not choose the right word. I get rid of the wrong one. Period.
A.E. Housman, quoted by Robert Penn Warren in «An Interview in New Haven.» Studies in the Novel, 1970
9. Be True
«How do I know,» the sometimes despairing writer asks, «which the right word is?» The reply must be: only you can know. The right word is, simply, the wanted one; the wanted word is the one most nearly true. True to what? Your vision and your purpose.
Elizabeth Bowen, Afterthought: Pieces About Writing, 1962
10. Enjoy the Process
[P]eople often forget that the sheer joy of finding the right word which expresses a thought is extraordinary, an emotional rush of an intense kind.
Playwright Michael Mackenzie, quoted by Eric Armstrong, 1994
Is the struggle to find the right word truly worth the effort? Mark Twain thought so. «The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter,» he once said. «It’s the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.»
What are word choice errors?
Have you ever received an assignment back, and been told that you:
| Yes | No | |
| Used the wrong preposition? | ||
| Made a mistake in your”word choice”? | ||
| Used the wrong tone? |
This kind of feedback often indicates that you have made a word choice error. These errors happen for the following reasons:
- Selecting a word with a slightly different range of meaning than your text requires. This often happens when writers select a synonym using a thesaurus or the synonym function in word processing software. Though synonyms have close or related meanings, there are usually some slight differences in the range of meanings that different words have, and the ways they can be used.
- Relying heavily on Google translate or bilingual dictionaries to choose words. Again, these errors result from the fact that when we translate between languages, words may be similar, but not exactly the same.
Finding the correct word is difficult because they are usually not fixed grammar rules to help make good choices. The good news is that there are tools available to help select the right word. By understanding how different resources can work together, you will have additional tools to help you select the right word for your purpose.
- General dictionaries
When you use a thesaurus or synonym finder to choose a word, a good additional step is to look up the new synonym you discovered in a general dictionary. This will help you to ensure that its meaning fits correctly in the context of the sentence you are writing.
2. Bilingual dictionaries
A bilingual dictionary is designed to help you find the equivalent word to the word you know in your mother tongue. It assists you when you don’t yet know the English word to express the concept you are trying to write. Often, bilingual writers will use these as their primary dictionary tool. This can create some problems because each language has different ways of structuring how concepts are expressed. Relying too much on a bilingual dictionary can lead to word choices that sound unnatural, likely because they reflect how a concept is expressed in your mother tongue, rather than in English. When you use a bilingual dictionary to find a word, it is helpful to check at least one other source to confirm that this word is the best choice.
3. English learner’s dictionaries
A learner’s dictionary is one of the best tools to have for writing English. ESL Learner’s dictionaries have been published for learners of different abilities; for university writing, you will want an Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Learner’s dictionaries are different from dictionaries that are designed for mother tongue English speakers because:
- They define words simply and clearly.
- They include example sentences that show how the word is used correctly.
Though a learner’s dictionary is designed for a non-native speaker of English, many native speakers find these to be a helpful resource because of the additional grammatical information they contain. If you are a native speaker of English, you still may want to have this resource as a part of your writing toolkit.
You can use a learner’s dictionary in several ways:
- To look up a word after finding it in a bilingual dictionary, to check that it is truly the best word for what you would like to express.
- To find the meaning of a word you do not yet know.
- To find out how to correctly use a word that you already know the meaning of, but that you are not sure how to write in a sentence. For example, if you are unsure of what preposition typically follows a certain verb in English, the example sentences in a learner’s dictionary might give you that information.
You can access the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary online at http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/
For more explanation of how to use a learner’s dictionary, see the video below.
Apply it!
Try using the resources you have explored in this module to do the following:
- Find out what prepositions go with the verb correlate (or another verb of your choice).
- Find a synonym using a thesaurus or synonym finder. Use one additional resource to determine whether this is the best word to use in your sentence.
Main Body
What are word choice errors?
Have you ever received an assignment back, and been told that you:
| Yes | No | |
| Used the wrong preposition? | ||
| Made a mistake in your”word choice”? | ||
| Used the wrong tone? |
This kind of feedback often indicates that you have made a word choice error. These errors happen for the following reasons:
- Selecting a word with a slightly different range of meaning than your text requires. This often happens when writers select a synonym using a thesaurus or the synonym function in word processing software. Though synonyms have close or related meanings, there are usually some slight differences in the range of meanings that different words have, and the ways they can be used.
- Relying heavily on Google translate or bilingual dictionaries to choose words. Again, these errors result from the fact that when we translate between languages, words may be similar, but not exactly the same.
Finding the correct word is difficult because they are usually not fixed grammar rules to help make good choices. The good news is that there are tools available to help select the right word. By understanding how different resources can work together, you will have additional tools to help you select the right word for your purpose.
Types of Reference Materials
Using the right words is an important part communicating your message clearly. Different types of dictionaries have been created to help English learners choose the right word for the right situation. Here are some of the dictionaries that can be a helpful part of your writing toolkit.
- General dictionaries
When you use a thesaurus or synonym finder to choose a word, a good additional step is to look up the new synonym you discovered in a general dictionary. This will help you to ensure that its meaning fits correctly in the context of the sentence you are writing.
2. Bilingual dictionaries
A bilingual dictionary is designed to help you find the equivalent word to the word you know in your mother tongue. It assists you when you don’t yet know the English word to express the concept you are trying to write. Often, bilingual writers will use these as their primary dictionary tool. This can create some problems because each language has different ways of structuring how concepts are expressed. Relying too much on a bilingual dictionary can lead to word choices that sound unnatural, likely because they reflect how a concept is expressed in your mother tongue, rather than in English. When you use a bilingual dictionary to find a word, it is helpful to check at least one other source to confirm that this word is the best choice.
3. English learner’s dictionaries
A learner’s dictionary is one of the best tools to have for writing English. ESL Learner’s dictionaries have been published for learners of different abilities; for university writing, you will want an Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Learner’s dictionaries are different from dictionaries that are designed for mother tongue English speakers because:
- They define words simply and clearly.
- They include example sentences that show how the word is used correctly.
Though a learner’s dictionary is designed for a non-native speaker of English, many native speakers find these to be a helpful resource because of the additional grammatical information they contain. If you are a native speaker of English, you still may want to have this resource as a part of your writing toolkit.
You can use a learner’s dictionary in several ways:
- To look up a word after finding it in a bilingual dictionary, to check that it is truly the best word for what you would like to express.
- To find the meaning of a word you do not yet know.
- To find out how to correctly use a word that you already know the meaning of, but that you are not sure how to write in a sentence. For example, if you are unsure of what preposition typically follows a certain verb in English, the example sentences in a learner’s dictionary might give you that information.
You can access the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary online at http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/
For more explanation of how to use a learner’s dictionary, see the video below.
INSERT DICTIONARY USE VIDEO HERE
4. Specialized dictionaries and vocabulary aids
Other specialized dictionaries can help you identify correct and natural sounding word choices:
- Collocation dictionaries: Collocations are words that typically are found together. By looking up a word in a collocation dictionary, you will see examples of how that word is used together in phrases with other words.
- Production dictionaries (e.g. Longman Language Activator): This dictionary groups words by related topics. Under the main word, other words with a similar meaning are given, along with their definitions and examples of how they are used.
- Idiom dictionaries/ slang dictionaries: As their name suggests, these dictionaries help you to discover the meaning of idiomatic phrases. These are expressions where the individual words do not provide clues to the meaning of the whole phrase, such as, “to let the cat out of the bag”.
Apply it!
Try using the resources you have explored in this module to do the following:
- Find out what prepositions go with the verb correlate (or another verb of your choice).
- Find a synonym using a thesaurus or synonym finder. Use one additional resource to determine whether this is the best word to use in your sentence.
Often when I write, I find it very difficult to find the right words to describe how a character is feeling, or how an environment should be described. I see it in my head and feel it in my body, but it’s like trying to find a word to describe it that doesn’t exist in the English language. Some of my favourite words don’t have an English equivalent, such as ‘fernweh’, the German word for a feeling of homesickness for a place you’ve never visited, ‘tsundoku’, the Japanese word for leaving a new book unread, and (my favorite), ‘kummerspeck’, literally ‘grief bacon’, the German word to describe what happens when you eat while you are sad.
I experience it as a form of synesthesia. People with this rare neurological condition experience one thing through another sense. So they taste shapes and smell colours. They can also associate letters, shapes and numbers with smell, shape and colour. Sometimes, when I think of how a character is feeling, it’s more than just an emotion, a set of physiological responses. I experience it as having a shape, a form, a colour, and these also have their own feelings, so it becomes a prickly, light, fizzing, lemony, fractured, fractalled form, buzzing with adrenaline. And this description still doesn’t give justice to my experiences and what I want the reader to feel.
I do have words that I love in the English language. Provenance, alacrity, and smoulder are three of my favourites, even though none enter my writing or speech as much as swear words. When I write, I often overuse words and have to go back and change or remove them, helped by a thesaurus. But when I find the perfect word for the perfect moment it’s like sinking into a warm bath with a mouthful of chocolate.
Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
- August 31st 2012
How do you choose the right word? Some just don’t fit what you’re trying to convey, either in the labor of love prose for your creative writing class, or the rogue auto-correct function on your phone.
Can you shed lacerations instead of tears? How is the word barren an attack on women? How do writers such as Joshua Ferris, Francine Prose, David Foster Wallace, Zadie Smith, and Simon Winchester weigh and inveigh against words?
We sat down with Katherine Martin and Allison Wright, editors of the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, to discuss what makes a word distinctive from others and what writers can teach you about language.
Writing Today, the Choice of Words, and the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
Reflections in the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
The Use and Abuse of a Thesaurus
Katherine Martin is Head of US Dictionaries at Oxford University Press. Allison Wright is Editor, US Dictionaries at Oxford University Press.
Much more than a word list, the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus is a browsable source of inspiration as well as an authoritative guide to selecting and using vocabulary. This essential guide for writers provides real-life example sentences and a careful selection of the most relevant synonyms, as well as new usage notes, hints for choosing between similar words, a Word Finder section organized by subject, and a comprehensive language guide. The third edition revises and updates this innovative reference, adding hundreds of new words, senses, and phrases to its more than 300,000 synonyms and 10,000 antonyms. New features in this edition include over 200 literary and humorous quotations highlighting notable usages of words, and a revised graphical word toolkit feature showing common word combinations based on evidence in the Oxford Corpus. There is also a new introduction by noted language commentator Ben Zimmer.
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It seems like we writers are always in search of something: a great idea, the right plot, the next scene, time to write . . . And it’s been this way for a long time. More than a hundred years ago, Mark Twain described one such writerly-pursuit:
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
– Letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
Of course, there are a few basics that make a word “wrong”: misuse, for example—homonyms, malapropisms, and trying to use words that we think we know what that means, right? (Dictionaries are our friends!)
Frequently, the “right” word is the one that describes vividly, powerfully and succinctly. Instead of “the brightly-colored, flashy, convertible Italian sports car,” we say “the red Lamborghini.” The Lamborghini comes with eleven cupholders connotations that convey more than a laundry list of adjectives. An “abyss” is a stronger emotional picture than a “hole.”
We also have to take into acccunt our characters. If it’s in a character’s voice, it should suit the character, his personality, education level, regional speech, cadence, vocabulary, time period, etc.
Of course, sometimes the “right” word is wrong. (But we’ll talk about that tomorrow.) Obviously, there’s way more to finding the right word than avoiding errors and lists that detract from our meaning instead of add to it. What do you think? What makes a word “right” or “wrong”?
Photo by James Jordan