Ways to improve your word choice

Improving your writing skills does not require you to be a walking dictionary or have an extensive knowledge of English grammar rules and concepts. Get comfortable with getting outside suggestions and critiques. The best way to improve your writing is to read and write often.

Ditch the word “very”

“Very” is a cop-out word in writing. There is always a stronger adjective that you can use to replace the combination of the adverb, “very,” and its following adjective.

What you don’t want to do

• The findings of the study were not very detailed.

A better way to phrase this

• The findings of the study were unclear.
• The findings of the study were not detailed.

Cut down on wordiness

More words do not equal better writing. Qualifiers and intensifiers are both modifiers to convey the opposite effect within a sentence. A qualifier weakens or lessens the impact of a word or phrase in a sentence, while an intensifier strengthens or emphasizes the importance of a word or phrase in a sentence. Using too many intensifiers/qualifiers can detract from the meaning of the sentence.

Common qualifiers and intensifiers

• Quite
• So
• Always
• Possible
• Slightly
• Generally
• Very
• Rather
• Kind of
• Basically
• Mostly
• Sort of
• Too

What you don’t want to do

• It really seemed quite possible that they basically misunderstood the plot of the entire film which essentially took away from the credibility of their critique.

A better way to phrase this

• The film reviewers misunderstood the plot, which took away from the credibility of their critique. 

Avoid repetition

This may seem like a no-brainer, but repetition within a sentence is a common mistake and can quickly detract from the meaning of your writing.  One might not be using the same word, but when they use the same root of a word or similar notions within the same sentence, it causes repetition

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• The reporter received heavy criticism because her reporting was biased, and other reporters did not agree with her methods.  

A better way to phrase this

• The reporter received heavy criticism as her story was biased, and other journalists openly critiqued her methods.

Be careful with words that you are unfamiliar with

“Fancier” words are often confusing. What you want to avoid is incorrectly using a word that you’re unfamiliar with. Use a dictionary to check the meaning of a new word or an online resource such as the Corpus of Contemporary American English, which shows how words and phrases are used in different contexts. A good strategy is to try the word out in spoken conversation to learn its nuances prior to including it in your writing. 

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• The threat of wildfires was eminent after meteorologists mentioned that temperatures would hit over 105 degrees.

A better way to phrase this

• The threat of wildfires was imminent after meteorologists mentioned that temperatures would hit over 105 degrees. 

Correct way to use the word

• Alan Watts is an eminent figure among British philosophers.

Use a thesaurus and a dictionary together

Similar to the above suggestion, to increase word choice, you want to start with a thesaurus to help you find other adjectives or phrases to improve your writing. 

It is important to remember that synonyms are only words that are similar in meaning, not necessarily interchangeable Words have different connotations, or meanings, based on the situation. This is when having a dictionary available is extremely useful, as you will be able to look up the definition of the word and see if the synonym you are choosing fits the context.

Here’s what you don’t want to do

• I had a bad day. I had a nefarious day.
• The reason that this doesn’t work is because even though “nefarious” is a synonym for “bad” it does not fit the context.
• The definition of nefarious--“(typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal”-- does not make sense in this situation. 

A better way to phrase this

• I had a bad day. I had a lousy day.
• The definition of lousy is “very poor or bad,” which betters this sentence. Don’t be afraid to search up the definition of a word that you are unfamiliar with.

Avoid clichés/colloquialisms

They are called clichés for a reason—are phrases overused and “betrays a lack of original thought.” Colloquialisms are familiar words or phrases, not formal or literary in nature, that are typically used in ordinary language. Both of these are similar in that they are common and (sometimes) overused. The best way to diversify your writing is to avoid these and instead come up with unique phrasing.

Common clichés and colloquialisms to avoid

• A perfect storm
• Ignorance is bliss
• Let the cat out of the bag
• The pot calling the kettle black
• In the nick of time
• If only walls could talk
• You can’t judge a book by its cover
• In the heat of the moment
• See eye to eye
• Cut to the chase
• Give the benefit of the doubt 

Be careful with jargon

Jargon—or specialized terminology understood by certain groups— in writing may be expected in upper division classes.  However, be mindful of jargon if you are writing for audiences unfamiliar with your field. If you are writing for a professor or for other experts in your field, it’s perfectly acceptable to use jargon. Yet, if you are writing a grant proposal or a personal statement, be mindful of how much jargon you use as your audience may be unfamiliar with certain terminology.

What you don’t want to do

• The onset of a condition such as a myocardial infarction may seem acute upon first glance; however, the amalgamation of underlying comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus can contribute to its occurrence.

A better way to phrase this

• The onset of a heart attack may appear sudden; however, it is actually the result of multiple underlying health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Avoid overusing pronouns

A common writing mistake is to overuse pronouns (e.g. these, they, she, he, it). The problem with using too many pronouns is that they can make your sentence more difficult to understand. Using words like she, he, they, I, etc. are perfectly fine if there is a direct correlation between the specified noun and the pronoun. However, overusing pronouns has the chance of creating vagueness, thus confusion. To avoid this problem, be more specific in your nouns and descriptions.

What you don’t want to do

• The onset of these medical conditions is detrimental to the health of these women.

A better way to phrase this

• The onset of anemia’s medical conditions is detrimental to the health of young woman, specifically those who are pregnant.

Online resources to use

• Hemingway Editor. (2020). Hemingway Editor. 
  • Online writing editor that helps writers identify areas of lengthy wording, overly complicated text, and adverb usage.
• Grammarly Editor. (2020). 
  • Online writing editor that helps writers with common grammatical errors such as punctuation.
• Corpus of Contemporary American English (2020).
  • Shows different words and how they can be used in different contexts with example sentences
• COCA Corpus. (2020). Word and Phrase.
  • The title of this website is a bit of a misnomer. This website allows you to see the frequency of a word in different contexts (spoken, fiction, magazines, newspapers, and academic writing). You can also see the most common words used in conjunction with the word you are searching.