Entries Tagged 'Vocab & grammar' ↓

Thesauri and dictionaries are not mutually exclusive tools of the writing trade. It seems, though, that quite often people choose to use a thesaurus in lieu of a dictionary when both may in fact be needed. A good thesaurus will offer synonyms for a word that run the entire spectrum, not merely precise synonyms, but also words that mean sort of the same thing.

For example, using one of the words in the most preceding sentence, the Microsoft Word thesaurus returns the following for the word “precise” -  exact, accurate, specific, particular, clear-cut, defined, strict and fixed. Some of these words would fit the sentence. Some would not. And that’s just in Microsoft Word. A large thesaurus will likely offer many more word options.

When using a thesaurus, it’s never a good idea to just pick the word with the coolest sound and assume that it carries the same meaning as the word that is being replaced. This can change the meaning of the sentence entirely.

The word “walk” returns a list of words, including saunter,  march, and stagger. These three words call to mind very different images.

If you do not know the meaning of a word for sure, always double check the definition in a dictionary. Don’t count on a thesaurus to define a word.

Judging from all of the blogs that I read as well as emails and memos at work, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to using “a”and “an.”

When I was in school I learned that the usage rule for “a” versus “an” is as follows:

• for words that start with consonants, use “a”
• for words that start with a vowel, use “an”

And generally I find this to be a good rule of thumb if you are unclear on usage.

However, while looking through some posts on Daily Writing Tips I came across some additional info, which can be found here.

I am certain that you remember the terms “metaphor” and “simile” from your days of sitting in English class.

If you were not paying attention in class you might think that a metaphor and a simile are the same thing. You would be wrong.

Daily Writing Tips has a great article that not only lets you know what the difference is between the two, but there are also some examples.