What is word choice in a poem?
| as fresh as a daisy | as slow as molasses | as white as snow |
| old as dirt | our neck of the woods | plain as the nose on your face |
| raking in the dough | sick as a dog | stick in the mud |
| stubborn as a mule | sweet as apple pie | thorn in my side |
| two peas in a pod | under the weather | walks on water |
What makes word choice particularly important in poetry?
4 rows · May 28, 2020 · 'Word choice' refers to the words a poet chooses to use. Word choice is extremely important in ...
What term describes a poem's word choice?
Poetry: Word Choice. “What’s in a name?”. William Shakespeare asked this question more than 400 years ago and poets are still puzzling over it. Read this exchange between the Bard’s famous star-crossed lovers (at right) and remember when you first heard it. Author: Dorianne Laux.
What does the word choice mean to an author?
Aug 25, 2020 · Strong word choice uses vocabulary and language to maximum effect, creating clear moods and images and making your stories and poems more powerful and vivid. The meaning of “word choice” may seem self-explanatory, but to truly transform your style and writing, we need to dissect the elements of choosing the right word.
What are some examples of word choice?
It is “correct” in the sense that its accepted meaning is the meaning the author intends. Unless a word choice is accurate, it has no chance of being effective. illusion/allusion. affect/effect. fewer/lesser. flapper/flopper. Among the unfortunate results of inaccurate diction is that the writer may: 1. Confuse the reader.
What are some examples of word choice?
Exampleas fresh as a daisyas slow as molassesas white as snowold as dirtour neck of the woodsplain as the nose on your faceraking in the doughsick as a dogstick in the mudstubborn as a mulesweet as apple piethorn in my sidetwo peas in a podunder the weatherwalks on water11 more rows
What is word choice in writing?
Word choice refers to the idea that we choose specific words depending on what we're writing. The words that get selected vary, based on several factors. Our intended audience, the form of the piece, and the aim of the writing are all very important when considering word choice.
Why is word choice important to a piece?
Why is word choice important? When writing an essay, your goal is to clearly, cohesively, and concisely communicate your ideas to your audience. Proper word choice helps you achieve this goal by maintaining clarity and an academic tone.
What is simple word choice?
Scholarly Voice: Word Choice (Diction) This means you should use simple and concise language, and eliminate unnecessary information. According to APA (2020), "Say only what needs to be said in your writing" (p. 113).
What does the word choice mean in a sentence?
1 : the act of choosing : the act of picking or deciding between two or more possibilities He knew he had to make a choice. [=choose one thing or another] He has some important choices to make. See More Examples. She was faced with a difficult choice. You can either accept the job or not.23-Jan-2022
What's another way to say word choice?
What is another word for word choice?phrasingdictionstyleterminologywordagewordschoice of wordsmanner of speakingturn of phrasetone110 more rows
What is word choice and tone?
5.4 Word Choice. The exact words that you choose affect tone, attitude, imagery, and, voice. Just as with your speaking tone, your written tone can reveal any emotion or attitude a person can feel. Tone can be positive or negative, happy or sad, angry or peaceful, hopeful or desperate, and so on.
How many times does the word "anyways" appear in the poem?
It’s especially enjoyable to read the poem aloud to hear the rhythms, internal rhymes and alliteration, as well as the snippets of dialogue and fascinating groupings of facts and assertions, and of course, the repetition of the word “anyways,” used no fewer than 14 times .
Who said a rose would smell like a rose even if it had been dubbed a turni
William Shakespeare asked this question more than 400 years ago and poets are still puzzling over it. Read this exchange between the Bard’s famous star-crossed lovers (at right) and remember when you first heard it. By Juliet’s logic, a rose would smell like a rose even if it had been dubbed a turnip, and Romeo would still be Romeo ...
What are Romeo's friends names?
Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo’s friends, also have poly-syllabic names that end in that lovely, open “o.”. But only Romeo possesses the particular combination of the warm romantic “R,” mellifluous “m” and rolling “o’s,” so sensual to say and hear.
Is Fred a one syllable name?
No one-syllable Fred, no matter how beautiful of mind, body and spirit, will do. Even if we substituted another three-syllable name more fitting to the times, Christopher, for instance, we hear right away what it lacks.
What is the meaning of the words a writer chooses?
The words a writer chooses are the building materials from which he or she constructs any given piece of writing—from a poem to a speech to a thesis on thermonuclear dynamics. Strong, carefully chosen words (also known as diction) ensure that the finished work is cohesive and imparts the meaning or information ...
What is word choice in business communication?
Word choice is also a consideration when communicating with receivers for whom English is not the primary language [who] may not be familiar with colloquial English.". (From "Business Communication, 8th Edition," by A.C. Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce P. Logan, and Karen Williams.
What are the levels of diction?
Level of Diction: The level of diction an author chooses directly relates to the intended audience. Diction is classified into four levels of language: 1 Formal which denotes serious discourse 2 Informal which denotes relaxed but polite conversation 3 Colloquial which denotes language in everyday usage 4 Slang which denotes new, often highly informal words and phrases that evolve as a result sociolinguistic constructs such as age, class, wealth status, ethnicity, nationality, and regional dialects.
What language do art historians use?
Likewise, while a contemporary playwright is likely to use slang and colloquialism to connect with the audience, an art historian would likely use more formal language to describe a piece of work about which he or she is writing, especially if the intended audience is a peer or academic group.
What is tone in writing?
When employed effectively, tone—be it contempt, awe, agreement, or outrage —is a powerful tool that writers use to achieve a desired goal or purpose. Style: Word choice is an essential element in the style of any writer. While his or her audience may play a role in the stylistic choices a writer makes, style is the unique voice ...
What is formal slang?
Colloquial which denotes language in everyday usage. Slang which denotes new, often highly informal words and phrases that evolve as a result sociolinguistic constructs such as age, class, wealth status, ethnicity, nationality, and regional dialects.
What is the audience of abstract words?
Audience: Whether the writer seeks to engage, amuse, entertain, inform, or even incite anger, the audience is the person or persons for whom a piece of work is intended.
What is word choice?
The definition of word choice extends far beyond the simplicity of “choosing the right words.” Choosing the right word takes into consideration many different factors, and finding the word that packs the most punch requires both a great vocabulary and a great understanding of the nuances in English.
Why is word choice important in writing?
All strong writers have something in common: they understand the value of word choice in writing. Strong word choice uses vocabulary and language to maximum effect, creating clear moods and images and making your stories and poems more powerful and vivid.
What are the four considerations for choosing a word?
1. Meaning. Words can be chosen for one of two meanings: the denotative meaning or the connotative meaning. Denotation refers to the word’s basic, literal dictionary definition and usage.
What is the purpose of e-prime writing?
The intent of E-Prime writing is to make all of your subjects active and to make your verbs more impactful. While this is a fun word choice exercise and a great way to create memorable language, it probably isn’t sustainable for a long writing project.
What does "strong word choice" mean?
Strong word choice means that every word you write packs a punch. As we’ve seen with adverbs above, you may find that your writing becomes more concise and economical—delivering more impact per word. Above all, you may find that you omit needless words.
What is blackout poetry?
Blackout poetry, also known as Found Poetry, is a visual creative writing project. You take a page from a published source and create a poem by blacking out other words until your circled words create a new poem. The challenge is that you’re limited to the words on a page, so you need a charged use of both space and language to make a compelling blackout poem.
What is the importance of verbs in writing?
Verbs, as you may recall, are the “action” of the sentence—they describe what the subject of the sentence actually does. Unless you are intentionally breaking grammar rules, all sentences must have a verb, otherwise they don’t communicate much to the reader.
Word Choice and Word Order
"Word choice" refers to the words a poet chooses to use. Word choice is extremely important in poetry, since the poem is such a compact form. Every word counts. Sometimes poets choose words for the way they sound; sometimes for their connotations.
Imagery
"Imagery" refers to language that evokes a physical sensation produced by one of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell. When you read the word "black," for example, your mind visualizes the color. It may also attach any emotional associations, known as "connotations," that you may have with the color black.
Figures of Speech
A "figure of speech" is an expression that describes one thing in terms of something else. Metaphors, similes, and personification are all common figures of speech used in poetry.
Symbolism
A "symbol" is an object, person, or action which represents an abstract idea. A dove, for example, usually represents peace.
Why is word choice important?
Word choice is an important part of writing. The words a writer chooses can have a massive impact on their writing. Words are like ingredients: even a small change in the recipe can affect the finished dish. 'They had a warm laugh.'. 'They had a hearty laugh.'.
What does "denotation" mean in a sentence?
Meaning. Denotation is what a word literally means e.g. the skull is the bone structure in your head. Connotations are the ideas or feelings that a word might suggest e.g. a skull conjures up thoughts of fear, mortality and death. For example, ‘slender’, ‘slim’, ‘thin’, ‘lean’ and ‘skinny’ may all have similar meanings but their connotations can be ...
Diction
Diction, as you may already know, refers to an author’s choice of words. Let’s look at a sample poem, “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden.
Connotation
Connotation refers to the associations we have with certain words rather than the dictionary definition (denotation). It is hard to talk about diction without discussing connotation, as well. The reason a writer’s choice of words matters in many cases is because each words carries its own associations.
Syntax
Syntax refers to the order of words. For example, Richard Hugo compares the following two lines in his book The Triggering Town:
Avoiding abstract and vague language
When considering the words in your writing, it is important to note that abstractions and vague language should often be avoided. Abstractions do not help to create images. Let’s aim for concrete and specific words whenever possible. Think of choosing strong verbs and nouns especially.
Exercises for practice
Pick a vivid passage of writing and “ruin it” by replacing the specific details with generalizations, abstractions, or other vague language. Compare the original with your new version. Notice the differences.
Factors That Influence Good Word Choice
The Appropriate Words For A Given Audience
- To be effective, a writer must choose words based on a number of factors that relate directly to the audience for whom a piece of work is intended. For example, the language chosen for a dissertation on advanced algebra would not only contain jargon specific to that field of study; the writer would also have the expectation that the intended reader possessed an advanced level of …
Word Selection For Composition
- Word choice is an essential element for any student learning to write effectively. Appropriate word choice allows students to display their knowledge, not just about English, but with regard to any given field of study from science and mathematics to civics and history. The challenge for teachers of composition is to help students understand the reasoning behind the specific word …
Word Choice For Literature
- Arguably, choosing effective words when writing literature is more complicated than choosing words for composition writing. First, a writer must consider the constraints for the chosen discipline in which they are writing. Since literary pursuits as such as poetry and fiction can be broken down into an almost endless variety of niches, genres, and subgenres, this alone can be …