Vocabulary and Word Choice

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Vocabulary and Word Choice

• Presented by the
• Texas AM International University
• Writing Center

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Vocabulary
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Why should you improve your vocabulary?

• Having an extended vocabulary allows you to
  express your thoughts more clearly and
  effectively.
• Communicating your ideas effectively in writing
  is one of the most important factors in your
  success at the university level.

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How can you improve your vocabulary?

• Read well-written publications, such as the New
  York Times or the Wall Street Journal.
• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words through
  context clues.
• Write down unfamiliar words and look them up in a
  dictionary.
• Keep a vocabulary journal, and make a point of
  using one new word in conversation every day.
• Make flash cards, and use new words often.
• Use a thesaurus with caution. Words in a
  thesaurus are related, but they do not always
  have the same meaning.

Example The teacher thought her students were
bright. This would not be the same as saying,
The teacher thought her students were radiant.
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Roots and Affixes

• Roots are the words that affixes are added to.
  Prefixes and suffixes are known as affixes.
  Knowing the most common roots and affixes can
  help you figure out the meaning of unfamiliar
  words.
• Example Audi is a root word that means to
  hear. If the suffix -tion (which refers to the
  condition or state of to move) is added to the
  root word audi, then the word audition is formed.
  Audition refers to a trial performance intended
  to demonstrate a personal skill ( i.e. acting).

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Prefixes

• A prefix is a word unit that is added to the
  beginning of a root word to form a new word.
• One of the most common prefixes is un. Knowing
  un means not, one could understand not only
  uncommon and unusual, but many other words
  that begin with un.
• Another prefix is sub, which means below.
  When added to marine which means of or
  pertaining to the sea, one could conclude that
  submarine refers to something below the sea.
  

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Suffixes

• A suffix is a word unit that is added to the end
  of a root word to form a new word.
• They often change the part of speech of a word so
  that a noun can be used as an adverb or an
  adjective can be used as a noun.
• Some common suffixes are -s, -es, -ed, -ing,
  -ly, -ion, -tion, -ation, -able, -ible, -al,
  -ial, -y, -ness, -ity, -ment, -ous, -ful, -ive,
  -ative, -ful, -less, -est, etc.

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Roots

• A root word is the basic core element of a word,
  exclusive of affixes (suffixes or prefixes).
• As a result, most root words function as
  nouns.
• Some common root words are astro (star) dict
  (speak, tell) geo (earth) min (small) phon
  (sound) port (carry) spect (see) bio (life)
  etc.
• Knowing these roots can help you determine the
  meaning of astrophysics, remit, pedestal,
  spectator, phonograph, and many other words.

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Putting It All Together

• Using your knowledge of roots and affixes, try
  and figure out the meaning of the following
  words subjugation, anachronism, ecology.

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Choosing Effective Words
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Avoid Slang

• Slang is often used when talking to friends. It
  is language that is familiar and comfortable to
  us.
• However, slang should be avoided when writing
  formal essays.
• Visiting my relatives every day was a real drag.
  (tiresome)
• Laura didnt want to make waves. (cause
  disharmony)

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• Most of the writing done in college courses has a
  serious tone therefore, a formal level of
  language should be used.
• In academic writing, generally avoid using slang
  and colloquial expressions.

• Informal
• Since she worked hard on her assignment, she
  was sure her grade would be wicked.
• Canada is considered one of the coolest countries
  to live in.

• Formal
• Since she worked hard on her assignment, she was
  sure her grade would be great.
• Canada is considered one of the best countries to
  live in.
  
  

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Avoid Clichés

• A cliché is an expression that has been worn out
  through constant use.
• It is easy for someone to casually say something
  like, "The conversation I had with my boyfriend
  was short and sweet."
• Following are some other examples

live and let live no guts, no glory time
will tell what goes around, comes around life
goes on beauty is only skin deep one step at
a time nobody is perfect
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Be Precise

• Vague words force the reader to guess what you
  mean.
• It is best to choose words that express exactly
  what you want to say.
• An example of this would be, Our conversation
  was nice.
• An adjective, such as thought-provoking,
  interesting, or informative, should be used in
  place of nice to specifically explain what the
  conversation was like.

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Be Accurate

• If you are unsure about the meaning of a specific
  word, you may want to look it up in a dictionary.
  This will help you make sure that your sentence
  says exactly what you intended.

Wrong- Did you pay for airplane fair
already? Correct- Did you pay for the
airplane fare already? Wrong- It is
not certain whether he excepted the task.
Correct- It is not certain whether he
accepted the task.
Wrong - My roommate has a dominate personality
that is very intimidating. Correct- My roommate
has a dominant personality that is very
intimidating.
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This Concludes our Workshop onVocabulary and
Word Choice!

• Thank You!