Affordable
  • Affordable Manuscript Assessments
  • 2021
  • Affa News
  • Affa's Short Story Contest 2020
  • Affa's FAQ
  • Affa's Log (Queued jobs)
  • Slideshow
  • Affa's Services
    • Affa's Mentoring
    • Affa's Ebooks >
      • Ebooks and e-courses in more detail
      • Affa's Paperback Courses
      • Affa's Services to Self Publishers
      • Affa's Live Workshops
  • Prints Charming Books
  • Pricing. Self Quote
    • Assessment cost calcuator
    • Picture book text quoter
    • Editing cost calculator
    • Proofreading cost calculator
  • Affa's Links
    • Publicity Resources for Clients
  • Hayley Designs
  • Jeannie Jack Russell on YouTube
    • One Pass and Two Pass Explained
  • Store
  • Unsolicited Testimonials
    • Affa's Blog
    • Gifts and Vouchers
    • Market Genius (Business Mastery) >
      • Grandpresent Book Course
  • Contests etc
  • Check List
  • Payments made
  • Beta Reading Cost Calculator
    • New Page
  • Settings info
Email affatheeditor AT gmail.com
Telephone 0417 1165  69

Synonym or Not?

19/5/2014

2 Comments

 
The English language is awash (flooded, drenched, wet?) with synonyms, yet in every list of ten or twenty words supposedly meaning the same thing, you'll find variations, slight or large, in connotation and tone. It's often tempting to look for a new word for the familiar smile, walk, big, good, bad etc, but take care when you do so. Stop and visualise each word's real meaning, taking into account tone and usual use and "seeing" it in your mind. If in doubt, check it in a dictionary (not a thesaurus).

Here are some examples of supposed synonyms which have widely differing meanings in reality.

Look
Glance
Glimpse
Stare
Glare
Examine
Glower
Eye
Peer
Peep
Peek
Leer

Walk
Stroll
Shamble
Ramble
Wander
Stride
Glide
Prance
Strut

Laugh
Giggle
Snicker
Snigger
Chortle
Cackle
Chuckle
Guffaw

In each case, the first example is the mainstream word. You might call it neutral or almost invisible. Once you use one of the others, your writing takes on a specific colour or tone and if you're not careful it may be something you never meant.

2 Comments
Mary Hawkins link
19/5/2014 10:12:46 am

Love the list of words and valuable advice. One thing writers may need to be aware of is publisher's copy editor changing a word?

Reply
Sally link
19/5/2014 10:43:38 am

You're right, Mary. As a sometime copy editor, I do change things when I think the author has not considered the tone. I often explain why, too.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    March 2016
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly