Thursday, December 18, 2008

New Words

I have the habit of writing down words that I don't know. I enjoy playing on words to add to my stories and articles that I write. I'll spend time culling through the dictionary and thesaurus to find out their meanings.

One of my little peeves about writing is redundancy. I find it boring and may reflect a weak vocabulary. For example, 'gibbet' is another word for 'gallows'. 'Current has several meanings; it's which meaning you need to use. The dictionary and thesaurus is a writer's best friend.When I understand and study the new words they become a part of my vocabulary. It's fun, challenging, and opens up new literacy possibilities.

Never minimize the words you discover. On many occasions I have had to refer back to them from time to time. It's amazing how one word can alter the meaning of what we want to say.

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WORDS OF WISDOM

  The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading. ~David Bailey