DICTION:DICTION:The Choice of

WordsThe Choice of

Words

Your goal: To find the exact word that

produces the exact effect that you intend.

Your goal: To find the exact word that

produces the exact effect that you intend.

Who is your audience?

What is your purpose?

Who is your audience?

What is your purpose?

The 3 Qualities of effective diction

The 3 Qualities of effective diction

1. Appropriate to your audience2. Specific (accurate and precise)3. Creates the right tone / image

1. Appropriate to your audience2. Specific (accurate and precise)3. Creates the right tone / image

appropriatenessappropriateness

Good writers write forsomeone other than themselves.

They care about who will be reading their words and how those readers will

react.

This is true of the writers you read, and it is true of the writer you are

becoming.

Good writers write forsomeone other than themselves.

They care about who will be reading their words and how those readers will

react.

This is true of the writers you read, and it is true of the writer you are

becoming.

Words about words

• Slang• Jargon• Latinate diction• Archaic language• Formal / Informal• Colloquial / Conversational, etc.

Language formality scaleLanguage formality scale

Intimate Slang Colloquial Popular learned solemn

Least formal Most formal

SlangSlang• Least formal—its use is determined by the

audience/occasion

• Satisfies a desire for novelty of expression

• Used by everyone at one time or another

• Shifting the diction to slang may:– create a humorous effect, OR– the impression of a lack of control over the writing

(usually the latter)

colloquialismscolloquialisms

• Writing as friendly conversation• Highly informal• What audience is appropriate for

using such diction?

Examples:Any Contractions, any shortened words, “kind of”,

“like”, “mad” (angry), “yeah”, “Sure” (certainly), “it’s me”

The basic elements of everyday communication

The basic elements of everyday communication

popular(common to the speech of educated and

uneducated alike)

Agree------------------------------------- Begin------------------------------------- Clear------------------------------------- Disagree------------------------------- End---------------------------------------- Help--------------------------------------- Make easy----------------------------- Secret----------------------------------- Think------------------------------------ Wordy----------------------------------

Learned(used more widely by the educated and

in more formal occasions)

Concur--------------------------------------Commence--------------------------------

-Lucid-----------------------------------------

--Remonstrate----------------------------Terminate---------------------------------Succor---------------------------------------Facilitate----------------------------------Esoteric-------------------------------------Cogitate------------------------------------Verbose-------------------------------------

-

*Use these words, but avoid sounding pompous!

specificityspecificity• Specific words refer to uniquely

individual persons, events, or objects• Concrete specific words attract our

senses• Abstract specific words relate to

concepts that are mostly inferred

SCALE OF SPECIFICITY

Most general animals

More general pets

Medium dogs

More specific golden retrievers

Most specific my dog, Mac

TONE

Be aware of the positive / negative connotation of words.

Be aware of the image of the words. For example: “We’re all in the same boat” – really understand the metaphors we use all the time, and use them well.

Revising dictionRevising diction

What is your purpose?

Who is your audience?

Does the diction used consider each of the above?

What is your purpose?

Who is your audience?

Does the diction used consider each of the above?

Revising dictionRevising dictionvagueness

triteness

jargon

Ineffective imagery

Ineffective imageryIneffective imagery• Test every metaphor, every figure

of speech by seeing the image—if no image appears in your mind—well…

• Mixed metaphors confuse the mental image:

“The bill is mainly a stew of spending on existing programs, whatever their warts may be.” (New York Times)

“So now what we are dealing with is the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we just want to punt.” (Chicago Tribune)

“This is awfully weak tea to hang your hat on.” (New York times) “the moment that you walk into the bowels of the armpit of the

cesspool of crime, you immediately cringe.” (Our town, New York)

jargonjargon• The specialized language of a

particular group or profession• Characteristics of jargon

include: 1. abstract, technical words (learned

instead of popular) 2. excessive use of the passive voice 3. wordiness

Examples of Jargon• Computer field: RAM, backup, lol,

gr8, gb• Military: awol, sop, ied• Law enforcement: apb, csi, perp,

clean skin• Common examples: poker face, ufo,

shrink, ballpark figure, on cloud nine

vaguenessvagueness• Similar to ambiguity, a word is

vague when, in context, it conveys more than one meaning

• Vague words belong to a group called “utility words”

• specify, name, clarify the general

TritenessTriteness• Once upon a time a metaphor was

new, fresh, colorful, and apt!• Used countless times over the

years by everyone, the sheen is dulled.

The crack of dawn—do your own thing—crystal clear—good as gold—sly as a fox—lost in thought—commune with nature—it remains to be seen—it is what it is—don’t go there—diamond in the rough—you only live once—everyone is entitled to their own opinion—in today’s society

How to have effective diction:

• Read a lot.• Difficult words, interesting words – use just the

right word for just the right thing• Write a lot. Get practice trying out words.• Converse with people a lot.• Know your audience, and speak TO them.• Know yourself: your limitations, your powers,

how you are perceived, how you want to be perceived, etc.

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