Vocabulary Choice
In English, different words may mean the same or very similar things. These words allow us to use better descriptions when we talk or write. Recognizing synonyms helps you build your vocabulary to better understand what you read and be expressive when you write. Read this page on synonyms.
A synonym is a word or a phrase that means the same thing as another word or phrase.
Examples:
- car and automobile
- baby and infant
- child and kid
- student and pupil
- sick and ill
- scared and frightened
Synonyms can be nouns, verbs, adverbs or adjectives, but both words must be of the same part of speech. That means that only a noun can be a synonym of another noun, only a verb can be a synonym of another verb, and so on.
One can find sets of synonyms in a thesaurus, which is a book listing groups of related words. If it feels like you keep repeating a word throughout your writing, pull out a thesaurus for ideas on different, more creative choices. A thesaurus can add some color and depth to a piece that may otherwise seem repetitive and mundane. However, make sure that the word you substitute has the meaning you intend to convey. Thesauruses provide words with similar meanings, not identical meanings. If you are unsure about the precise meaning of a replacement word, look up the new word in a dictionary.
Complete this Exercise
Check your understanding of synonyms by matching the vocabulary word with the best synonym or definition.
Sources: Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-writing/chapter/word-choice/
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Wikipedia, https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synonym
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.