Word Choice Help (page 2)

Diction: What's In A Word?

Today's lesson focuses on diction, the words writers choose to convey their meaning. The smallest change in choice of words can significantly change the tone and meaning of a passage. Today's lesson shows you how to pick up on the clues to meaning writers give through their choice of words.

What made Sherlock Holmes such a good detective? Was he just much smarter than everyone else? Did he have some sort of magical powers? Could he somehow see into the future or into the past? No, Sherlock Holmes was no medium or magician. So what was his secret? His powers of observation.

You may recall that the introduction to this book talked about active reading. As an active reader, you should have been marking up the passages you've read in this book: identifying unfamiliar vocabulary, underlining key words and ideas, and recording your reactions and questions in the margin. But there's another part of active reading we haven't talked about: making observations.

Making Observations

Making observations means looking carefully at the text and noticing specific things about how it is written. You might notice, for example, the point of view the author has chosen. You could also notice

• particular words and phrases the writer uses.
• the way those words and phrases are arranged in sentences and paragraphs.
• repeated word or sentence patterns.
• important details about people, places, and things.

When you make observations, you can then make valid inferences.

Observations and Inferences

Inferences, as you may recall, are conclusions based on reason, fact, or evidence. Good inferences come from good observations. The observations are the evidence for the inferences. Good inferences—ones based on careful observation—can help you determine meaning, as they helped Sherlock Holmes solve crimes.

To be better readers, then, we need to be more like Sherlock Holmes: We need to be better observers. In the story "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier," Sherlock Holmes tells a client: "I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see." You don't have to be Einstein to be a good reader; you just have to train yourself to notice what you see.

Observing Diction

Test your observation skills on these two sentences:

1. The town's new parking policy, which goes into effect on Monday, should significantly reduce traffic congestion on Main Street.
2. The town's draconian new parking policy, which goes into effect on Monday, should significantly reduce traffic congestion on Main Street.

You don't need Sherlock Holmes's magnifying glass to see the difference between sentence A and sentence B: B uses the words draconian and new to describe the parking policy, while A uses only new. Now that you have noticed this, why is it important?

1. What does sentence B tell you that sentence A doesn't?
   1. what type of policy is being discussed
   2. how the writer feels about the policy
   3. when the policy begins

The answer is b. Both sentences tell you that the policy is a new parking policy, and both say that the policy goes into effect on Monday. But sentence B, because it adds the word draconian, tells you how the writer feels about the new policy: He doesn't like it. His opinion is implied through his choice of the word draconian. Rather than directly saying, "I think the policy is very severe," the writer suggests or implies that this is the way he feels.

Reading between the Lines

Looking at diction can be especially helpful when the writer's main idea isn't quite clear. For example, in the following paragraph—an excerpt from a letter of recommendation—the author doesn't provide a topic sentence that expresses the main idea. Instead, you must use your powers of observation to answer the question about how the author feels about the described employee.

Paragraph A

Nicole Bryan usually completes her work on time and checks it carefully. She is a competent lab technician and is familiar with several ways to evaluate test results. She has some knowledge of the latest medical research, which has been helpful.

1. What message does the writer of paragraph A convey about Nicole Bryan?
   1. Nicole Bryan is an exceptional employee. Hire her immediately!
   2. Nicole Bryan is an average employee. She doesn't do outstanding work, but she won't give you any trouble.
   3. Nicole Bryan is a lousy worker. Don't even think about hiring her.

To answer this question, you made an inference. Now, support your inference with specific observations about the language in this paragraph. Why do you think your answer is correct?

The diction of the paragraph best supports choice b: The writer feels that "Nicole Bryan is an average employee. She doesn't do outstanding work, but she won't give you any trouble." You might have supported this inference with observations like these:

• The writer uses the word usually in the first sentence, which means that Nicole Bryan is good, but not great; she doesn't always meet deadlines.
• The writer describes Nicole Bryan as a "competent" lab technician. This tells us that Nicole Bryan does her work well enough for the position, but she is not exceptional. She could be better.
• The writer tells us that Nicole Bryan is "familiar with" several ways to evaluate test results. This means that she can do her work using those evaluation techniques, but she is no expert and does not know all there is to know about evaluating test results.
• The writer tells us that Nicole Bryan has "some knowledge of the latest medical research," which tells us that Nicole Bryan knows a little, but not a lot; again, she's better than someone who knows nothing, but she's no expert.

Now, take a look at a revised letter of recommendation. The diction (the word choice) has been changed so that the paragraph sends a different message. Read the paragraph carefully and determine how the writer feels about Nicole Bryan:

Paragraph B

Nicole Bryan always submits her work promptly and checks it judiciously. She is an excellent lab technician and has mastered several ways to evaluate test results. She has an extensive knowledge of the latest medical research, which has been invaluable.

1. What message does the writer of paragraph B convey about Nicole Bryan?
   1. Nicole Bryan is an exceptional employee. Hire her immediately!
   2. Nicole Bryan is an average employee. She doesn't do outstanding work, but she won't give you any trouble.
   3. Nicole Bryan is a lousy worker. Don't even think about hiring her.

This time, you should have selected choice a. The change in diction tells you that this writer thinks Nicole Bryan is a fantastic employee. To ensure the difference in word choice is clear, write the words used in paragraph B to replace the words in paragraph A. The first replacement has been filled in to get you started.

TIP

• Think about how you choose the words you use when you speak to people. Do you use different types of words for different people? Do you think carefully about what you say and which words you will use? How much are you aware of your own diction?
• Notice how much the meaning of a sentence can change when a single word is altered. Form a simple sentence, like: "Experts say the economy is unhealthy." Now, replace unhealthy with synonyms that have slightly different connotations, like: sick, feeble, ill, dying, under the weather, feverish, infected. Each word will express a slightly different attitude about your subject to the reader. Insert each of these words into your sentence and see how much the meaning is altered. (This exercise will work well if you choose words like rich, tired, happy, or sad that have many synonyms with a wide range of connotations.)

Practice exercises for this concept can be found at Reading Language and Style Practice Test.

Test your knowledge at Reading Comprehension Final Practice Test.