Word Choice Miss Johnson

Word Choice As a writer, you must choose the words you will use to express your ideas in the best way possible If you are not careful about the words you choose, your writing can be awkward, vague, or unclear Think about your audience: what will make sense and sound best to the audience?

Mood Mood: a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions Often accomplished through the connotations of certain words or vivid descriptions

Tone Tone: an attitude of a writer towards a subject or an audience Also accomplished through the connotation of certain words

Voice Voice: the individual writing style of an author

Hints and Tips Vibrant Verbs Use Adjectives Sparingly Precise Nouns Make a memorable impression Helps the reader visualize information Use Adjectives Sparingly Similes and metaphors Avoid clichés Precise Nouns Write the same sentence five different ways and choose the best one Be careful of using words you are unfamiliar with Read your sentence out loud to hear what it sounds like

Academic Audiences For Academic Audiences: You do not need to “sound smart” by using big or technical words The most important goal is to communicate an argument or information clearly and convincingly