Diction is word choice. Words are the writer’s basic tools. So choose your diction carefully and wisely in your writing. The words you choose will affect how people feel when they read your writing.
Although many diction words are adjectives, don’t neglect to recognize verbs which function as diction. The choice of specific, appropriate verbs is very important in writing. The use of specific rather than broad words can influence the effectiveness of the work.
1. Appropriateness 2. Specificity 3. Imagery
TThis is when writers care about who will be reading their words and how the reader may react. WWhich type of language is appropriate for your writing? -formal -popular -colloquial
Formal -Scholarly writing, serious prose, poetry Informal -Expository essays, newspaper editorials, works of fiction Colloquial (Slang/Informal Speech) -Create a mood, capture a historic or regional dialect -Examples: any contractions, any shortened words, “kind of”, “like”, “mad” (angry), “yeah”, “sure” (certainly), “it’s me”
Choose specific words that refer to uniquely individual persons, events, or objects.
These are the pictures (images) that occur in our minds when specific diction is employed.
When revising your diction or choosing diction to include in your writing, think about: 1. What is your purpose? 2. Who is your audience?
Bouncing into the room, she lit up the vicinity with a joyous glow on her face as she told about her fiancé and their wedding plans. WWhat specific words did the author use to create the feeling of the sentence?
What kind of words are these?
____ diction contributes to the ____ tone. *Remember that TONE is the author’s attitude toward the writing. MOOD is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. Cheerfuleuphoric Or ____ diction contributes to the ____ tone. Upliftingjoyful
She huddled in the corner, clutching her tattered blanket and shaking, as she feverishly searched the room for the unknown dangers that awaited her. ____ diction contributes to the ____ tone. Frighteningalarming
Gently smiling, her mother tenderly tucked the covers up around the child’s neck, and carefully, quietly, left the room, making sure to leave a comforting ray of light shining through the opened door should the child awake. ____ diction contributes to the ____ tone. Lovingserene
Now that you know why it is important to choose your diction wisely, let’s take a look at some more specifics regarding that diction.
Denotation is the strict dictionary definition of a word. House ’haus\ n, pl houses 1: a building that serves as a living quarters for one or a few families.
Many words have more than one denotative meaning. There are several other definitions for house. Here are just a few: -those who dwell under the same roof and compose a family -to provide with or take shelter -to encase, enclose, or shelter
Connotation is the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word. It is the feeling connected with a word. HOUSE HOME Which word has a better feeling?
We use words to label things. But the words we use also show our point of view. The diction you choose in your writing can express a positive, neutral, or negative connotation. For example: positive: slender neutral: thin negative: skinny
Positive We bought inexpensive souvenirs at the amusement park. Negative We bought cheap souvenirs at the amusement park.
Everyone had a (smile, smirk) on his/her face on the ride home. smile
I ate a (soggy, moist) sandwich. soggy
averagemediocre spitsaliva childishchildlike antiqueold-fashioned
Look at the following words, all of which have the denotative meaning “house”: homehutshackmansion cabinchaletabodedwelling shantydomicileresidence Decide if each word has a positive, negative, or neutral connotation and fill in the chart in your notes.