My Writing Tips

Big, Bad Words

Another thing I see way more often than I would like is the usage of big words.

Just because a word sounds cool or sounds like you're really smart doesn't mean it belongs were you think it does.

If there's a big word that you've seen or heard once or twice but still aren't sure what it means- and it sounds really cool- please, please, please look it up and read it in the correct context so you know how you're using it. This is one of my pet-peeves in writing.

For example, there was a story I read that used the word "chagrin" a lot. "Chagrin" means to feel distressed or embarrassed. The way the person was using it could have just as easily been replaced with 'surprise' or 'amusement.'

While big words sound nice, be sure that your audience knows what you're saying. Another thing is to not overuse your big words either. Use them wisely. While it's nice to sound smart, you can easily lose your readers by going over their heads with things they don't know. Also- if you can think of other words that are like your fancy, big words, stockpile them so you can interchange your words. (If you're not sure, replace the fancy word with the other one in your sentence and see if it still makes sense. If not, try again.)

Next thing about these lovely words-

The mix up of 'you're' and 'your'.

THESE WORDS ARE NOT THE SAME!! (Apologies for yelling.)

Your= possessive; YOUR box.

You're= contraction of the words 'you are'; YOU'RE in the box.

Then we have 'there,' 'their,' and 'they're'

THESE WORDS ARE ALSO NOT THE SAME!!

There= is a location; The box is over THERE.

Their= possessive; This is THEIR dog.

They're= contraction of 'they are'; THEY'RE going to the park.

I hope I was able to shed some light on this subject for those who are confused.