Writing Lessons & Advice: Synonyms
Sauces, spices, and seasonings contribute to the flavor of a lot of prepared food. Sometimes they define the entrée, like teriyaki chicken, barbeque, or hot wings. Other times, the additives enhance or improve taste, like salt, pepper, or Old Bay on French fries or condiments on sandwiches. More still, a splash of them is like a finishing touch, like chocolate sauce on ice cream or cilantro in Mexican food.
Thoughtful word choices are a spice in the recipe of writing for similar reasons. Certain words or phrases infuse flavor, nuance, and/or subtleties in a text. Incorporating specific terms strengthens the idea or mental picture being conveyed. They add to tone and voice, and limit, if not avoid, redundancy as well.
Synonyms are words or phrases that mean either exactly or nearly the same thing as another. Simple examples include:
Automobile, jalope, truck, sedan, vehicle, gas-guzzler= all mean a car
Kith and kin, relatives/relations, folks, brothers, sisters, cousins, lineage, household, blood/bloodline= all mean or relate to family
Pretty, lovely, attractive, gorgeous, eye-catching, pleasing, becoming= all level with the term beautiful
The key to synonyms is that they can be interchangeable; one term can be switched with another and the sentence maintains the original meaning. Here are some examples of this in action:
The (sedan, jalope, truck) is being repaired. The idea of the thing with four wheels and an engine being fixed is expressed no matter which word is used.
My (folks, relations, kin) are in town. Each word means the same social group.
You look (lovely, attractive, gorgeous) today. Any word articulates a compliment on physical appearance.
The general idea of each sentence remains true, regardless of the synonym used.
How do you know which synonyms suit your purpose? There are a few ways to find out. One being with thesaurus resources, available in print, online, as an app, or sometimes even within word processing programs. I use a thesarus resource for nearly every writing project, BTW! Other ways are through reading and/or vocabulary study, so you see words “in action” or understand how to use them yourself.
Synonyms are also like spices, seasonings, or sauces in that they take a special touch or are added at a certain time to get right. Here are six instances when synonyms might be incorporated into writing:
Avoiding repetition. Excessive use of words or phrases regarding your topic will bore readers and possibly drive you crazy as a writer too. Synonyms will break up the monotony and even create something called elegant variation.
To illustrate this in action, let’s say I’m writing about where I live. Instead of repeating things like, “my place”, “where I live” or “the place I live” throughout the work, I might call it my house, home, residence, my humble abode, or the roof over my head. The better selection is less wordy and awkward too.
Choosing strong details. Well-chosen synonyms can articulate more specific details connected to an idea. A simple example builds off my last illustration: calling where I live “a house” is stronger than “my place” because house differentiates it from an apartment, mansion, or tent.
Making Emphasis. Every once in a while, a series of synonyms may closely follow each other for an artistic or dramatic effect, like the start of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...” Or something to the effect of: We’ve been scammed! Cheated! Bamboozled!
Albeit, do this sparingly; otherwise, it's as annoying as repetition.
Avoiding plagiarism. This point will be brief since plagiarism and note-taking have their own posts. However, for the sake of some discussion or if a refresher is needed: plagiarism is using ideas from another source as your own without proper consent or acknowledgement. Using direct quotes is an easy way to properly cite the work you use, but one can also summarize or paraphrase--either entail using synonyms appropriate for your researched text.
Setting tone and voice. Just like the right spices set the flavor of a dish, the right synonym sets the pace for tone and voice in a text. These are explored in existing or future lessons, but for now, understanding definitions and recognizing general connotations or uses are key in developing those aspects. Old and ancient are good examples for exploring this.
Typical word usage gravitates towards using ancient when something has an expanse of thousands of years. Ancient also tends to have a stronger connotation of respect, like in religious songs or scripture referring to God as the Ancient of Days, relating to the deity’s eternal existence. For less religious associations, we might also think of ancient civilizations, ruins, fossils, artifacts, or sometimes nature. In contrast, something old tends to have an expanse of a few decades to a few centuries in age. Sometimes it can have a negative or uncomfortable connotation too, like calling millennials old. (We’re not that old!)
In short, ancient tends to esteem the subject/object while old tends to make fun of it. The attitude is reflected in the word choices, so choosing synonyms carefully is important.
Broaching sensitive content. At times, a writer may want to allude to things that are less-than-kosher for some readers/audiences. They can keep it clean by drawing on synonyms. For instance, if they write a character using bad words, they may say the character cursed or swore if the vulgarity isn’t allowed. Or, the physical act of intimacy has a variety of other names it goes by.
Synonyms are to writing are what sauces, spices, and seasoning are to most food. They distinguish the central idea, they add the embellishment and garnishing. With the right touch—as in proofreading with a focus on your word choices to make sure they fit your context—they refine writing like steak and grilling sauce, basil in vegetable soup, or taco seasoning for taco meat!
Hope you’re encouraged to get sharp and/or stay sharp with synonyms.
Sources/further reading:
If there’s a topic you want me to cover in the future, you’re welcome to reach out to me on the web chat feature or socials!
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