"A choice of words is a choice of worlds."
denotative meaning: The literal or dictionary meaning of a word or phrase.
connotative meaning: The meaning suggested by the associations or emotions triggered by a word or phrase.
Use familiar words Choose concrete words Avoid clutter Keep it lean and lively
Concrete words: Words that refer to tangible objects - people, places, and things.
Abstract words: Words that refer to ideas or concepts
Clutter: Discourse that takes many more words than is necessary to express an idea.
Imagery: The use of language to create mental images of objects, actions or ideas.
Simile: An explicit comparison, introduced with the word "like" or "as", between things that are essentially different yet have something in common.
Metaphor: An implicit comparison, not introduced with "like" or "as", between two things that are essentially different yet have something in common.
Parallelism: The similar arrangement of a pair of related words, phrases, or sentences.
Repetition: Reiteration of the same word or set of words at the beginning or end of successive clauses or sentences.
Alliteration: Repetition of the initial consonant sound of close or adjoining words.
Antithesis: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, usually in parallel structure.