Language

"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.