Introduction
I’m reading a very interesting book.
Can you tell from the preceding sentence exactly what I mean by interesting? Not really. But what if I say, “I’m reading a very helpful book” or “I’m reading a very comprehensive book”? By changing just one word in this sentence to a more specific word, I convey a different meaning and give you more information about what I want to say. That’s the goal of A Cure for the Common Word—to help you learn to more precisely convey your intended meaning when you write and when you speak.
Many of us tend to use the same words over and over. Even though it is estimated that the average person knows more than twenty thousand words, he or she uses only about 10 percent of those in daily life. Often it’s out of habit or because it’s easier to use the same old words, but sometimes it’s because we don’t fully understand the nuance of some alternative words or when it might be appropriate—and more powerful—to use them.
Granted, sometimes a vague or ambiguous word is just what you want—for example, when you are being discreet or want to leave your words open to interpretation. For example, if friends set you up on a less-than-stellar blind date, you can gracefully get out of giving a negative opinion by vaguely describing your date as a “nice” guy.
If you do want to be specific, then by expanding your repertoire of words, when you write and speak you will be able to use the most precise word for your meaning, not just the first word that comes to mind. And by using these more precise words, you will be able to communicate exactly what you mean and will do so in a quick and concise manner.
Using the same example of our blind date—and assuming this time that the date with Rich was a positive one—see what happens when we use different alternatives for our “nice” guy?
A Cure for the Common Word is for anyone from middle-school age to adult, for those who write and speak in their profession and those eager to improve their vocabulary to be more effective in what they say.
For example, did you know that in the preceding sentence, eager is exactly the right word, rather than anxious, which many people would have used? That’s because eager means having or showing keen interest or intense desire, whereas anxious means uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event.
How to Use This Book
This book includes one hundred of the most commonly overused words in the English language, based on research from several sources. Because these common words can often be vague, limiting, or confusing in a sentence, we’ll show you how choosing specific alternatives to these common words helps you to more precisely convey your intended meaning.
Before we describe the elements of this book, let’s take a brief look at the definitions of a few terms used throughout the book:
connotation—the associated or secondary meaning of a word or an expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning
definition—a statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, or term, as in a dictionary entry
impression—a strong effect produced on the intellect, feelings, conscience, etc.
meaning—what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated
nuance—a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
Each of these refers to going beyond the definition of a word, to the subtleties of what you mean—or what is perceived.
Now a guide to help you with the symptoms of and cures for the common words in this book.
A number of elements are associated with each of the one hundred common words in this book. The following descriptions will help you gain the most use of the alternatives offered in this book.
On each left-hand page, you’ll see
• The common word. Be alert because of the one hundred common words, a few are the same word in spelling but not in definition. You’re not seeing double.
• The common word’s part of speech.
• A brief definition or definitions of the common word. Some common words are given only one definition, but other common words can be defined more than one way, all similar in nature.
• Seven alternatives to the common word. The meanings of these will all appear on the right-hand page.
• A more thorough list of alternatives for the common word.
Though this list may not include all synonyms, we’ve listed the most relevant and/or powerful alternatives. A traditional thesaurus—in print or online—may list more words in all their forms, including their parts of speech.
• And for fun, a famous quote. The quote gives an example in which one of the alternatives was just the right word—the precise cure for what the speaker wanted to say.
On each right-hand page, you’ll find
• The diagnosis. Each of the common words has some symptoms that need a cure. The diagnosis of the problem will be vague, limiting, or confusing.
• A sentence using the common word. Think of this as our “patient.” Here’s where you’ll see how the common word may not convey clearly what you want to say (vague), doesn’t say enough of what you’d like to convey (limiting), or could have different meanings (confusing).
• The sentence’s meaning. Here are the “symptoms” of the common word—what the sentence means as written and how using the common word may keep us from understanding what’s truly meant.
• Expanded alternatives and meanings. These “remedies” to our diagnosis are just a few of the many options you can choose from to highlight a primary point you want to make or a meaning you want to imply. Note that these alternative meanings and explanations are not definitions. Some alternatives are very similar and offer only slight nuances—subtle connotations or implications that evoke slightly different feelings or perceptions of what’s meant. Others show how changing the word can dramatically change the actual meaning of the sentence. So look for key words to differentiate the implications of using each alternative.
• A second quote. Another fun, inspirational, or witty quote illustrates how choosing one of the alternative words gives a sentence—or sentiment—power and precise meaning.
A Wealth of Words
Because English has welcomed influences from so many other languages, you have a wealth of word choices to consider. Here are a few statistics you may not be aware of:
• The English language consists of more than a million words, if you include technical and scientific terms.
• The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), Second Edition, contains approximately 291,500 main entries with a total of more than 600,000 definitions, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, contains approximately 25,000 main entries and more than 400,000 definitions!
• Experts estimate that the average educated person knows about 20,000 words and uses about 2,000 in a week.
It’s actually pretty great that we have so many ways to express ourselves, and it can be fun discovering and using just the right word to say so precisely/exactly/perfectly/ideally/eloquently what we want to say/express/convey/write/communicate.
One of the very best ways that you can improve your vocabulary and develop your writing and speaking skills is to read, read, read. As you do, be aware of how effective writers present their ideas in ways that enable you to know and feel exactly what they’re saying, as if you’re right in the middle of the action.
I hope that the examples and alternatives to the common words in this book give you a great deal of information of what’s possible. And I hope that this is a springboard for you to try new words, not only with the common overused words in this book, but in all your writing and speaking.
This book is for all those who are eternally curious, who have a joy in learning, and who ask and seek when they don’t know.
