Word Choice CHAPTER 3
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AVOID AT ALL COSTS
It doesn’t matter how often they are used, the words (and usages) mentioned in this rule
are not considered standard English and should never be used.
acrrosed/acrost: the adverb and preposition across has only one form; it never
ends in the letter
t
alot: incorrect spelling of a lot; often seen in informal writing, but should not
be used in an essay or any other formal writing
alright: incorrect spelling of all right
anyways: speech dialect form not acceptable in written English; use anyway
anywheres: see anyways
arguably: considered vague and overused; often appears as a dangling
modifier
brang/brung: often seen masquerading as the past tense of bring; brought is
the only correct past tense of bring
conversate: an unacceptable back-formation of conversation; use converse
instead
everywheres: see anyways
go: should not be used to report speech (“He goes, ‘I quit.’ ”)
hopefully: most often heard as a substitute for “I hope;” as such it is not a
word. “
Hopefully I’ll get an A on the test” is an example of nonstandard
English. What the writer means is “I hope I’ll get an A on the test.”
Hope-
fully
is a word, however, when used as an adverb to mean full of hope. For
example: They waited

aware of its implied meaning can annoy your reader or make your message unclear.
For example, what feelings come to mind when you hear the words
plagiarize or copy?
Plagiarize has negative connotations, while copy is a more neutral selection. Blunder or over-
sight
? Leer or look?
If you were making travel plans, would you choose to rent a car from an agency whose
safety record was described as
adequate? Although the dictionary definition of the word is
“sufficient” or “meeting a requirement,” the connotative meaning is negative:“barely satis-
factory.” Consider all the meanings your words might reveal, and determine whether they
belong in your writing.
Examples
Positive or Neutral Connotation Negative Connotation
teenager punk
knife dagger
individualist eccentric
youthful childish
ethical straight-laced
aggressive pushy
thrifty cheap
challenging perplexing
homeless vagrant
natural plain
statesman politician
smile smirk
clever sly
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Word Choice CHAPTER 3
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS

Appropriate: Robin Benoit, an experienced novelist.
■
Avoid making assumptions about traditionally exclusive arenas such as the
home and sports. Not all women are homemakers, and not all homemakers
are women. The word
housewife should not be used. Similarly, not all team
members are male.
Sportsmanship should be replaced with fair play, and crew-
men
should be crew members.
Race
■
To avoid stereotyping, leave out any reference to race, unless it is relevant to
the subject of your writing.
■
Focus on a person’s individual, professional characteristics and qualifications,
not racial characteristics.
Disability
■
Discuss the person, not their handicap.
■
If your writing is specifically focused on disabilities or disease, or you must
mention them for another reason, do not use words that imply victimization
or create negative stereotypes. Terms such as
victim, sufferer, poor, afflicted,
and unfortunate should be omitted.
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
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CHAPTER 3 Word Choice
32

Vulgarisms—the last thing you want to do is turn off or offend your reader.
Since you do not know your audience, you do not know exactly what kinds of
language they may find offense or in poor taste. Err on the side of caution by
not including any language considered even mildly obscene, gross, or other-
wise offensive. This includes scatological and sexual terms, and words such as
bitch (as in “life is a bitch”), hell (as in “hotter than hell”), God (as in “oh,
God!”), and damn.
■
Clichés—clichés should be avoided not only because they are too informal,
but also because they are overused. Your essay must not rely on stale phrases
such as:
one step at a time; no news is good news; don’t worry, be happy; when
life gives you lemons, make lemonade;
and no guts, no glory.
■
Slang—slang is non-standard English. Its significance is typically far-removed
from either a word’s denotative or connotative meaning, and is particular to
certain groups (therefore, it excludes some readers who won’t understand it).
Examples include:
blow off, canned, no sweat, and thumbs down (or up). It is
also inappropriate and in poor taste to use slang terms for racial or religious
groups.
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PELLING

Here are some other examples of words that meet the doubling requirements:
run—running, runner
slam—slamming, slammed
nag
—nagged, nagging
incur—incurred, incurring
kid
—kidding, kidder