DETAILED WRITING
The average adult comprehends approximately 30,000 to 60,000 words. There are more than 700,000 words in the English language. Interesting and colorful writing uses a variety of these 700,000 words. Writing with specific colorful words allows your reader to see a picture of what you’re writing about. Interesting words help to show the reader rather than tell them about your ideas.
The soccer player scored a goal.
VS
The injured and hobbling forward maneuvered the soccer ball past the tidal wave of defensive players.
Specific Nouns
|
PERSON |
PLACE |
THING |
|
girl |
park |
drink |
|
Teenager |
Neighborhood park |
Soda |
|
Alyssa Burdeos |
Cottonwood Park |
Coca Cola |
Vibrant Verbs
Just like nouns, verbs are more appealing when they are not general. For example, walked does not say the same thing as ambled, marched, strides, paced or hiked. Each have their own vivid meaning. Eva marched to the school bus means something entirely different than Eva walked to the school bus.
Use verbs that show rather than tell.
Elijah is a fast crawler.
Elijah, on all fours, can beat any adult to a forgotten Cheerio on the floor.
Last modified: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 11:49 AM