Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
The root "loq" refers to speaking or words.
| eloquent: elegant when speaking | |
| loquacious: wordy when speaking | |
| soliloquy: speaking to oneself or as if alone | |
| colloquial: informal when speaking |
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
prefix: co- (with)
[extra letter]: l
root: loqu (speak)
suffix: -ial (related to or characterized by)
This image was created using LEGO and the Georgia cross stitch pattern at Subversive Cross Stitch.
"I have, like, huge enclosed cages all around in the backyard everywhere, so everyone has, like, their own space." - Paris Hilton, describing her collection of animals
This quote contains a redundancy, an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement, and two instances of superfluous colloquialisms.
Proper diction requires an understanding of words and terms that are not considered to be standard American English.
Irregardless of what anyone may say to the contrary, "irregardless" is not a word.
This paradoxical sentence contains an error in diction and a fundamental concept that may help you answer questions on standardized examinations and improve your speech and writing.
Proper diction requires an understanding of words and phrases that are not standard American English.
The word "because" is a conjunction that means "for the reason that."
The reason I am hungry is because I did not eat lunch.
While this sort of diction is common in colloquial speech, it contains a redundancy according to the rules of standard American English. It is not necessary to have two words that the convey the same meaning in one sentence. Replace "because" with its definition to illustrate the redundancy.
The reason I am hungry is for the reason that I did not eat lunch.
To correct the original sentence, either replace "because" with "that" or remove both "the reason" and "is."
The reason I am hungry is that I did not eat lunch.
or
I am hungry because I did not eat lunch.
Proper diction requires an understanding of words and terms that are not standard American English.
Being that the weather was sunny, we went to the beach.
This sentence contains an error in diction. "Being that" is a colloquial phrase that should not be used in formal language or standard written English. Use "because" or "since" instead.
Since the weather was sunny, we went to the beach.
Some words and phrases tend to weaken the effect of a piece of writing because they do not enhance the meaning of the document. These terms may be easy to overlook because they are common in colloquial speech. Try to notice these vague expressions and "empty" modifiers and consider avoiding terms that add little value to your writing.
Continue reading "Avoiding Vague Expressions and Empty Modifiers"
Bob was kind of hungry, so he ate a cookie.
The phrases "kind of" and "sort of" are colloquial and vague in their meaning. Standardized examinations often include these expressions in test questions; it is easy to overlook these errors because they are so commonly found in everyday speech. Use words like "somewhat" and "rather" in place of these slang terms.
Bob was somewhat hungry, so he ate a cookie.
