English 101 Writing Exercises
Worksheet #3: Precise Word Choice (Diction) and Streamlined Sentence Structures (Syntax)
In powerful compositions writers do not just settle for the first word or brief explanation that comes to mind.
They reach for the most precise possible word or phrasing. The goal is not to say more based on the number of
words, but rather based on their specificity and punch.
When you describe your perspective on something or explain something that happened, replace general
observations with specific details. Be accurate with description and information. Check your nouns and verbs –
are they expressing exactly what you want them to, or is there a more exact choice? Avoid imprecise nouns and
verbs like "things" and “moving,” and imprecise descriptors like “very,” “barely,” "many," "some,"
“complicated,” and “amazing.” Eliminate clichés and open your writing.
Here's an example of a paragraph (from an English 101 essay) that is so general and closed off to the
possibilities that it could be about anyone, or no one:
I liked to read a lot of books when I was younger. They helped me to learn right from wrong, and they showed
me how to act in the world. I think everybody should read “the classics." Sometimes it’s hard, but if you keep
pushing at it, you’ll succeed and become a literate individual.
And here's a paragraph on the same subject that is so precise and open to detail that it could only be about this
specific writer, which makes it more real, and thus more meaningful, to any reader:
Books have always been a major force in my life. The summer I was thirteen, I became so obsessed with Judy
Blume, that I hid in my tree house and read her every day until dark. I think it was partly the honesty in her
writing that attracted me. None of the adults I knew could be as honest as her stories were, and so reading
became a way for me to explore the terrain my parents, teachers, and peers could not talk about openly.
The first example may sound more academic or proper, but can you picture or feel anything in there without
making a real effort? Its last sentence is a cliché, and not even a true one. The second example is stronger.
Eliminate Oversimplified and Outdated Language
Your writing is disempowered by expressions that demean or exclude anyone. You should always examine both
the word you are using, and its underlying assumptions or any evaluative connotations. Be aware of which
names groups use to refer to themselves – look it up if necessary -- so you can avoid disrespectful language in
the form of slurs or derogatory nicknames. For example:
o refer to specific cultures or ethnicities, NOT “Oriental” or "Arabian" or "Colored;"
o describe something as mainstream or atypical, NOT "normal," and not “abnormal.”
Take a close look at references you make to any group, even ones you belong to. Acknowledge that every
member of a group does not necessarily look, behave, or believe exactly like every other member, and
furthermore, that one group of people is not necessarily or inherently better than another. Check for pronoun
bias in your diction -- use “their” or rearrange your phrasing to eliminate the pronoun altogether. Watch for
inconsistency when identifying individuals in pairs and groups. For example:
o Say "man and woman,” "husband and wife," or “spouses,” NOT "man and wife."
o If you are categorizing people, stick to the category, as in "Two Republicans, three Democrats, and an
Independent -- " NOT two republicans, a democrat, a lesbian, a dentist, and a Black guy.
This study source was downloaded by 100000898182462 from CourseHero.com on 05-11-2025 09:13:17 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249221251/diction-and-syntaxdocxpdf/
, Also note that just because something is a cliché, does not mean it is an acceptable cultural assumption. For
example: all lawyers are not devious, all police are not violent, all teachers are not liberal, all women are not
maternal, all southerners are not racist, all teenagers are not on social media, all unhoused people are not
mentally ill or on drugs, all people of one race or religion are not better with money or sports or music.
If it comes to mind automatically, it is a cliché; it gives you an excuse to close down your analysis and not risk
an authentic thought. Instead of playing it safe, recognize and replace clichés with fresher, sharper language.
Say directly what you mean and be specific. You can reinvent clichés by making your own comparisons -- have
fun writing creatively based on your own viewpoint, just don't replace one cliché with another un-original one.
PRACTICE: Articulating Connotations
You have choices of words to express precisely what you mean, thanks to connotation: "an idea or feeling that
a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning." The word sets below have the same general
definition (denotation) but different implications (connotation). Next to each word, write exactly what image,
feeling, or example you think it invokes:
● walk: to move at a moderate pace ● old: a person that has lived long
● amble: to move about free and pleasured ● antique: an object used in the past
● saunter: to move about slowly and relaxed ● ancient: existing or occurring in the past
● smile: a happy facial expression ● smart: quickness of mind
● grin: a irritating facial expression ● scholarly: focused on academic learning
● leer: a sly facial expression ● savvy: having a good understanding
Active vs. Passive Voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb. Because the
subject "acts upon," the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.
"Dev ate five hamburgers." Dev (subject) is doing the eating (verb)
"Clara mailed the letter." Clara (subject) is doing the mailing (verb)
But English verbs have two voices: active voice and passive voice. In the passive voice, note how the
subject-verb relationship has changed.
"Five hamburgers were eaten by Dev." Hamburgers (subject) are being eaten (verb)
"The letter was mailed by Clara." The letter (subject) was being mailed (verb)
In an active voice, the person acting is clear: "The manager wrote the report yesterday." In a passive voice, the
writer does not specify who is acting: "The report was written yesterday." It could have been written by the
assistant, the manager, or the mayor --we don't know. The sentence is still in passive voice even if the writer
specifies the actor later in the sentence: "The report was written yesterday by the manager."
Passive voice makes writing unclear by keeping the identity of the actor a secret. Passive voice often sounds
awkward and evasive. Readers may interpret passive voice as an attempt to avoid admitting responsibility, as in
This study source was downloaded by 100000898182462 from CourseHero.com on 05-11-2025 09:13:17 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249221251/diction-and-syntaxdocxpdf/
Worksheet #3: Precise Word Choice (Diction) and Streamlined Sentence Structures (Syntax)
In powerful compositions writers do not just settle for the first word or brief explanation that comes to mind.
They reach for the most precise possible word or phrasing. The goal is not to say more based on the number of
words, but rather based on their specificity and punch.
When you describe your perspective on something or explain something that happened, replace general
observations with specific details. Be accurate with description and information. Check your nouns and verbs –
are they expressing exactly what you want them to, or is there a more exact choice? Avoid imprecise nouns and
verbs like "things" and “moving,” and imprecise descriptors like “very,” “barely,” "many," "some,"
“complicated,” and “amazing.” Eliminate clichés and open your writing.
Here's an example of a paragraph (from an English 101 essay) that is so general and closed off to the
possibilities that it could be about anyone, or no one:
I liked to read a lot of books when I was younger. They helped me to learn right from wrong, and they showed
me how to act in the world. I think everybody should read “the classics." Sometimes it’s hard, but if you keep
pushing at it, you’ll succeed and become a literate individual.
And here's a paragraph on the same subject that is so precise and open to detail that it could only be about this
specific writer, which makes it more real, and thus more meaningful, to any reader:
Books have always been a major force in my life. The summer I was thirteen, I became so obsessed with Judy
Blume, that I hid in my tree house and read her every day until dark. I think it was partly the honesty in her
writing that attracted me. None of the adults I knew could be as honest as her stories were, and so reading
became a way for me to explore the terrain my parents, teachers, and peers could not talk about openly.
The first example may sound more academic or proper, but can you picture or feel anything in there without
making a real effort? Its last sentence is a cliché, and not even a true one. The second example is stronger.
Eliminate Oversimplified and Outdated Language
Your writing is disempowered by expressions that demean or exclude anyone. You should always examine both
the word you are using, and its underlying assumptions or any evaluative connotations. Be aware of which
names groups use to refer to themselves – look it up if necessary -- so you can avoid disrespectful language in
the form of slurs or derogatory nicknames. For example:
o refer to specific cultures or ethnicities, NOT “Oriental” or "Arabian" or "Colored;"
o describe something as mainstream or atypical, NOT "normal," and not “abnormal.”
Take a close look at references you make to any group, even ones you belong to. Acknowledge that every
member of a group does not necessarily look, behave, or believe exactly like every other member, and
furthermore, that one group of people is not necessarily or inherently better than another. Check for pronoun
bias in your diction -- use “their” or rearrange your phrasing to eliminate the pronoun altogether. Watch for
inconsistency when identifying individuals in pairs and groups. For example:
o Say "man and woman,” "husband and wife," or “spouses,” NOT "man and wife."
o If you are categorizing people, stick to the category, as in "Two Republicans, three Democrats, and an
Independent -- " NOT two republicans, a democrat, a lesbian, a dentist, and a Black guy.
This study source was downloaded by 100000898182462 from CourseHero.com on 05-11-2025 09:13:17 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249221251/diction-and-syntaxdocxpdf/
, Also note that just because something is a cliché, does not mean it is an acceptable cultural assumption. For
example: all lawyers are not devious, all police are not violent, all teachers are not liberal, all women are not
maternal, all southerners are not racist, all teenagers are not on social media, all unhoused people are not
mentally ill or on drugs, all people of one race or religion are not better with money or sports or music.
If it comes to mind automatically, it is a cliché; it gives you an excuse to close down your analysis and not risk
an authentic thought. Instead of playing it safe, recognize and replace clichés with fresher, sharper language.
Say directly what you mean and be specific. You can reinvent clichés by making your own comparisons -- have
fun writing creatively based on your own viewpoint, just don't replace one cliché with another un-original one.
PRACTICE: Articulating Connotations
You have choices of words to express precisely what you mean, thanks to connotation: "an idea or feeling that
a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning." The word sets below have the same general
definition (denotation) but different implications (connotation). Next to each word, write exactly what image,
feeling, or example you think it invokes:
● walk: to move at a moderate pace ● old: a person that has lived long
● amble: to move about free and pleasured ● antique: an object used in the past
● saunter: to move about slowly and relaxed ● ancient: existing or occurring in the past
● smile: a happy facial expression ● smart: quickness of mind
● grin: a irritating facial expression ● scholarly: focused on academic learning
● leer: a sly facial expression ● savvy: having a good understanding
Active vs. Passive Voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb. Because the
subject "acts upon," the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.
"Dev ate five hamburgers." Dev (subject) is doing the eating (verb)
"Clara mailed the letter." Clara (subject) is doing the mailing (verb)
But English verbs have two voices: active voice and passive voice. In the passive voice, note how the
subject-verb relationship has changed.
"Five hamburgers were eaten by Dev." Hamburgers (subject) are being eaten (verb)
"The letter was mailed by Clara." The letter (subject) was being mailed (verb)
In an active voice, the person acting is clear: "The manager wrote the report yesterday." In a passive voice, the
writer does not specify who is acting: "The report was written yesterday." It could have been written by the
assistant, the manager, or the mayor --we don't know. The sentence is still in passive voice even if the writer
specifies the actor later in the sentence: "The report was written yesterday by the manager."
Passive voice makes writing unclear by keeping the identity of the actor a secret. Passive voice often sounds
awkward and evasive. Readers may interpret passive voice as an attempt to avoid admitting responsibility, as in
This study source was downloaded by 100000898182462 from CourseHero.com on 05-11-2025 09:13:17 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/249221251/diction-and-syntaxdocxpdf/
