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Word Smithing
Go Straight to the Blog
One way to make writing less of a chore is by making a game out of the writing.
One game that I like is something I call “Word Smithing” and you play as follows:
First you need a cache of interesting words.
The words should be real, but not commonly used.
For instance, I like the words: penultimate (meaning second to last) and drupaceous (which refers to stone fruit like cherries, peaches and plums).
Next you try to use the words in your writing.
The placement of the word has to be appropriate and you can’t stretch too far, because teachers won’t like it, and they might even reduce your grade.
Let me tell you, drupaceous is a hard word to use, and I have yet to find a place for it, but I’m trying.
I know a high school student who used the word aposiopesis in an essay for his English class.
Aposiopesis is used to make dramatic impact while speaking by falling short of completing a statement.
An example of this is “One of these days I’m gonna …”.
I suggest that when you use one of your words, you define it as well in your text.
Teachers like to see a robust vocabulary but also like to know that you know what you are talking about.
So, how do you find these words? I’m here to help. Just go to my blog at WordSmithing.MarcZev.com and try your hand using some fun words.
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