Word Choice
Select the most precise and effective words.
Learn
Effective Word Choice
- Precision: Choose words that express exactly what you mean
- Conciseness: Avoid unnecessary words and redundancy
- Commonly confused words: affect/effect, their/there/they're, its/it's
- Tone: Match word choice to the context and audience
- Avoid wordiness: "Due to the fact that" = "Because"
Practice
Question 1: Choose the correct word: "The weather will (affect/effect) our plans."
Answer
"affect" - as a verb meaning to influence. "Effect" is usually a noun.
Question 2: Make this more concise: "In my opinion, I think that the book was good."
Answer
"The book was good." or "I think the book was good." Remove redundancy.
Question 3: Choose the correct word: "The dog wagged (its/it's) tail."
Answer
"its" - possessive form. "It's" means "it is."
Question 4: Replace the wordy phrase: "Due to the fact that it was raining"
Answer
"Because it was raining"
Question 5: Choose the more precise word: "The scientist (got/obtained) important data."
Answer
"obtained" - more precise and formal for academic writing.
Question 6: Fix the redundancy: "The end result was a complete and total success."
Answer
"The result was a complete success." (or "total success")
Question 7: Choose the correct word: "(Their/There/They're) going to the park."
Answer
"They're" - contraction of "they are."
Question 8: Which is better for formal writing? A) "got" B) "received"
Answer
"received" is more appropriate for formal writing.
Question 9: Make concise: "At this point in time, we need to make a decision."
Answer
"Now, we need to make a decision." or simply "We need to decide."
Question 10: Choose the correct word: "The new policy had a positive (affect/effect)."
Answer
"effect" - as a noun meaning result or outcome.