A Cure For The Common Word

Can you tell from the preceding sentence exactly what I mean by inter_esting?_ Not really. But what if I say, “I’m reading a very helpful book” or “I’m reading a very comprehensive book”? By changing just one word in this sentence to a more specific word, I convey a different meaning and give you more information about what I want to say. That’s the goal of A Cure for the Common Word— to help you learn to more precisely convey your intended meaning when you write and when you speak.Many of us tend to use the same words over and over. Even though it is estimated that the average person knows more than twenty thousand words, he or she uses only about 10 percent of those in daily life. Often it’s out of habit or because it’s easier to use the same old words, but sometimes it’s because we don’t fully understand the nuance of some alternative words or when it might be appropriate—and more powerful—to use them.

Granted, sometimes a vague or ambiguous word is just what you want—for example, when you are being discreet or want to leave your words open to interpretation. For example, if friends set you up on a less-than-stellar blind date, you can gracefully get out of giving a negative opinion by vaguely describing your date as a “nice” guy.

If you do want to be specific, then by expanding your repertoire of words, when you write and speak you will be able to use the most precise word for your meaning, not just the first word that comes to mind. And by using these more precise words, you will be able to communicate exactly what you mean and will do so in a quick and concise manner.

Using the same example of our blind date—and assuming this time that the date with Rich was a positive one—see what happens when we use different alternatives for our “nice” guy?