{"id":14693,"date":"2012-12-07T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2012-12-07T06:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adviceinteractivegroup.com\/?p=4161"},"modified":"2012-12-07T06:00:29","modified_gmt":"2012-12-07T06:00:29","slug":"all-words-are-not-created-equal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/all-words-are-not-created-equal\/","title":{"rendered":"All Words are NOT Created Equal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Words are fun. They help us communicate with each other. And with as many words as there are (and with more being invented every year), it\u2019s easy to find the exact way to say what we want in any number of ways.<\/p>\n

However, according to tender writing services sydney<\/a> this does not mean that all words are created equal.<\/p>\n

But\u2026 but\u2026 synonyms! They\u2019re words that all mean the same thing, right?<\/p>\n

Kind of. Synonyms are words that mean something similar<\/em>, but not exactly the same thing. In fact, very few words mean the same thing. For the most part, synonyms help you choose words that have varying degrees<\/em> of meaning. They give off the same essence, but they’re not exactly the same.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll Just LOVE This Example<\/h2>\n

So say you want to jazz up your love letter. Instead of saying, \u201cI love you,\u201d you want to choose a better word. You search online for synonyms for love<\/a> and find that among them are \u201caffection,\u201d \u201cdevotion,\u201d and \u201cpassion.\u201d Let\u2019s look at their dictionary.com definitions closely (with non-relevant definitions eliminated):<\/p>\n

Love<\/strong>. Noun:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.<\/li>\n
  2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.<\/li>\n
  3. sexual passion or desire.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Affection<\/strong>. Noun:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. fond attachment, devotion, or love: the affection of a parent for an only child.<\/li>\n
    2. Often, affections.\n
        \n
      1. emotion; feeling; sentiment: over and above our reason and affections.<\/li>\n
      2. the emotional realm of love: a place in his affections.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Devotion<\/strong>. Noun:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. profound dedication; consecration.<\/li>\n
        2. earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Passion<\/strong>. Noun:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.<\/li>\n
          2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.<\/li>\n
          3. strong sexual desire; lust.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/blockquote>\n

            So while you see that most of the definitions may contain the word \u201clove\u201d in them (and that the definition for love contains all the synonyms themselves), these words wouldn\u2019t necessarily mean \u201cI love you\u201d when used in that context. \u201cI have affection for you,\u201d sounds old-fashioned and seems very aloof or distanced. \u201cI\u2019m devoted to you\u201d is a little better, but depending on your relationship can err on the creepy side. And as for \u201cI have passion for you,\u201d\u2026 well, that escalated quickly.<\/p>\n

            (For more examples, see Rachel Kopp\u2019s blog about conscious word choices<\/a> in your writing.)<\/p>\n

            Common Word Choice Mistakes<\/h2>\n

            We mean one thing and say something else. We\u2019re human; it happens. But there\u2019s a difference between a simple mistake and not knowing the difference between words.<\/p>\n

            Below you\u2019ll find some word\/phrase equalizing mistakes that I commonly come across in my editing.<\/p>\n

            \u201cAs Well As\u201d vs. \u201cAnd\u201d<\/span><\/h4>\n

            If you do this<\/strong>: \u201cThe city is known for its parks and open spaces as well as its fishing.\u201d
            \nChange it to this<\/strong>: \u201cThe city is known for its parks, open spaces, and fishing.\u201d
            \nWhy?<\/strong>: Parks, open spaces, and fishing are all related. You should only use \u201cas well as\u201d for things that aren\u2019t directly related to your first group of words.<\/p>\n

            \u201cSuch As\u201d vs. \u201cLike\u201d<\/span><\/h4>\n

            If you do this<\/strong>: \u201cOur technicians are qualified in many services such as repair, installation, and upgrades.\u201d
            \nChange it to this<\/strong>: \u201cOur technicians are qualified in many services, like repair, installation, and upgrades.\u201d
            \nWhy?<\/strong>: Such as sounds strange in the example. You could also substitute \u201cincluding\u201d for \u201clike.\u201d<\/p>\n

            Note: Don’t be that person who uses both\u2014“like such as”<\/a>\u2014in one breath.<\/p>\n

            \u201cUpon\u201d vs. \u201cOn\u201d<\/span><\/h4>\n

            If you do this<\/strong>: \u201cCall upon our team when you need service.\u201d
            \nChange it to this<\/strong>: \u201cCall our team when you need service.\u201d
            \nWhy?<\/strong>: Calling upon<\/em> someone means to go visit them, as per 18th\u00a0<\/sup>century social standards.<\/p>\n

            These may seem like little mistakes, but they can really hinder how you appear to the people reading what you write. My best advice for any writer out there is to make sure you\u2019re writing like you would actually speak<\/strong>. Don\u2019t use words that sound fancy just so you can appear intelligent\u2014more often than not, the result is the opposite.<\/p>\n

            Feel free to share your own experiences with word choice faux pas with me in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Words are fun. They help us communicate with each other. And with as many words as there are (and with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-content-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\nAll Words are NOT Created Equal | Advice Local<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using big words incorrectly just makes you sound silly. 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