If you don’t subscribe to my ezine Word Tripper of the Week, you’re missing out on a regular opportunity to sharpen your word use skills. You’ll find easy explanations of confusing word pairings such as “accept vs. except” and “affect vs. effect.”

Abstruse, obtuse – Abstruse means hard to understand, complex, or highly abstract. It stems from a Latin word meaning concealed or hidden and typically describes texts or arguments. Obtuse describes someone who is (or seems to be, based on behavior) not sharp in thinking, perception, or feeling; it can also refer to a remark, argument, or object that is dull or blunt.

“The teacher lost his students’ attention while describing abstruse philosophical topics to his class. He was too obtuse to notice their lack of participation.”

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Afflict, inflict – Both words mean to cause pain, suffering, distress, or discomfort. Afflict with the preposition with usually describes an illness or condition. Inflict with the preposition on concentrates on the force with which the pain, suffering, distress, or discomfort is administered.

“He did not intend to inflict shame on his friend with his calloused remark. It would later afflict him with a deep sense of remorse.”

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Anticipate, predict – Anticipate means to think of something that could happen in the future; to expect or look ahead to something with pleasure. Predict means to declare or indicate in advance; to foretell based on observation, experience, or scientific reason.

“It’s easy to predict the youngsters will have a tough time sleeping as they anticipate their trip to Disneyland.”

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Archetype, prototype – Derived from the Latin term typus meaning image, the nouns archetype and prototype both relate to an original pattern or model. Each prefix establishes the distinction. Arch refers to the most accomplished or high ranking of something; proto primarily refers to a standard configuration, or an initial model or version of something. Thus, archetype has come to mean an ideal example while prototype is an unrefined version of something that’s expected to evolve.

“With her perfect GPA, inspiring extracurricular activity, and impressive athletic accomplishments, she’s the archetype of a great student and possibly a prototype for a successful entrepreneur.”

 

 

Barbara McNichol is a nonfiction editor, who works with authors, speakers, and business professionals to add power to their pen through the written word. Barbara wrote Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters. She offers helpful writing tips weekly and a course to take your writing and editing to the next level: “WordShops: Strengthen Everything You Write.”

What can editors tell writers about improving their writing before they even begin the editing process? Here’s a summary:

Mistake #1. Being so self-absorbed as a writer that you’re unaware of the reader’s experience. The fix? Know your core message and write to that message, leaving out the experience of writing.

Mistake #2. Addressing readers as readers rather than as a single key person whose interest you want to capture with your message. The fix? Keep a single interested person in your target audience top of mind as you write.

Mistake #3. Skimming the surface, not going deep enough. The fix? When describing an experience, explain what you felt, what the other person felt as best you can, and what exact words were spoken. Go deeper with the details.

Mistake #4. Having no rhyme or reason to the order of the paragraphs. The fix? Make a conscious decision about the order based on logic, facilitating your readers’ comprehension.

Mistake #5. Overusing weak verbs and throwing in extraneous phrases and wobbly words. The fix? Rewrite using active verbs; question the use of every adjective and adverb; throw out wobbly words: really, very, much, some, that. “I Really Think That We Should Not Use Some Words Very Much.”

Mistake #6. Using multiword noun phrases when one active verb will do. The fix? Whenever possible, get an active verb to do the “work.”

Mistake #7. Writing sentences that ramble (on and on and on and on). The fix? Limit sentences to 15–21 words max and vary sentence length.

Bonus mistake: Mixing metaphors and flat-out choosing the wrong word. The fix? Use a word choice guide to help you select the perfect word when it really matters.

 

Barbara McNichol is a nonfiction editor, who works with authors, speakers, and business professionals to add power to their pen through the written word. Barbara wrote Word Trippers: The Ultimate Source for Choosing the Perfect Word When It Really Matters. She offers helpful writing tips weekly and a course to take your writing and editing to the next level: “WordShops: Strengthen Everything You Write.”