leaping, jumping, hopping--choosing the right word

Words matter.

Word choice matters.

If you are a writer, choosing the wrong word at the wrong time could land you in a mess.

When Alice tells the Mad Hatter that she has said what she's meant because she meant to say it, he scolds her: "You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see.""

​Words matter, and so does the order in which we use them.

Today is Leap Day, a perfect time to review the use of verbs. Let's start with leap.

Synonyms include: hop, jump, spring, vault, bound, hurdle.

However, those words refer to the act of leaping, such as: I leapt over the boulder. An equivalent sentence could be written using any of the aforementioned synonyms. Not true if you wrote this sentence: The company leaped at the opportunity to raise production. You wouldn't say The company vaulted or hurdled at the opportunity. You could say they jumped or sprang.

Say what you mean.

My esteemed critique partner, Gwynne Jackson, reminds me often that the best word to use is the simplest. If the frog hopped onto the lily pad, say so. Don't get fancy by saying it vaulted onto the lily pad. Do frogs vault?

Varying words and sentence helps your writing flow, but don't get overzealous. If the shoe fits...

When your vocabulary needs a boost or the word you've written doesn't sound right, take time to research the right word. For that, there are many resources.

Scrivener If you use this amazing writing app, you know all about its dictionary and thesaurus. Double tap the word in your document and bring forward a dictionary page to examine.

Etymolonline I use this in the classroom with my students. Type in a word and learn the word origin, common usage, synonyms, antonyms, or more.

OneLookDictionary Another creative site that offers up loads of suggestions to help you find the right word.

Whatever you are working on right now, take the time to choose the right words.
Write on!

---