Vocabulary and sentence variety

English Language · Writing: accuracy and style. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

The first skill is choosing the word that says exactly what you mean. Words with a similar meaning differ in strength (tired, exhausted), in feeling or connotation (‘thrifty’ praises, ‘stingy’ criticises) and in formality (‘rejected’ is formal, ‘chucked out’ is slang). Some words belong together as fixed pairs: we ‘put out’ a fire and ‘make’ a mistake.

The second skill is varying your sentences. A simple sentence has one main clause. A compound sentence joins two main clauses with and, but, or, so. A complex sentence has a main clause and a subordinate clause that begins with a word such as because, although, when, if, who or which.

Rules to remember

Use the clues in the rest of the sentence to fix the exact meaning needed.
Connotation: slim, determined and thrifty are positive; skinny, stubborn and stingy are negative.
Formal writing uses standard words (rejected, children, requested), not slang.
Fixed pairs: make a mistake, make a decision, do homework, take a photograph, put out a fire, heavy rain.
Simple: ‘The bus was late.’ Compound: ‘The bus was late, but we arrived on time.’ Complex: ‘Although the bus was late, we arrived on time.’
To combine short sentences, use a joining word that shows the connection (because, so ... that, although, which); do not use a comma alone.
Replace overused words such as good, nice, said and got with a precise word.

Common mistake

Students think any long sentence is complex. ‘I ran and I fell and I cried’ is long but compound; a complex sentence must contain a subordinate clause.

Worked example

Choose the best word: ‘The old bridge suddenly ______ into the river under the weight of the lorry.’ (bent / collapsed / moved / shook)

The clue is ‘into the river’: the bridge gave way completely and fell.
‘Bent’, ‘moved’ and ‘shook’ describe a bridge that is still standing.
‘Collapsed’ means fell down suddenly, which matches the clue.

Answer: collapsed

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