MEPX
Chapter 11 of 11All chapters
  1. 1How to learn a word
  2. 2Roots and affixes
  3. 3Time and presence
  4. 4Attitude and stance
  5. 5Care and precision
  6. 6Honesty and openness
  7. 7Surplus and shortage
  8. 8Change and stability
  9. 9Importance and scale
  10. 10Pairs people mix up
  11. 11Register and tone

Chapter 11 of 11

Register and tone

Right word, wrong room.

Matching the setting

Words carry a level of formality as well as a meaning. Utilise and use mean the same thing, and use is almost always the better choice.

  • Long words do not make writing sound more expert. Precision does.
  • Technical terms are worth it when they replace a whole sentence of explanation.

Connotation

Thrifty and stingy describe the same behaviour with opposite sympathy. When choosing between near synonyms, ask what the word implies about the person as well as what it states.