Questions about word choice where the focus is on etymology or grammar may be more on-topic at Stack Exchange's English Language & Usage site.
14
votes
13answers
1k views
How much swearing is TOO much? (And how much is not enough?)
I've noticed that some of the most successful writers refrain from using profanity, such as Stephanie Meyer and Norman Mailer. Are readers turned off by swearing in books?
More importantly, is it ...
12
votes
2answers
605 views
Other options for “had had”?
Although the use of "had had" is grammatically correct, it doesn't read well and seems awkward to me. Take for example the following sentence: "I had had enough of this nonsense and was ready to move ...
12
votes
7answers
1k views
Why does using this “-ing” verb construction make my writing weaker?
I had to write a scholarship essay, wherein I wrote this sentence:
Over the ensuing years I read as much as I could, trying to increase my knowledge and understanding of my own language.
I sent ...
8
votes
2answers
173 views
Is it typical to add variation to the words used for a character's name to keep it spicy?
A friend has asked me to read through a chapter of his story and give my opinion.
Lets say he has two main characters Mr John de Havilland and Mrs Sally de Havilland.
I've noticed that the author ...
7
votes
4answers
812 views
Common words to avoid when writing formally
I am rather useless at writing formal English and sometimes find that I can come across informal with my choice of words. So I wondered what common words and phrases should be avoided when writing an ...
7
votes
9answers
869 views
How to write realistic female dialogue
I just can't make my dialogue sound like it's being said by a woman. As a friend of mine pointed out, "This woman talks just like you, Jack."
I tried imitating the speech patterns of various females ...
6
votes
3answers
360 views
Is concurrent first person / third person usage absolutely unacceptable?
Background: My understanding about first person / third person is this: choose a voice and maintain it throughout the piece. However, when writing marketing-type information, I find myself switching ...
6
votes
3answers
326 views
Problems with constructing a complex sentence with many ideas in it
I am trying to write a sentence that tells the reader that the works displayed that they are about to see will bring them back and forth between the real and virtual realms, in a figurative manner. ...
6
votes
2answers
123 views
Finding words through meanings
Is there a place or a type of dictionary or even a good method, that instead of searching for a word, I can search for a meaning and get more words that have similar idea or meaning?
For example, if ...
5
votes
6answers
158 views
A cross-[What] kind of romance?
In the scientific taxonomy of Living Things, you have:
Life
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
etc. down to Species, and maybe thence to Breed.
If I were talking about my neighbor's dog who is half ...
5
votes
4answers
124 views
How to avoid specifying the gender in English when the original text does not specify it?
I'm translating a short story from Korean into English. One problem I frequently face is the 'antecedent pronoun agreement' when the original text leaves the 'gender' of the subject unspecified (and ...
4
votes
5answers
416 views
How to refer to character of focus in a story
I find that when I write, I'm not always sure how to refer to the character of focus. You can only say "he/she" so many times before it feels choppy and repetitive. Constantly referring to character ...
4
votes
4answers
140 views
Does writing in a certain mood change how a writer writes?
I'm not sure if this is right for this part of Stackexchange, but since there is no psychology section, here we go:
I'm currently writing the same short story several times with the intention of ...
4
votes
5answers
198 views
What is the proper way to use the pronoun “I” without too much repetition?
I found a new job in London and while emailing with my soon-to-be boss, I noticed something that drove me off: the constant repetition of the pronoun I. This is very different from my native language ...
4
votes
2answers
158 views
How to have a character be nameless for the first few paragraphs of a book?
Let me first explain what is going in in the beginning of the story: My main character belongs to a tribal culture that requires their children pass a rite of passage to earn their name.
So I'm kind ...
4
votes
3answers
93 views
Floating vs Float
I was writing a short story piece where one person drops something in the water. I got puzzled by the following two choices. Google books seem to be using both of them.
Jena and Mike went outside ...
4
votes
2answers
99 views
Placing similes at the beginning and at the end of a sentence
Would the following sentences have different effects on the reader?
He washed his hands thoroughly, like a surgeon after an operation.
Like a surgeon after an operation, he washed his hands ...
4
votes
7answers
152 views
Expression or word like “aura” that can be used to describe a “force” of death enveloping your body?
This a piece of Korean text that I'm trying to translate into English. So I really don't have much freedom to change the phrasing. The original word, in general, has a meaning that is somewhat related ...
3
votes
5answers
220 views
How can this technical message be made clearer?
How could this technical sentenced be improved for better clarity?
Cannot translate the ‘name1’ concept1 to the ‘name2’ concept2 because the higher
precedence ‘name3’ concept3 also exists, which ...
3
votes
3answers
380 views
What is a systematic way of using Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases?
I'm new to the book, and not sure where to start. Please share some ideas on how you as a writer use Roget's. I love that the book has so many different words and I would like to know how you use ...
3
votes
6answers
436 views
Replacing actually with a more formal alternative
I have a sentence that reads as follows,
"This study shows that performance of method X and method Y are almost identical in ranking task and method X actually outperforms method Y in user ...
3
votes
4answers
122 views
Is this clearly expressed: “The real power is information”
I want to say that information is the real power in the world. I want to say it in one clean (short) sentence. Is the following good enough? (My mother language isn't English.)
The real power is ...
3
votes
5answers
334 views
How do you use “stardust” in a sentence? Is there a better word to describe what I am trying to convey?
I am looking for an expression or a word that will describe my attitude towards a country I've never visited. In this sentence, I want to show to the reader that I've created an idolized and ...
3
votes
3answers
198 views
A tricky sentence to construct
I'm writing a blog post, and with one of the sentences I want to say that I'm not judging anyone differently to how I judge myself. So I thought I'd go with the "hold someone to account" metaphor. ...
3
votes
3answers
785 views
Is Postscript still useful in the age of email?
"Post script is usually written when a writer forgets to write something on the main body of the letter and wants to add on to what he had written on the letter." But in this age of email and word ...
3
votes
2answers
320 views
How can I search for words by meaning/definition?
Where can I search for words using descriptive sentences? For example, now I'm looking for a word meaning "to purify (by hand) a quantity of grain and take away anything that isn't good grain."
How ...
3
votes
2answers
149 views
How can I describe the effect of building up a mental exposures? [closed]
The idea that I wanted to convey is that a certain constant exposure to an object would build up a mental library of experiences with the object inside our minds. So, my intention is to write this ...
3
votes
4answers
104 views
Various flavors for the action “irritate someone”?
I would like to get help to apply different flavors to the action "annoy someone". Please consider the below excerpt.
Her mother spoke again, Aarii looked irritated,
"Why should I get engaged ...
2
votes
8answers
6k views
What is the other way to say “stay in touch”?
In one of the statements that I'm writing, I wanted to express the idea that the Internet has helped one to stay in touch with friends. I wrote it this way:
It is undeniable that the Internet has ...
2
votes
3answers
247 views
Please help me polish this paragraph.
I'm learning English as a foreign language. In one of my writings, one paragraph goes:
But it's not saying we just indulge ourselves and turn into wild beasts. We train our brain hard so that we ...
2
votes
3answers
235 views
Is “sparkle” the correct word?
Is sparkle correct in this context?
Is "Sparkle" used for positive thoughts or is it also possible to use it for negative thoughts? What is better alternative? (If any)
What will happen if we ...
2
votes
3answers
589 views
A more specific type of “nervous laughter”
A handful of my friends have an odd trait where they say something and immediately laugh after it in an attempt to judge its success. The topic is usually a rant along the lines of, "These people have ...
2
votes
3answers
70 views
What is best way to accentuate the positive in an endorsement?
I want to write an endorsement for someone. I have one line that begins like this:
"I have no doubt that ..."
But I don't like the negative connotation of 'no doubt'. My best alternative of
...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
When is it correct to capitalize terms/phrases in a personal statement?
I'm writing a personal statement for graduate admissions, and I've a query regarding the use of capitalization in the midst of sentences. For example, is it correct/expected to capitalize the names of ...
2
votes
2answers
237 views
Substitutions for 'which' and 'for which' that maintain the sentence's meaning
I am having a bit of a problem trying to substitute the words which and for without changing too much the meaning/flow of the sentence. I have tried the thesaurus, synonyms, etc with no luck.
I ...
2
votes
3answers
103 views
Would it be weird if I write “a simple sample something”?
Not getting too technical, I am writing a configuration file for a piece of software I have developed. This software allows others to write "services" and attach them to my software.
I have written a ...
2
votes
3answers
75 views
My “Bio”. Is the language OK? [closed]
I have a personal website and I have an "about me" text. I though I'd post it here for professionals to tell me if it's OK (English is not my primary language).
My name is Primož Kralj, I am 22 ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Opening paragraphs of a short story set in an aquarium
I'm writing a short story about a schoolgirl who is visiting an aquarium (this setting is connected with her past and with the conflict of the story).
Sophia found herself walking through a glass ...
2
votes
1answer
190 views
When to use the character's name and when to use she/he?
This is the first short story where I'm using actual names for the characters. Here is a sample:
"Sorry for the question," Jun said. "But why don' you have friends?"
Ling glanced at him, then ...
2
votes
0answers
33 views
What is the word for this effect - things are not normally noticed until those things come in to the news and people fear/are looking for them [migrated]
For instance. I've never really paid attention to white vans, but when the DC sniper was at large and they stated that he's probably shooting from a white van, white vans seemed to appear out of no ...
1
vote
7answers
1k views
Write a resume objective that expresses my desire to hone and sharpen my skills
I wish to convey to prospective employers that I not only want to use my skills, but hone and sharpen them as well.
Does the below paragraph do justice to it?
Do you have any suggestions?
Does the ...
1
vote
4answers
342 views
Using “the reader” or “the readers”
When discussing books in a formal essay, is it more appropriate to use "the reader" or "the readers"? For example:
Like a true anthropologist, Bill Bryson takes [readers / the reader] on a highly ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views
Possible interactions of punctuation marks with the word “however” in a novel
When using the word however in my story, I feel like using a semicolon before it disrupts the flow of words in the readers head too much.
So, is the usage of a comma or semicolon necessary in front ...
1
vote
2answers
109 views
Title Choice: “The Girl [Without/Who Didn't Have] A Soul”
I titled a short story "The Girl without a Soul". But recently I've been thinking on naming it "The Girl who didn't have a Soul."
Do they mean exactly the same thing? Is there an advantage to using ...
1
vote
3answers
89 views
Does this convey that I recommend the anthology I'm reviewing?
Here's a snipped-up version of a review of an anthology I wrote a while back (full original review here). Most of the stories were pretty good, a few were superb, and there were a few poor ones. For ...
1
vote
4answers
219 views
Complimenting on solid structure with no major flaws
When reviewing fiction, there's a certain quality that's very important to me, which I can best describe as being "solid." By which I mean: the story is well thought-out, well constructed; it flows ...
1
vote
3answers
333 views
How to fix awkward “sufficiently… that…” sentence structure?
I have written the following sentence, but I am dissatisfied with its construction. In particular, the that joining the two parts of the sentence reads somewhat awkwardly. Can anyone suggest a better ...
1
vote
2answers
92 views
Which animal symbolises trade? [closed]
Different animals symbolise different objects or actions. For example:
Bird for letter or postman.
Horse for speed and power.
Bull for aggressivitet and anger.
Im looking for an animal or ...
1
vote
2answers
48 views
More concise words for “Ask for help & learn from others”
I’m looking to summarize an idea into as few words as possible — to make it as concise as possible. The idea is to ask others for help (putting ego aside), value others’ input, listen to others, learn ...
1
vote
1answer
99 views
Critical review of blog post
I wrote a blog post a long time back. For this post I chose a writing style very different from what I'd read or what I'd seen before. Some guys did criticize me and others did acknowledge me for the ...
