Usage of advanced essay vocabulary is common advice when it comes to essay writing tips. Still, many words won’t pop up in your mind when you have to write an essay. Sometimes in the process of dealing with this assignment, we can’t recall words other than “good” and “nice”. And academic papers call for precision in wording and appropriate term implementation.
How to achieve literate and professional wording in academic essay writing? Many ways can help with this issue.
1. Use a Synonym Dictionary Every Time You Practice
Forming your thesaurus will be impossible without external resources for essay vocabulary improvement. So, don’t hesitate to search for multiple dictionaries of synonyms.
You might find out how synonyms do not carry the same vibe! Every semitone of a word delivers a specific concept. Combinations of words can drastically change their meaning when you replace one word with its synonym. For instance, compare two following sentences:
- His decorum is favorable.
- His decorum is acceptable.
Both vocabulary words for essay writing have plus-minus the same meaning, yet tones can be drastically different. The first one delivers a pleasing vibe whilst the second one shows cold estimation. Of course, that all depends on the context too.
2. Don’t Neglect Antonyms!
Synonyms are useful and stuff, but what about opposites and contrasts? The realm of antonyms is rich too, so you can get an opportunity from them. Moreover, contrasting objects gives your essay dynamics. It adds colors, acceptable acuteness, and an opportunity to learn about things by collations.
Here is a quick example:
- She used to be bold and impolite but her manners are much better now.
- Impudent and discourteous a month ago, today she is a fair-spoken and suave lady.
Gladly, there is no trouble in finding a dictionary of antonyms online. So, use it with a synonyms list simultaneously. Also, it’s advisable to write down words you like. Though, it’s not obligatory!
3. Make a Habit of Explaining New Words to Yourself
Did you stumble on a new word when you were reading a book? Look it up immediately! Try finding at least two interpretations of this term. Most likely, those interpretations will be complex and barely understandable. Such situations are common for terms made up by philosophers, by the way.
After you read the interpretation, try replacing unusual words with regular ones. Again, a dictionary of synonyms here will be your best friend.
For example, the word “habitus”. When you look it up, you will find an explanation that says it’s a socially ingrained disposition. Wow! Just what we needed: one non-comprehensible word explained by another non-comprehensible word. You will have to research to understand that habitus is a way people understand the social space they got trapped in. And in the end, you will see that habitus is a range of habits and skills people mimic to fit in. Also, people plan their behavior given the circumstances of their existence. So, habitus affects social actions. You should also learn that it depends on ethnicity, nationality, religion, and other factors of this kind.
You have to research every term you stumble on. It is likely to be a complex, maybe artificially sophisticated concept. But when you get to the bottom of it, you will use it as a master.
Moreover, essay writing will sometimes be about specific ideas like that. So, you have to obtain this knowledge in any case or else you won’t explain the term in an essay.
4. Enjoy Word Games
A crossword puzzle is a fun and easy way to learn new words you can later use in essay writing. Moreover, you don’t have to buy newspapers for crosswords today. You can download a game and enjoy it every time you get stuck in a traffic jam, for instance.
There are various word games you might find interesting, such as:
- crosswords;
- anagrams;
- cryptograms;
- word searching in grids;
- pictionary;
- semantic games, and so on.
This is one of the best ways to combine a pleasant thing with a useful one. Sure, playing a word game will be more efficient if you make a list of new words that you encountered there. Take notes or screenshots, write them down later, try using them. Soon, you will notice how those words naturally flow into speech and essay writing too!
5. Learn One New Word Per Day With Essay Vocabulary
You can find public groups on social media that specialize in this matter. Also, you can make a list of new words you liked after using previous techniques. Don’t box up ten and more words in your consciousness. You will forget one or two for sure. Moreover, you will burn out of this idea soon. One word per day suffices to richen your vocabulary up.
Before You Start Expanding Your Essay Vocabulary
Essay writing calls for professional and profound word usage. You can achieve it only after working on your essay vocabulary. Gladly, this is not so hard and can even be fun!
