New Year's Resolution #2

I will consult the dictionary and thesaurus.

We're fortunate to have one of the richest, largest languages in existence - according to Oxford Dictionaries, we've got at least a quarter of a million words to work with. The ideal word is always out there, if you're willing to look for it; and with online dictionaries, the right-click thesaurus in Word, and the lovely dictionary/thesaurus on Macbook, finding it isn't exactly the quest it used to be.

There's no excuse for using the same adjective three times in a paragraph -- but there is a more awful crime: Even worse than limited diction is inappropriate diction.  At best, you use vocabulary that is obviously overreaching: a classic Someone Hit the Thesaurus Button scenario. At worst, you completely misuse a word and end up looking like George H.W.  (Actually, even worse than that is when you misspell a word and end up looking like his VP.)

So here is my 3 Step Guide to Better Diction in 2012:

1. Use the thesaurus constantly.
2. Only use it to jog your memory: pick words you actually know and occasionally use.
3. Even if you think you know a word, check its spelling and definition anyway.

Best Friend!

If you were to add to that list, I'd recommend the adage of the singularly pithy Winston Churchill: "Broadly speaking, the short words are best and the old words best of all." If you doubt it, read this blog post about a study on word choice and perceived intelligence. Evidently, it is the smarties that keep it simple.