WW2: Lesson - Diction and Syntax

Photo: a writer works at a laptopDiction and Syntax

When it comes to your writing, diction and syntax are of great significance. These two terms are closely related: diction refers to word choice, whereas syntax refers to word order or sentence structure.

Diction

You’ve analyzed word choices of others throughout the course. When it comes to your own writing in AP English Language and Composition, it is important to note that you should write for an academic audience; thus, you will use formal language.

Take a look at the following tutorial on word choice and why it is important:

Avoiding Hackneyed Writing

There are some words to avoid in your writing; these words are hackneyed (overused and stale) and vague at times:

  • Thing
  • Stuff
  • Good
  • Bad
  • Happy
  • Sad

Phrases can also be cliché and hackneyed. Below are some overused and commonplace terms to avoid in your writing:

  • “Since the dawn of time”
  • “From the beginning,”
  • “In today’s world”

Fortunately, you have many options to help you when it comes to avoiding hackneyed phrases and diction. A thesaurus can be a great source of information regarding a word’s synonyms that you can use. For example:

Instead of “stuff” you can use “belongings”; instead of “Since the dawn of time,” you can open with “Humans have long considered…”

Simple changes to your diction can drastically improve your writing.

Take a look at the following tool from the ReadWriteThink website: Word Matrix Links to an external site. (note: this link will take you to an external website, opened in a new tab; be sure to navigate back to this page to continue the lesson). This Word Matrix can help you determine if a word is formal or informal and whether or not it has a positive or negative connotation.

Syntax

Earlier in the course you learned about the different sentence types. When you discuss sentence structure and word order, you are talking about the syntax of your writing. You should use a variety of sentence types in your essay paragraphs. Too many simple sentences will come across as choppy and too rushed. Too many longer, compound-complex sentences will come across as verbose and confusing at times. Therefore, it is wise to use a mixture of the different sentence types in your paragraphs.

Additionally, you can avoid using to be verbs: is, am, are, was, were. Avoiding excessive use of these verbs will lead you to using richer, less hackneyed verbs in your writing.

View the following video from Purdue University and note the different syntax “moves” you can make to improve your sentences.

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