Why say 'beautiful' when you could say 'exquisite?'

Why do writers choose such complicated words instead of going with ones that are easier to understand?

Maybe they do so because words have more power than you might initially think. When words are chosen thoughtfully, and guided by your imagination, they can function like a camera.

What do I mean?

I mean simply that words, like the lens of your camera, can frame and capture images or memories, locking them in place on paper like an image. Of course, understanding writing like this takes practise and time.

Look at the passage that follows. The narrator of the passage is describing someone who he/she encounters. As you read, ask yourself the following questions:

Can I picture in my mind the woman who is being described?

What words help me to see her more clearly?

What mood/feeling is the writer trying to achieve?

What other words might you use to describe the woman in this passage?

Transit

By Micah Stover

The woman. She approaches me without smiling. She is clearly much older than I am, but it's hard for me to gauge the age of people over here. They all look younger than I think they are. She never stops staring at me, at my eyes. I wonder what she must be thinking. She plops down at last and I can smell her flesh, clearly not freshly bathed. Among her flimsy bags, there is an assortment of strange fruits and vegetables, more colourful than fruits of my home. One of the bags leaks and continually drips on my foot. Likely it will drip the whole way home or until one of us gets off, as I certainly do not speak enough of her language to articulate what is happening.

The woman smoothes back her wiry hair, graying along the areas contouring her face. And in this simple gesture, she instantly becomes more feminine, more delicate, more familiar, more human to me. I smile, but she doesn't smile back. She is not cold, just ambivalent.

Exercise 1

1. Underline or circle every descriptive word or group of words in the passage above.

2. Replace the following words with descriptive words of your choice: approaches, gauge, plops, flesh, flimsy and assortment.

3. What is the age of the woman described in this passage? What clues in the description help you to determine this?

4. How many people are described?

5. Where do you think this situation is taking place? What clues help you to determine this?

Exercise 2

1. Replace the following words with descriptive words of your choice: ambivalent, contouring, feminine, familiar, delicate, gesture, articulate.

2. What is the relationship of the people described above? Are they friends, family or strangers?

3. How would you describe the mood of the above passage - serious, happy, sad or unclear?

4. What descriptions in particular help to achieve the mood?

5. If you were to stretch this description out a little, where and how do you see it unfolding?

Tips:

Identify words that are unfamiliar and look them up.

Determine what/who is being described.

Ask yourself how the description changes the mood/tone of what you are reading.

Answers:

Exercise 1

3. Wiry hair, graying around edges, indicates she is middle aged or older. 4. Two people are described. 5. They seem to be on a bus or train. The title 'Transit' refers to moving. The narrator mentions 'getting off' something.

Exercise 2

2. They seem to be strangers. 3. The mood seems serious. 4. The way they stare at each other without smiling indicates that things are serious.