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Resources – How to Use a Thesaurus

Have you gotten anxious about using the same words over and over again, and ended up writing a paragraph like this one?

Today, we went to Kresge, an on-grounds edifice. We contemplated that Einstein’s Bagels remained ajar at this time, but it wasn’t, so we couldn’t annex bagels.  Otherwise, we pilfered the candy stockpile from the information pen in Norris before we skedaddle abroad.

When what you really mean is….

Today we went to Kresge, an on-campus building. We thought that Einstein’s Bagels was still open, but it wasn’t, so we couldn’t get bagels. Instead, we stole the candy stash from the information desk in Norris before we ran away.

So what went wrong?

All you tried to do was spice up your writing with some more advanced, different vocabulary. That’s what a thesaurus is for, right?  Well, not exactly.  A thesaurus can be a really useful tool when you don’t know what word to use. But if you’re not careful, you could end up with a passage—like the example we listed above—that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Here are a few tips that can help you make the right word choices so you end up with clear and informative papers:
  1. DON’T try to use complicated words if you are not sure what they mean. You are better off using simpler, clearer words that get your point across. Using clear and direct language is the best way to avoid confusing readers and get your point across. In other words, DON’T just look up synonyms in a thesaurus and stick them in your paper.
  2. DO use a thesaurus when you think you know what a word means, but are not sure you used it correctly in a sentence. Sometimes, dictionary definitions don’t tell us the whole story. Look up synonyms for the word and make sure those synonyms match up with the meaning you intended to convey.
– Developed by Alexandra Zaretsky & Wesley Lien