Mark Twain once said: "Always use the right word, and not its nearest cousin.
The difference is the difference between the lightening and the lightening bug.
" Of course, when you are in the white-hot throes of inspiration, there is not always time to stop and search for the precise word to express your ideas.
But later, during the revision process, time spent looking it up in a thesaurus is time well spent.
Never underestimate the power of the right word both to communicate your meaning more clearly and stick like a burr in the reader's mind so they never forget your message.
Conversely, never underestimate the power of the wrong word to obscure your meaning, confuse the issue, and rob your work of memorability.
Here are some examples: "He suddenly saw the answer.
" It seems reasonable, and we often say it during the day.
But, in fact, unless the answer was written in a book, he did not "see" it with his eyes.
Instead, "He suddenly realized the answer.
" Or he "recognized" or "understood" it.
Or, "I was not quite in my own mind.
" Then where was she or he? Or this real, ghastly example: "She felt tears prick her eyes.
" Perhaps "sting" was what she meant, for if her eyes were truly "pricked," she'd be blind.
Or take the phrase, "He had the wealth of Midas.
" While there is nothing wrong with this sentence, neither is there much right with it, word wise.
A more specific word here would be "possessed" or "owned" or "amassed.
" Just substitute any of these words in that sentence and see how much fuller and more powerful it sounds.