Grammar Gazette: Varying Up Word Usage

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A big part of our job as editors is trying to find new ways to say familiar things. It’s easy to fall back on the same old words: enjoybook, explaindescribe. When you’re writing a review, why not try to mix it up a little? That way, you’re not repeating a lot of the same words within a review, and your copy will be all the better for it.

For instance, an author might provide a lot of good information in a book on cats, but she might also present a lot of strong material in this volume. Or a book might be excellent, but it could also be brilliantexemplary, or exceptional. We also try always to avoid repeating a very obvious word within the same sentence (“this informative book contains in-depth information on tigers” is a big no-no; try “this enlightening book contains in-depth information on tigers” instead!).