Making Better Word Choices – 4 Examples
 by: David J. Clapham

Writers face many decisions when working on a project. Choosing the correct word for a certain situation is one choice that writers often either struggle with or make an incorrect choice. This article will give some basic guidance to writers on four of the more common word choices that authors face.

Choosing the wrong words can have a poor effect on your writing and on you. Whether you are writing a cover letter for a job, a business proposal, or an application essay for graduate school using words poorly can result in negative feedback. One could find entire books regarding word choices for writers, this article will touch on some fundamental, but important ways to choose the correct word for your situation.

Our starting point will be the use of “There are” or “There is” to begin sentences. Consider this; the word “there” indicates “not here” (in other words, some other place). Now look at the sentence below and think about what the meaning is and what might be intended.

There are four dogs playing with a ball.

If the writer meant that four dogs are over there and they are playing with a ball, then this would be technically correct. If the intention was merely that four dogs are playing with a ball, here, there, or anywhere, then the sentence could be worded better. The following sentence would show better wording on the writer’s part.

Four dogs are playing with a ball.

The next two words that writers often confuse are “which” and “that.” If the goal of your writing is to describe something and you have used commas to separate the phrase from the rest of the sentence you want to use “which.” When a writer wants a word to define and the reference is restricted then you want to use “that.” The first sentence below shows the correct use of “that” and the second sentence shows correct use of “which.”

The Yodo is the river that runs through Osaka.

The Yodo, which is a major waterway, runs though Osaka.

Our next word choice is between “while” and “although.” Another way of thinking about the word “although” is to look at its meaning, as found on Merriam-Webster Online dictionary the meaning is, “in spite of the fact that : even though.”(1) The definition of “while” indicates a relation to time, such as during a period when something else is happening. Two correctly worded sentences are below.

Although he is not tall, he is a good basketball player.

While he listened to the radio, he finished his homework.

A writer’s choice between “since” and “because” also involves the possibility of a reference to time. Many people use “since” when they really mean “because,” this is rarely a correct use of the word “since.” When choosing a word to suggest “from a definite past time until now”(1) use “since.” If you are not referring to time, “because” should be the word you choose. Try using “because,” if your sentence does not make sense then you probably want to use “since.” In the examples below the two incorrect sentences do not sound correct, while the correct sentences actually sound better.

Incorrect: He had few friends since he was too annoying.

Correct: He had few friends because he was too annoying.

Incorrect: He has not ridden a bicycle because 1990.

Correct: He has not ridden a bicycle since 1990.

Whether you are writing an essay for school or you are writing a speech for your CEO, choose your words carefully because what people hear or read from you can make a big difference in their opinion about you and your intelligence. For anyone writing, regardless of topic, length, or purpose, ask for assistance if you need it, not doing so can have serious repercussions on your reputation.

About The Author

David Clapham is the owner of Blue Arch Consulting, a proofreading and editing business helping clients worldwide to generate English documents of all types. Their website is at http://www.blue-arch.net.

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How about these right… I think you’ll find the following nuggets of wisdom particularly insightful. Leave your comments below. Check out the second one in particular…

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Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

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Ok so 3 more posts today that I’ve dug up – I’m an information JUNKIE on this stuff lately. Give em a browse and let me know what ya reckon. They’re just from a few different sites I’ve been surfing lately that are generally good for information like this…

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That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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More and more people are wanting to make extra money gambling. NBA basketball is one of the sports that you can make extra money betting on. Knowing what to look for in choosing the best basketball picks is the key to not end up on the losing end of a bet.

There are many different things to look at in order to make a decision on the best picks to place a bet on. Looking at the statistics on the different players and teams is one way to help make these picks. Checking with oddsmakers can also be a reliable source. Don’t bet on every game. Picking select teams or games to focus on is always the best idea.

There are also sports betting systems out there, that can help analyze all the statistics and formulate the best possible picks in which to place a bet. Because of the way these sports betting systems work, and the information they work off of, they have a very high percentage of winning picks, some around the 90% + range.

These systems help put the odds of winning your bets in your favor. Making sure the odds are in your favor, gives you a much better chance of winning more if not all of your sports bets. The main reason Las Vegas, and other casinos, are so successful is because they are constantly looking at the odds and making sure they are always in there favor. If it has worked for them all these years this is proof it will work for you.

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Use the Escape key to return to the search box. Use the right arrow key to explore related concepts.

Use the Escape key to return to the search box. Use the left arrow key to return to the search suggestions. Use the up and down arrow keys to select concepts related to your query.

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Ncaa Football 10 Features To Look Forward To

A new NCAA Football game from EA is up and coming. The game NCAA Football 2010 is hitting the shelves on July and we are dying to know what new features they have added to this great game. There has been a lot of talk on online forums and blogs. And the hype just keeps growing. Here are features you could expect from this new game.

One feature that most NCAA fans will appreciate is the “Create a School” feature. Fans will surely enjoy creating their own schools which will keep them asking for more. Build their team to be the best. This will keep the game fresh and open for new possibilities. Together with this feature is the “Team Builder” feature. This will include pre-loaded logos as well as allow players to upload their own.

Another feature you should look out for is the “Procedural Awareness” feature. This feature gives players the ability to turn their head. The engine automatically focuses on what the player is looking at and calculates the amount of time it takes before the action the player plans to do actually happens. This makes the game a lot more realistic.

Another feature is the “Adaptive AI” feature. One of NCAA Football 2010’s best features is Adaptive AI. This feature will mix things up instead of doing the same plays over and over again. For example, you do a play over and over; the AI of the opposing team will change plays to counter yours. If you pass a lot at the same position they will counter you by putting a man there. This feature is really a blessing. It will not only give us more of a challenge, it will be like playing in the real game.

The “Game Planning” feature is a very interesting one. You would be able to adjust how each and every player in your team plays. On the other hand, with its potential to give you those big plays comes potential for disaster. This feature will make you fine tune your team, for those very specific plays. This is definitely a big plus for NCAA Football 2010.

All these features sure are things to look forward to. These aren’t all the features announced, but these are some of the most interesting. Every player old and new will definitely look forward to EA’s upcoming NCAA Football 10 game. So mark your calendars for this game’s release.

By: < 1000
a href=http://www.articledashboard.com/profile/Brian-Kaldenberg/49677>Brian Kaldenberg

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

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Portable basketball goals are an overall fantastic way to play basketball in your driveway, but as with many consumer products, there a re a lot f misconceptions that crop up about them. There are the real, true facts about portables that you have to know before you go out and get one for yourself.

Myth #1 – It’s Always Better to Fill Up the Base with Sand than Water

While it is certainly true that sand is a heavier material than water, and therefore results in a much more stable system when you play on it, there are instances when you will want to fill up the portable basketball goal base with water. For example, if you think you are going to have to move out the portable basketball goal every single day to play on it, water is a good choice just to make transportation easier. Or if you think you will need to empty out the basketball system base fairly regularly, such as to move across town, water is easier, just because it is a real pain to get sand out of a base once it is already in there. Fill up the base according to your own personal situation.

Myth # 2 – With a Big Enough Base, Portable Basketball Goals are Safe to Dunk On

A lot of people think that if they fill up a portable basketball system with three hundred pounds of material, its perfectly safe for a hundred and eight pound person to dunk on it without risk of it tilting over. But people fail to account for how much extra force they generate when they come down on a basketball rim. While big basketball bases are fantastic because they make things more stable, you still shouldn’t dunk on portables. Save your Kobe Bryant impressions for the in ground basketball hoops.

Myth # 3 – Portable Basketball Goals Aren’t As Good as In Ground Hoops

While its true that in ground systems provide the best stability. There are a lot of reasons it could be smart to go with portable. For example, if you live somewhere that has HOA rules against installing permanent basketball goals, portable basketball goals are a good choice. If you just want a pretty cheap hoop for your kids to shoot around on, portable is still a good choice. Or if you just don’t want to have to deal with a cement installation, you should definitely go with portable. It all really depends upon your personal situation.

Myth # 4 – The More money you Spend, the Better the Portable Basketball Goal

This one is flat out not true. There are a huge variety of basketball systems that you can get, and it is definitely a smart idea to only spend your money (and your time) on the best ones. The key to finding the greatest deals on portable basketball goals is education. It’s just a fact that the more that you know about basketball poles, the more money that you can keep in your pocket once you install it in your driveway.

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