Writing is about expressing feelings and ideas with
words. When you write (especially non-technical work) you choose words for the feelings
they evoke and the connotations they have. Sometimes you may know what you want to say,
but lack the precise words to express your feelings or ideas. The Thesaurus in
Microsoft Word can help you find the right words. A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonynms and antonyms. If you are looking for a word, you can give the Thesaurus a similar (or opposite) word, and it will search for related words. Many times the Thesaurus will find words that didn't occur to you. |
The following example shows how you can use the Thesaurus to find the right word. Let's say you are rewriting a short story which includes the the following
sentence,
You are not sure the word viewing really matches the image you have in your mind, so you decide to use the Thesaurus to help you find the right word. To use the Thesaurus:
The example above didn't mention all the variations and subtleties of working with the Thesaurus. Here are some additional comments you may find helpful:
And finally, it's really hard to complete this portion of the lesson
without wondering, "what's another name for 'Thesaurus'?"
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