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Additional Information
Using a simple vocabulary is often very effective – especially when we are speaking and we need to be understood quickly and clearly.
However – in writing, the need for speed is lost as the reader can read the text at their leisure.
This means that the writer has more opportunity to think carefully about a number of features – including the range of vocabulary.
To improve the quality of your writing in assessments it helps to keep developing your vocabulary so that you have a wider choice of words at your fingertips! These may not be words that you use in everyday conversation but can be used in your writing.
The best way to build your vocabulary is to read widely and note any words that are unfamiliar, learn their meanings, check how to use them in context and store them away for later use in your own writing.
The right word in the right places
Let’s look at a number of useful words to help you develop your range of vocabulary so you can choose to use them at the appropriate place in your writing.
In the following sections you are asked to select the most appropriate more sophisticated word from a choice of 4 which you feel best fits the description.
A word to describe a great respect for someone/something.
Example: An atmosphere of reverence brought silence to the room as the manager entered.
A word to describe being fanatical about someone or something.
Example: I was besotted with that team – I watched them at every match no matter where.
A word to describe something that seems supernatural/like a ghost
Example: The footsteps could only be viewed as paranormal - as the room was empty.
A word to describe a deep desire for something.
Example: He craved that meal so much that he walked to the restaurant when he missed the bus.
A word to describe someone/something not being special or outstanding.
Example: My house had a very modest kitchen with barely enough room for a small table.
A word to describe being told off by someone.
Example: She was chastised mercilessly by her mother for not completing her chores.
A word to describe someone being critical about someone/something.
Example: He looked at the man with a derogatory sneer, turned and walked away.
A word to describe a building that is right next to another?
Example: I made sure that I booked a room immediately adjacent to his on the third floor.
A word that describes great luxury and wealth.
Example: The lottery winner adopted an opulent lifestyle – money was no object!
A word to describe something being perfect – like new.
Example: The pristine toy sat untouched in its box - as fresh as the day it was bought.
A word to describe a feeling that something is not right/going to go wrong.
Example: I had a sense of foreboding about the day - I knew that something awful was going to happen.
A word to describe something in a bad state of repair.
Example: It was not surprising that the house had not sold as it was so dilapidated, it looked ready to collapse in the slightest breeze.
A word that means something is a mystery.
Example: The lights in the sky were inexplicable, nobody could account for their appearance.
A word to describe something being a challenge.
Example: The assault course was arduous in the extreme and was completed by very few people.
A word that describes someone thinking that there will be a better future, even though this is unlikely.
Example: She was an idealistic young teacher and felt that she could change the world.
A word which means something/someone producing many things.
Example: She was the most prolific goal scorer in the team – as she had been last season.
A word to describe someone who you can sense does not really care/mean what they say.
Example: He was insincere to say the least – he always said what he thought you wanted to hear.
A word that describes being guilty/in the wrong.
Example: Of all the people who admitted it to the teacher, I was the most culpable because I suggested it in the first place.
A word that means a decision / or behaviour that makes no sense.
Example: My irrational choice of pet made most of my family worry about my state of mind.
A word that describes a real or imagined situation.
Example: It was not the most promising scenario for my future well-being; he looked angry - and I had stolen his car.