Select exactly the right word.

Inaccurate: I was disgusted because rain spoiled our picnic.

　　Accurate: I was disappointed because rain spoiled our picnic.

　　Accurate: I was disgusted by the mindless violence in the movie.

　　Do not---we repeat, do not---confuse words because they sound alike or are similar in meaning

　　Wrong word: today’s society has been pilfered with barrage legalized drugs

　　Improved: a barrage of legalized drugs has proliferated in today’s society.

　　Wrong: the Russians have not been sufficiently forthcoming about the treaty.

　　Improved: the Russians have not been sufficiently forthright about the treaty.

　　Use lively, concrete, specific terms.

　　Limp: we got into the car.

　　Improved: all four of us piled into Herman’sHond.

　　Limp:   this dog came up, all excited.

　　Improved: “a dog came bounding among us with a loud volley of barks and leap round us wagging its whole body, wild with lee at finding so many human beings together.” 

　　Move   run  sprint

　　Vehicle  car  sedan  Jaguar

　　Animal  dog  Collie Lassie

　　Dull:Seymourwas up late last night trying to finish typing his term paper.

　　Specific: Seymor sat hunched over his typewriter, pecking away doggedly until three o’clock in the morning, trying to finish his paper on the mating habits of hippopotamuses.

　　Avoid bafflegab

　　Bafflegab: the production of toxic and noxious residue hydrochloric acid obviates its efficacious application since it my prove compatible with metallic permanence.

　　Translation: don’t use hydrochloric acid: it eats hell out of the pipes,

　　Bafflegab; Consumer elements are continuing to stress the fundamental necessity of a stabilization of the price structure at a lower level than exists at the present time.

　　Translation: Consumer keep saying that prices must go down and stay down.

　　Bafflegab: the finance director claimed that substantial economies ere being effected in his division by increasing the time interval between distribution of data-eliciting forms to business entities.

　　Translation: the fiancé director said his division was saving money by sending fewer questionnaires to employers.

　　Avoid doublespeak

　　“protection reaction strike” (meaning bombing)

　　“to terminate with extreme prejudice” (to assassinate)

　　“that statement is inoperative” (it is untrue)

　　Be selective with euphemisms

　　Powder room (women’s toilet)

　　Unmentionables (underwear)

　　Passed away (died)

　　Sanitation engineer (garbage collector)