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and formulaic phrases waste the reader’s time and interfere with the clear communication of ideas. The quickest way to trim it is to cut any word or phrase
that contributes nothing worthwhile to the sentence. For example: There are some students who still have the same inappropriate behavior after being punished
should be changed into There are some students who still misbehave after being punished.
3 Using a Thesaurus
A thesaurus may significantly affect the accuracy and clarity of the diction in academic writing. A thesaurus is another valuable word source. It does not
define words; instead, it gives lists of synonyms. Although, synonyms are not always interchangeable, a good thesaurus will clarify the distinction between
similar words McMahan, 1984: 43. Further, a thesaurus is useful for revising diction errors as it comprises detailed series of associated words where we can
find one that better suits the context Guinn and Marder, 1987: 137, for example, The students can yield their article by tomorrow. Yield is possible synonym for
submit, but within this context, submit is more appropriate. In brief, a thesaurus can sharpen the writer’s word choice and build vocabulary, as it consists of
detailed series of synonyms to suit the context.
d. Developing Word Power
According to Perrin 1965: 362 and Langan 1996: 440, there are four ways of developing word power. They are the use of dictionaries, regular reading,
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word sheets, and vocabulary study books. The following explanation will
thoroughly discuss each way of developing word power. 1 The Use of Dictionaries
A dictionary is an effective tool for writers to help them revise a paper. Computers are the latest way to use dictionaries. Various publishers have issued
dictionaries in electronic form. Dictionaries, old and new, have made their way onto the Internet, and this form of publication is likely to become more usual.
Encarta World and Oxford dictionaries are examples of worldly accepted tool dictionaries. Such dictionaries concentrate on the most commonly used and most
important words and meanings, define words in the simplest way, provide a thesaurus of each word, and include many examples of words as they appear in
phrases and sentences, showing how the words are used and helping readers understand the definitions.
2 Regular Reading
Reading is a basis of knowledge. Students may acquire linguistic knowledge such as grammatical items, diction, language style, and word
composition through reading English texts such as books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials. Further, vocabulary knowledge is explicitly acquired
through reading any English texts. Some parts of rapid word recognition skills come from reading extensively and learning new words while reading Schoonen,
Huistjin, and Bossers, 1998. Students benefit from being exposed to new words PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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through explicit instruction, learning how to learn words of their own, familiarizing themselves with their own-learning processes, and becoming word
collectors Grabe and Stoller, as cited in Graves 2000; Stahl 1999.
3 Word Sheet
The first way to develop vocabulary by means of a word sheet is by marking off words that we want to learn. After accumulating a number of words,
we look up in a dictionary the basic information of each word and record it on a word sheet. Then, we need to write sentences in which each word may appear as a
word is always best learned not only in a vacuum but also in the context of surrounding words. For example, approach noun has several meanings such as,
1 An act of approaching, 2 A way of dealing with person or thing, and 3 Sexual advance. It has also other forms of the word such as, method, access,
advance, methodology, and procedure. Specifically, its use in context is Our approach in dealing with the problem is different.
4 Vocabulary Study Books
The most effective way to help us to learn words is by looking at the context and the words around the unfamiliar words, and unlocking its meaning.
This method is called using context clues or word clues. “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary” by Funck and Lewis and “Vocabulary through Pleasure
Reading” by Amsco School Publications are examples of vocabulary study books. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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3. Error a.
