ClearTips: Edit yourself

2. The Better Word

Some words are better than others because they are correct, because they are right for the audience, because they illuminate an idea for the reader, or because they are preferred by most good writers most of the time. The more often you use the better word, the better your writing will seem to others.

Because there are so many possibilities, only a few examples are given under each heading to indicate what to watch. Note that you can avoid many problems simply by referring to the dictionary, which should be at hand when you are writing or editing.

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