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The power of adjectives
Wherever you look, you will find things that are "nice" and things that are "good". Those of us
who have a vocabulary too weak to do better or a mind too lazy to work harder will find that
almost any positive quality can be expressed using one of these two adjectives.
Some people add a third adjective to their list. Sometimes, the chosen word is "excellent" and
soemtimes it is something else. Yet the jewel of the language, the well-chosen adjective, is
so easy to find and use.
A generous action, a kind heart, a beautiful statue, a caring grandmother, a novel idea. An
inspiring speech, a thought-provoking essay...
These could be good or nice, but by breathing new life into them, we see something more,
something more specific too - an insight into the writer's thoughts that the ordinary word
would never have given us. The same is true of evaluations - we do well to say something more
meaningful than "good" body language or vocal variety in a speech. Bland language leads to
bland evaluations. Soon after that, we are bathed in shades of mediocrity when we should be
excelling.
Have you stumbled across a particularly striking or disappointing example of adjective use?
If so, I would be very pleased to hear from
you.
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