20c Use general and specific language effectively

20c
Use general and specific language effectively

Effective writers balance general words, which name or describe groups or classes, with specific words, which identify individual and particular things. Some general words are abstract; they refer to things we cannot perceive through our five senses. Specific words are usually concrete; they name things we can see, hear, touch, taste, or smell. We can seldom draw a clear-cut line between general or abstract words on the one hand and specific or concrete words on the other, however. Instead, most words fall somewhere in between.

GENERAL LESS GENERAL SPECIFIC MORE SPECIFIC
book dictionary abridged dictionary the fourth edition of The American Heritage College Dictionary
ABSTRACT LESS ABSTRACT CONCRETE MORE CONCRETE
culture visual art painting van Gogh’s Starry Night