8/7/2023 0 Comments Writing eloquent words![]() Rather, using the same word when referring to a concept actually shows your understanding, because it results in a high level of consistency in your paper. ![]() Especially if you are writing for a particular discipline where a term has a very specific meaning, a synonym is unlikely to convey the same message. Synonyms never carry the exact same meaning or connotation as each other. Synonyms mean nearly the same thing as each other, so it okay to substitute them/use them interchangeably. In my time volunteering as a Writing & Learning Peer at the SLC, the following are some myths about flowery language that I have had to debunk for students, much to their dismay, but importantly for their learning: Myth 1 Well, in short, there are important differences between writing papers as an undergrad and writing papers as someone who has specialized in a field for many years. You may be wondering how this could be, since the readings you do for your courses definitely use elaborate words and long sentences, and yet they are respected works. I call it a fallacy because, more often than not, flowery language has the reverse of the intended effect: it makes students sound less confident in their understanding of a subject. However, I call flowery language a writing fallacy. It is an attempt to make themselves sound like they know more about a subject by using jargon terms and connecting different concepts together. Flowery language occurs when elaborate words are substituted for simple ones and longer sentences are used to try to convey multiple ideas. The above sentence (which I wrote) is an example of “flowery language.” Students often use flowery language as a strategy to sound more professional in their papers. ![]() “Often after entering the world of academia, students assume the need to showcase their understanding of a subject through their writing by using extensive and supposedly eloquent prose and vocabulary, in a pursuit to assimilate themselves into and join the ranks of those they view as highly intelligent beings: academics.” ![]()
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