Question

Celina, Mike, and Toni each have an essay returned by the teacher with a request for edits. Celina's essay is returned because she used the same words over and over again. Mike's is returned because he often used the wrong part of speech when he tried to use more interesting vocabulary. Toni's essay is returned because she used words with definitions that did not match her intended meaning.

In three to five sentences, explain which reference source each student should use to correct their essay, and why.

Answer 1

Celina should use a thesaurus to find synonyms so she can vary repeated words (but she should double-check any new choices in a dictionary to be sure the nuance fits). Mike should consult a grammar or parts-of-speech reference so he can tell when to use noun, verb, adjective, or adverb forms and see correct example usage. Toni should use a dictionary to verify exact definitions and read example sentences so the words she chooses match her intended meaning.