San Jose City College

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     Word choice errors include the following:

       • a wrong word choice that affects meaning or grammar
       • use of a wrong verb, auxiliary verb, verb particle,
          preposition, or relative pronoun
      • use of nonspecific, imprecise, vague words
       • use of empty phrases and repetitive words that add
          no meaning
       • use of clichés, slang, or informal language

      These errors can affect both meaning and grammar.

       Strategies for Success   Read your work out loud. Ask yourself these questions:
    • Are my words well chosen and correct for the context?
    • Did I use specific, concrete, precise words?
    • Are there any empty words or phrases of no significance? If so,
       omit them.
    • Did I use any clichés, slang, or inappropriate (informal) words?
       If so, change them.
    • When unsure, consult both a bilingual and an all English dictionary
       or ask a native speaker.

  Part I: Choice of wrong words for the context: These sentences were written by ESL writers. Guess a better word choice for words highlighted in blue and then click them to see a revision. Note also where unnecessary words are crossed out.
1. There are times from childhood to adulteryadulthood that we getgo through different sensations and feelingsvarious emotional experiences.
2. BesideBesides that, all of my relatives worked for computer companies. Therefore, I wanted to be a computer engineer either,too.
3. Some One night I borrowed a car from my brother.
4. ThisThese classes cost me a lot of money because I had to take more thatthan 12 units every semester.   
5.The most obvious benefit of school fees is that schools will have enough financial sources resources to spend on their under structureinfrastructure and to pay instructors well.
6. By working with others, people learn how to improve themselves so that they could keep themselves upstraight.  and to be upright persons.
7. That’s the reason why I support foragree that Charlie should have the brain operation.
8. Respect is a major element  essential for that makes us feel easy feeling comfortable  within the family and at work.
9. TheyCollege dropouts usually end up with getting low jobs in low-paying jobs that pay them unsatisfied incomes. NoteIf a job is low-paying, the income is unsatisfactory. Avoid unnecessary repetition.
10. Charlie was the first person that the scientists tried onexperimented on a human being, and at the end of story, his intelligence was dismissedreverted to its original level.
11. Those demonstrations aboveThe examples above could indicate I strongly agree that the best preparation for life just came from working is to work and cooperate with others.
12. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic modeslymph nodes that producer enlargement of themcauses their enlargement.
13. I was under financial pressure because my job was not well-paid enoughdid not pay well (enough).
14. Many people expend spend thousands of dollars going to famous universities, and at in the end they don't value any of ittheir education.
15. When thereit was harvest time, workers flocked to the fields to pick the crops.
16. I talk very little, not because I don't want to talk, but I feel I have nothing to talksay.
17. In the book Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama reminds about reflects on his childhood spent with his grandparents in Hawaii.
18. Gramps was Barack's alternatesurrogate father.
19. Because they spent so much time with Barack, his grandparents actually effectedaffected his thoughts and actions and helped form his character.
20. The code of conduct which Atticus keeps up with himselfadheres to shows his children how to be honest and just in an unjust society.
21. If the value of an education is based on money, some people will compete inby using money to
buybuying degrees for themselves. Consequently, some people will have highesthigher degrees, but they don'twon't have the knowledge in their brains to deserve those degrees. Worse, a few people will use these degrees to get a job in the U.S. society, and they will bring several risks to anotherother people.
22. My mother was ceased to live passed away on October 12, 2003.

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