Synonyms

Could it be 'similes' rather than synonyms? I mean, I'm not sure how you could 'use' synonyms - two words meaning the same thing...?

I don't quite understand your post. He said you misuse synonyms? Synonyms are just different words that mean the same thing. So, he said you use the same words over and over again and should vary them more? Or the opposite, you use too many different words and should stick with the one word? Or... what?

Okay, here are a couple of quick examples of synonyms:

I walked down the road. I walked down the street. ("road" and "street" are synonyms).

That's a pretty shirt. That's a lovely shirt. ("pretty" and "lovely" are the synonyms there).

Is that what you were asking for?

Maybe he thought that you were going overboard with choosing words for mundane things. Gasping, not saying, for example.

'Unimprovable' is a good thing, though? You want your work to be unimprovable?

I took a look at your excerpt, and don't see a problem with synonyms. Punctuation, yes. Synonyms, no. Unless he saw the version before you replaced asked, replied, groaned?

We've no idea what he meant. Why not ask him?

shibby said:

"Punctuation my old friend, we met again" I said.

Nope, he saw the revised version with the replacement "said"'s.

Thanks,

Shibby

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Obviously another case of office synonym rage. Or one more example of workplace similar meaning hostility. Or an additional sample of on-the-job alternate-word hatred. Or

Hee hee, she said "bellend." *scuttles off stage in shame*

Guys, guys: whatever 'synonym' means in this context, saying your use of synonyms is 'unimprovable' is a compliment!

Is there any chance that the word your coworker meant was not "synonym" but "homonym"? (An example of homonyms would be there/their/they're.)

Sounds to me like his explanation of what he feels you need to improve, he needs to improve. If you've presented his comments accurately, they don't make much sense.

And there aren't many things in writing that are "unimprovable."

caw

I'm struggling here. A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning as a another word. Therefore we usually talk about two or more synonyms. One synonym on its own isn't particularly significant as just about every word can have a synonym.

A synonym on its own is not a grammatical mistake or a problem. It's just "another word that means the same thing".

So it's a little difficult for us to give you a sentence with or without synonyms. Just about every sentence has at least one synonym.

So then we are into a guessing game about what your friend really means. Assuming that he does mean "synonym", he could mean that you are not using enough or using too many. Not using enough synonyms generally happens when we use a limited vocabulary. The reader can get bored when they see the same word being used over and over again. That's when we dearly wish that the author could find a synonym or two for some of the words he or she is over-using.

On the other hand, it is possible to use too many synonyms. We've already talked about the problem when authors use alternatives for "said". But the same can happen if someone keeps trying to find a different word for something as ubiquitous as a character's name. In one sentence he is Fred, then Mr Smith, then Fred Smith, then Bill's son, then the cop, then the detective, then the Texan.

Reading through your piece, I suspect your friend may be trying to give you some feedback which goes a bit wider than just "synonyms". Or by buying you a book he is hoping that you will figure it out for yourself.

As Bufty said, you need to ask him.

What's all this talk about cinnamon? The lovely red dust of the gods. I love cinnamon on toast and sweet bread. I don't understand how anyone could not like cinnamon; it's delicious and good for you too. Similarly, I love sugar, that holy snow from the peak of Olympus.

What?....never mind.

Seriously though, I'm not sure I would value the advice of someone who says, "...my use of synonyms appears un-improvable!!!!"

B.D. Eyeslie said:

What's all this talk about cinnamon?

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Unless my hearing is bad, I'm pretty sure they were discussing Cimarron, a river, a book, and a movie.

Cimarron? I thought it was a thread on making soup - simmering, you know.

Are you positive your friend didn't say "simile"? I've read Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and I can see how the book applies to similes, but not to synonyms. Or maybe your friend just misspoke.

I have no clue at all how anyone could read your writing and know anything at all about synonyms.