Question: Who needs a thesaurus? Answer: Anyone who has ever been at a loss for the
right word.
WHAT
DOES A THESAURUS DO?
A thesaurus is a dictionary of synonyms; that is, words that
have similar meanings (for example: correct, accurate,
exact). Sometimes it gives you antonyms (words with opposite
meanings) as well.
A thesaurus helps you:
To find the words you need to express yourself more effectively
and more interestingly
To avoid repeating the same words monotonously
To avoid clichés (overused expressions)
To recall the word that is on the tip of your tongue
To find the word that suits the genre (type of writing eg:
a letter), purpose, intended audience and context of what
you are writing.
In different situations, the same idea might be most effectively
expressed by a different word. A thesaurus helps you make
the right choice.
TIPS
ON HOW TO USE A THESAURUS
How is it arranged?
The A-Z presentation of the modern thesaurus makes it simple
to use. Look up the word you need a synonym for as if you
were looking it up in a dictionary. Following the word you've
looked up (the headword) you'll find a range of synonyms to
choose from. You'll find these synonyms are arranged alphabetically.
Of course, there is some variation in the way different thesauruses
present information, but in many you'll see:
A distinction drawn between the possible different meanings
of your headword. For example: book could mean "publication"
or "make a reservation". These different meanings
will be numbered and the synonyms for each meaning will follow.
Choose the meaning that suits you, then choose from the relevant
synonyms listed.
An abbreviation showing what part of speech the word is.
Click
here to see an explanation of the abbreviations commonly
used.
In the example of book (above), book can be
a noun (a publication) or a verb (to make a reservation).
You'll need to choose a synonym that is the appropriate part
of speech for your writing.
The country where the synonym might be used. For example:
bonny (listed as a synonym for "good") is
used mostly in Scotland, so it's probably not right for you.
An arrow might be used to direct you to related lists of
synonyms elsewhere in the thesaurus.
It is important that you choose a synonym that is consistent
with the style of your piece of writing.
USING
THE THESAURUS IN WORD
If you are using the word-processing program Microsoft Word,
you can access a thesaurus while you are working. To do this:
Highlight the word in your text that you want a synonym for
Type shift + F7.
Look at this example. You want a better word for book.
You will see that the computer has interpreted book
as meaning a "volume", like a book in a library.
It has given a list of synonyms for this meaning. Of course,
you need the second meaning listed, "reserve". So
you need to click on this. You now have a relevant list of
synonyms to choose from. See the screen below.
THE
THESAURUS ONLINE
There are thesauruses available on the Internet. You might
like to check the links below to see if they are any use to
you.
A thesaurus can help make your writing more interesting,
as you will see when you try the following two activities.
Activity
Try this quiz,
read the sentences and replace the word walked
with a more suitable word.
Activity
In the sentences below, replace the over-used
word good with another word which is more
precise and vivid. Use a thesaurus to find the
words you need.
The child's behaviour had been good all
day.
It is a good day today.
They sell good clothes in that shop.
He is a good runner.
They all had a good time.
His results in the test were good.
She was a good mother.
It is a good walk from Woolworths to Coles.
