IMA lesson 4 - usefulness of synonyms

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 2,3

Have you ever deliberately changed your way of saying something to sound smarter?

1. Yes, I have.
2. No, I haven't.
3. No, I already sound smart...
4. Yes, I do it all the time.

If you were trying to sound more intelligent, which of these options could help you?

1. Antonym
2. Synonym

Let's try to sound cleverer

• I will give a sentence.
• You try to make it sound smarter. 

We are sorry for the trouble.

I can't come to the meeting because of another appointment.

Also, the company car needs to be fixed.

How does this help me? 

• You learn new ways of saying the same thing.
• Automatically improving your vocabulary.
• The more you practice this in your writing, the more likely you will be able to do it in speech as well. 

Some tips:

1. Use the synonym function in Microsoft Word.
2. When in doubt, always double check. 
3. Don't take it too far: sometimes intelligibility is more important than sounding intelligent. 
4. These days, IA can help too.

Assignment:

• Open a previous assignment from the regular lessons. 
• Take one paragraph and try to make your sentences more complex. 
• Hand in a word file with both the initial paragraph and your improved version.