Diction: Introduction

Diction is simply your choice of words. There is no single, correct diction in the English language; rather, different words or phrases are used in different contexts, as in the following example:

All of these words mean the same thing—that is, they have the same denotation—but you would not use them interchangeably: a police officer or employer could interpret screw-up as an insult, while your friends at the bar after a hockey game might think oversight is pretentious.

This module explains when to avoid catchphrases and describes the difference between connotation and denotation.

The details

• Catchphrases - Next Page
• Connotation and denotation
• Review exercise: Diction