13.1 Lexical Effectiveness Overview

Lexical competence refers to the ability to choose the right word in the right context for the right occasion. Your personal lexicon is not the same thing as your vocabulary. Personal vocabulary is the list of words that you understand the meanings of. A person’s lexicon is much more expansive. Your personal lexicon includes that list of words that you know the meaning, but it also includes related knowledge about how to use the word in the grammar, as well as the linguistic significance of the word.   While it helps to have a large vocabulary, it’s more important for you to be familiar with the words you do know and use them correctly.

13.2 The Case of the Wrong Case

Below is an example where the wrong word is used, and it actually makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.

Marge and me went to lunch.

The sentence is grammatically incorrect because the wrong pronoun case is used in the compound subject. While “me” is a pronoun, its case is objective. You can’t use an objective pronoun when said pronoun works as the subject of the sentence.

13.3 Word Choice

In the world of rhetoric, the word choice is paramount. There are plenty of situations where the word just isn’t quite right for meaning, and sometimes where it is just not the right word to use for a particular audience. You aren’t going to use the same words when you are talking to your grandma as you would if you are d at a party with your friends. You also would choose different words when you are in court. Reading your audience and matching your word choice and tone lend creditability to your argument and make it more effective.

13.4 Surface and Underlying Meaning

Words have surface and underlying meanings. Exercising awareness that the denotative, or surface meaning of a word is not always what your audience is going to understand. Strong or negative connotations associated with your word choice will affect your credibility for better or for worse. Consider the word curious as a perfectly good choice for your argument. Your entire meaning changes is you substitute the nosey. Both words mean interested, but they both convey a completely different sense. The same goes for words like vintage vs decrepit.

13.5 Audience Impressions

Your audience has an entirely different impression of both words that are synonymous for old. And in the same vein, remember that not all synonyms created equal. If you click on synonym in Word, the program offers the most commonly used substitutions. The best word for your idea most likely won’t be on that list, so consult a thesaurus and take a moment to look up the definition so you get the word that works best for your purpose.

13.6 Precision

Writers presenting ideas while lacking precise words to convey exact concepts is nothing new. Grammarians and writers alike have tirelessly railed against sloppy word usage. Consider former journalist and famous novelist George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language,” if you have any doubt.

http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/patee.html