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What are some fancy words I can use to spice up my essays?

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T

tt_deeb

Member
Nothing too special just something that would be better than using "good" or "bad."

English AP is tomorrow and I don't really know how else to study besides knowing rhetorical devices and working on vocabulary.
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
Professors love internet language. Here's a doozy of a thesis which I was graded really well on.

"Thus one can infer that the intrinsic link between testicular cancer and proprietorship of a pornographic establishment is at best fallacious and, at worst its teh gay. LOLOLOL!!!1"
 
T

tt_deeb

Member
enjoy bell woods said:
Seriously. Just use the vocabulary you know. Forcing "fancy" words into an essay is going to make you look incredibly dumb.
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True, but like I said nothing too special just some "everyday terms" that you guys might like to use. Anyway, stupid idea, stupid topic. I should've just typed in generic things into a thesaurus and wrote down some of the words I'd like to start using more often. I'm not trying to learn anything I was just trying to jog my memory of ones that I read or hear a lot but never use.

You guys can delete/lock the topic. I haven't been on here in awhile because of a lot of things and I got excited when I finally got a chance to log in.
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
Cyan said:
Don't. Don't don't don't don't don't. Don't do it.

Using fancy words makes you sound either pompous or desperate, not intelligent. You especially shouldn't do this on your AP exam. Use words that you understand and are comfortable with. Trust me on this one. Using a fancy word incorrectly, even if it's only slightly off, is far more harmful to your essay than using "boring" words correctly.
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Amen to that. I once tried to substitute caveat with 'quid pro quo' and got slammed by a professor, haha.
 
R

ruffles

Member
I'm taking it tomorrow too and I'm still not sure what a rhetorical startegy is. My teacher said this year's test will be on rhetoric. Hopefully they won't pull a "I don't know what to write about " question like they did last year which fucked up everybody.
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
whytemyke said:
Amen to that. I once tried to substitute caveat with 'quid pro quo' and got slammed by a professor, haha.
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Haha, probably because they mean totally different things :/ One's an exchange, and the other's a warning of some sort.

I'm partial to the word 'paragon' but it can't be used interchangeably with 'good' all the time. Or any of the time really. Just thought I'd sound smart if I used paragon in a sentence.
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
OpinionatedCyborg said:
Haha, probably because they mean totally different things :/ One's an exchange, and the other's a warning of some sort.
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Yeah, well, caveat also means an exception. And at the time I was trying to use quid pro quo as an exception, too... 'one caveat to our deal' versus 'one quid pro quo to our deal'. regardless, the point stands: I tried to use a word (phrase) which I hadn't been overly familiar with beforehand and got burned for it, when I should have just used the one I originally wanted.
 
I

Ironclad

Member
Ah, I am so glad I didn't take AP English 4 this year. Then again, the AP Computer Science test is in three days. :(
Now, if only we all lived in an Orwellian world and spoke NewSpeak. Then we would only need a few words to express all extremes of good or bad. doubleplusungood. :lol
 
S

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
I too can spell

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis by heart.. fucking 5th grade Alpha H. You didnt happen to have a psycho bitch named Ms. Leech as you teacher at some point?
 
I

Ironclad

Member
StoOgE said:
I too can spell

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis by heart.. fucking 5th grade Alpha H. You didnt happen to have a psycho bitch named Ms. Leech as you teacher at some point?
Click to expand...
That stupid black lung disease. I had to memorize that for a test in seventh grade. I could spell it perfectly back then, but all I can do now is pronounce it.
 
A

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Dan said:
Scrumtrulescent
Click to expand...

lipton3pr.jpg


Also try: Snuffulufugus
 
M

miyuru

Member
Zaptruder said:
You lack the understanding to use the word verisimilitude in its proper context.
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How'd I use it wrong? One of my English teachers used it in the same way against me when I started saying big words all the time for fun :lol
 
Z

Zaptruder

Banned
Hmmm... upon reconsideration you could've used it right; if you meant

(Because you have to ask about such things) You won't be able to use the words properly without been spotted for a fake.

On the otherhand, if you meant it in the sense that he lacks the ability or knowledge then it's not quite correct...

Maybe something like; You lack the verismilitude to benefit from the use of such words, would be more accurate.
 
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