GCSE Vocabulary

Vocabulary
Make your writing interesting and lively by using a

wide range of vocabulary. Use specific words to
convey your meaning.
Expanding your vocabulary
The more words you know, the more clearly and

powerfully you will think...and the more ideas you will
invite into your mind.
Wilfred Funk, Editor, writer, lexicographer and publisher
There are plenty of ways to expand your vocabulary. One
particularly effective method is to keep your own word
journal where you list new words as you find them.
You could organise this by date, topic, in alphabetical order
or you could group words with similar meanings together.
When you encounter a new word, make a note of it. Look it
up in a dictionary to establish its correct meaning and to find
out how best to use it in a sentence. Use a thesaurus to
find synonyms.
Aim to use your new vocabulary as soon as possible to establish its meaning in
your mind.
You can discover new words:
 by reading widely and including challenging reading material
 by using a dictionary and thesaurus
 by listening to talks, talk radio shows, news programmes, etc
 by listening to your teachers
 by using apps that offer you a ‘Word of the Day’
Use your vocabulary wisely
Use your vocabulary wisely and and aim for a good range
that suits your audience and purpose. This is true for both
your fiction and non-fiction writing.
Long words are not always the most effective ones, eg:
 It was a sweltering sunny day.
 It was a thermogenic, undarkened sunrise-to-sunset.
 Make sure you understand how to use the words in a
sentence. For example ‘thermogenic’ doesn’t make much
sense in the above sentence. It means to produce heat,
but is used to describe drugs or products that produce
heat in the body.
 When you proofread your work, try alternative words -
synonyms – and notice the effects of these different
vocabulary choices. Where possible, use precise words,
full of descriptive energy, to bring your writing to life.
Use precise verbs
A way to liven up a piece of writing is to choose action words

- verbs - with great care. Use words to show the reader the
actions or behaviour of a character. For example:
He walked into the room and said, “This is what I was
waiting for.”
By choosing more precise verbs, you can give ‘depth’ to your
writing. This gives the reader a more vivid impression of your
scene and characters.
Notice how each of the following sentences changes your perception of
the character:
He strolled into the room and muttered, “This is what I was waiting
for.”
He marched into the room and barked, “This is what I was waiting for.”
He shuffled into the room and sobbed, “This is what I was waiting for.”
Think about the impression and the atmosphere you’re aiming to create
as you make your vocabulary choices.
Use lively, interesting words
Here are some examples of overused words:

 good
 nice
 very
 happy
 big
 hate
 said
 walked
Can you think of alternative words that you could use for
each – words that are more precise, lively or interesting?
Consider what the reader should feel about the place,
person or topic that you are describing.
Suggestions
 Good - superb, fantastic, excellent, brilliant, outstanding, spectacular.
 Nice - marvellous, enjoyable, pleasant, wonderful, glorious.
 Very - extremely, highly, deeply, terribly, hugely, massively.
 Happy - ecstatic, cheerful, pleased, overjoyed, elated, thrilled.
 Big - huge, gigantic, ginormous, enormous, colossal, immense.
 Hate - despise, detest, repulsed, loathe, condemn, dislike.
 Said - shouted, bellowed, whispered, sniggered, mumbled, grunted, sang,
exclaimed.
 Walked - strutted, bounded, sprinted, ambled, trudged, wandered, trundled.
Vocabulary to create effects
 Vocabulary can be used to influence the way a reader

feels about a scene or topic. By selecting words carefully
you can create the atmosphere your scene requires or the
tone your article needs.
 For example, in a ghost story, you might select vocabulary
to create a sense of fear:
Bats swooped dangerously close to my head as
the haunting outline of the moon glared over the
silhouette of the gravestones. The stench of decay
hung in the damp night air, as a warning to those
who dared to enter.
Here the vocabulary choices imply a feeling of danger and create a sinister tone.
Notice how in this second piece, also set in a churchyard, a
positive mood is created:
Doves soared overhead as we bustled from the church
doorway. The clouds parted for the beaming sun that
warmed the backs of the guests. Confetti and the scent of
perfumed flowers filled the air; laughter twirled like
ribbons around the bride and groom.
By making careful vocabulary choices, you can create the
mood to draw the reader emotionally into your story. The
language is lively and precise, full of energy to enliven the
scene.
A similar approach can be used for non-fiction writing where
your vocabulary choices will affect the tone and mood of the
piece you write.
Here are examples of different settings, and moods with
sample sentences:
Setting Mood Example vocabulary
A bright sun glinted from

City Happy
the skyscraper windows…
The baboons’ plaintive

Jungle Sad
cries pierced our hearts…
The sand burned, the dust

Desert Determined stung; but we marched on
regardless…
Small white cloudlets
hovered so close to our
Mountains Hopeful
heads we felt we could
touch them…
Crabs scuttled hither and
Beach Excited thither, children squealed
in delight…
Things to remember
 Get into the habit of using a thesaurus.

 Experiment with different words in your writing.
 Keep a word journal to collect new words.
 List or mind-map your key vocabulary choices at the planning stage of your
writing.
 Read back over your work to check your vocabulary choices. Are the words
ambitious AND do they ‘fit’ with the style of writing?
 Check that you haven’t accidentally repeated words in nearby sentences.

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Vocabulary

Make your writing interesting and lively by using a

The more words you know, the more clearly and

A way to liven up a piece of writing is to choose action words

Here are some examples of overused words:

 Vocabulary can be used to influence the way a reader

A bright sun glinted from

The baboons’ plaintive

The sand burned, the dust

 Get into the habit of using a thesaurus.

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