Directness, or precision of expression, is one of a writer’s greatest friends. Words like “great,” “good,” “fun,” “bad,” and, worst of all, “nice” infest and sully the prose of student papers the world over. I may ask a friend, “How was the movie?” And his response may run thus: “Ah, it was good.”

What do I know about the movie? What was good about it? Was it the acting, the plot, or the cinematography? We only know that the movie was “good,” which means it was not “bad.” And as we all know, “good” and “bad” are not absolute categories when it comes to personal taste. This kind of inadequate response may be remedied through the act of further conversation with the interlocutor. In writing, however, we are charged with presenting our meaning and purpose in the clearest terms possible.

Therefore, we might describe the movie (let’s pretend it was sci-fi) in more linguistically clear and engaging terms: “Ah, the movie was visually stunning, suspenseful and well-acted.”

Hooray! Loquacious lexicographers, as made clear by this example, have gifted us with the humble dictionary for good reason. The addition of a few simple adjectives and adverbs gives us a much clearer sense of what was “good” about the movie and why the viewer enjoyed it.

Jane Austen, in her Gothic parody Northanger Abbey, provides an even stronger condemnation of linguistic impropriety when Henry Tilney chastises Catherine Morland for her inappropriate use of the word “nice” to describe Ann Radcliffe’s melodramatic potboiler The Mysteries of Udolpho:

‘I am sure,’ cried Catherine, ‘I did not mean to say anything wrong; but it is a nice book, and why should I not call it so?’
‘Very true,’ said Henry, ‘and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! it is a very nice word indeed! – it does for everything. Originally it was applied to express neatness, propriety, delicacy, or refinement; - people were nice in their dress, in their sentiments, or their choice. But now every commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word.’

The word “nice” had been clearly robbed of its original meaning almost 200 hundred years ago and functioned then, as now, as a term used to describe anything that is remotely satisfactory. Therefore, while it might seem “nice” to write “nicely,” it is far more appealing for your reader when you select adjectives which pack an emotive punch and describe your subject in a direct, succinct manner.

To illustrate the powerful impressions sophisticated descriptive language can create, let us turn to a text known, loved, loathed, and feared by English literature students since its publication: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Near the beginning of the novel, narrator Nick Carraway describes the boorish and unspeakably rich Tom Buchanan – former college acquaintance and now husband to his second cousin Daisy – in the following terms:

Now he was a sturdy straw-haired man of thirty, with a rather hard mouth and a supercilious manner. Two shining arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward.

Through Nick’s description, Fitzgerald depicts a character more beast than man. Tom’s straw-hair, harsh mouth and preeminent “shining arrogant eyes” imply the haughty, cruel visage of a lion. This image is further developed by his aggressive, forward-leaning bearing which suggests that of a predatory animal. The negative connotations of this physical portrayal of Tom have clear implications for his overall character. The reader can speculate that he is a domineering, manipulative, and self-important individual, one who is willing to use whatever methods necessary to satisfy his desires regardless of the negative impact they may have on the people around him.

Few of us can expect to communicate meanings as deftly and lucidly as a writer like Fitzgerald, but we can all consult a dictionary or thesaurus (whether it be in paper form or online) to aid in expressing our ideas in a concise, coherent, and eye-catching manner. While the adage tells us that a picture paints a thousand words, it is equally true that a carefully chosen word (or even two or three) can paint an even more intricate and compelling picture.