The SAT Essay: Basic Principles
Page 6
RocketRule #4: Use Smart-Sounding WordsI know that English teachers often tell students not to use big words just because they're big, but trust me, on the SAT essay, big words have a better chance of impressing graders than do their smaller synonyms.
I wish I didn't have to write thisand I know that many teachers will objectbut, smart people do use certain words to connect with other smart people. Yes, it's almost a code language.
Don't great writers tend to use simple language? Yes, but so do simpletons, and SAT readers blitzing their way through a mountain of essays can't afford the time to distinguish between the two.
While it's true that the best word is the one that says precisely what you mean, it's also true that big words impress SAT graders. Don't go overboard or it will seem like you're trying to impress. Just sprinkle your essay with at least a few big words so that your opinion sounds authoritative.
100 Words That Really Impress SAT GradersMake Sure Your Essay Includes at Least a Few
It's likely that you'll be able to use certain big words more frequently than others because the same topics and themes show up time and again on SAT essays. The following list emphasizes those SAT words that you can probably work into just about any assigned essay topic (they're also great words to know in any event).
This list is compiled from the words professional writers use most often when writing persuasive essays. It isn't intended to be complete. Examine any op-ed ("opposite-the-editorial") piece in your local newspaper and you'll find at least one word, or a variation of it, from this list. I wouldn't be surprised if you found half a dozen or more. Again, this list gives special weight to the rhetorical concepts that occur most frequently in SAT essays.
|
|
|
|
Don't get overwhelmed and think you have to use every word on this list. Just try to include a few of these words or similar ones in your essay. These words are especially effective in the first and last paragraphs of SAT essays, which the graders read most carefully.
By the way, all these words are "good SAT words" that you should know for the critical reading section; half of these words even make it to our core Power Ranked List of the 323 most valuable words to know for the SAT Reading Test.
Practice the List
Try to use these words in your everyday school papers. Here's another idea. How about astounding your friends by casually dropping these words into your lunchtime conversation around the cafeteria table?
| Instead of this Common Essay Word | Consider Using a Variant of One of These SAT-Words |
| A lot | Prodigious |
| Argue | Contend |
| Based, basic | Premise, fundamental |
| cause, because, result | Evoke, endgender, prompt, provoke, elicit, precipitate, animate, inaugurate, attribute |
| Common, typical, everyday | Prevalent, pervasive, conventional, orthodox, status quo, ubiquitous, widespread |
| Consequence, result | Implication, outcome, aftermath, tantamount, ramification |
| Difference | Disparity, dichotomy, discrepancy, diversity, distinction, distinguish |
| Hard, difficult, difficulty | Dilemma, paradox, vexing, quagmire, arduous, intricate, inextricable, problematic |
| Easy, practical, quick | Pragmatic, expedient, viable, tenable |
| Example, evidence, instance, illustration | Paradigm, archetype, empirical, epitome, exemplify |
| Experience, story | Anecdote, chronicle |
| False | Untenable, fallacious |
| Free, freedom | Autonomy, sovereignty |
| Help, assist | Facilitate, bolster, foster, expedite |
| Hurt, hinder | Compromise, undermine |
| Illustrate | highlight, exemplify, epitomize, substantiate, embody, underscore |
| Important | Paramount, momentous |
| Main character | Protagonist |
| Mother, father, brother, sister | maternal, paternal, sibling |
| Natural, essential, need, necessary, require | Inherent, innate, intrinsic, quintessential, implicit, underlying |
| New, unique, unusual | Unparalleled, unprecedented, singular, novel |
| Opposite | Antithesis |
| Part | Feature, aspect, attribute, facet |
| Period, time, era, centuries, history | Epoch, millennium (millennia) |
| Possible | Plausible, credible, tenable, viable |
| Show, obvious | Manifest, ostensibly, explicit, depict |
| Similar, equivalent | Parallel, analogous, affinity, reminiscent, echoed, coherent |
| Situation | Context, domain, realm |
| Statement, idea, view, opinion, belief, phrase, theme, expression | Notion, proposition, adage, maxim, doctrine, tenet, credo, thesis, contention, dogma, presupposition |
| True, absolute, definite | Irrefutable, immutable, objective, categorically, inescapable, incontrovertible |
| Unfortunately | Lamentably |
| Very, quite, really | Particularly, notable, exceptionally, singularly |
Refer to the list frequently, especially as you write your school papers. You'll quickly become more comfortable using these words in your everyday conversation and writing. Plus you'll impress your teachers!
Squeeze at Least Two SAT Words into Your Very First Paragraph
My research shows that including just two SAT words in the first paragraph or your essay can raise your overall essay score by as much as a full point on the 2-to-12 scale. That translates to a quick 20 points in your overall 200-800 score on the Writing Test!
The typical SAT essay instructions includes a statement to be commented onusually you will be asked to agree or disagreeand asks you for examples to support your view. The instructions alone open the door for you to include the words "statement" and "example" in your essay answer. And luckily for you, those words have synonyms on our list of impressive-sounding words. See below:
For instance, instead of ending the first paragraph with this sentence:
- The idea that our most careful plans sometimes go awry is illustrated by examples in history as well as in literature.
- The notion that our most careful plans sometimes go awry is exemplified by a number of prominent instances in history as well as in literature.