{"id":319,"date":"2021-04-05T04:38:59","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T04:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/englishforcxc\/?page_id=319"},"modified":"2026-01-25T19:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T19:59:34","slug":"general-versus-precise-words","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/englishforcxc\/general-versus-precise-words\/","title":{"rendered":"(Redirected) General Versus Precise Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article has been updated and migrated to: General Versus Precise Words<\/a> on the CXC English Official Website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First Published: 5th of April, 2021 by Patrick Carpen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last updated: January 25, 2026 at 19:59 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The English language contains words to express almost every thought imaginable. And in cases where the word doesn’t yet exist, someone may make it up or “coin” it. Some words have a broad meaning while others have a more specific meaning. A word which has a broad meaning is called a “general word” while a word which covers a specific meaning is called “precise” word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When writing or speaking, precise words give your expression sharper and clearer meaning. They make your speech or writing more enjoyable and understandable. A rich vocabulary enables you to use precise words instead of general words. As much as possible, use precise words in place of general words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert said <\/em>that he would win the race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the sentence above, “said,” is a general word. We can replace the word said with one of the following precise words: boasted, shouted, whispered, promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the sentence pairs below, the general word “looked” used in the first sentence is replaced by a more precise word in the second sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. As our car drove by, we looked <\/strong>at the people sitting on the lawn. As our car drove by, we scanned <\/strong>the people sitting on the lawn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The boy looked <\/strong>through the hole in the fence and saw the baseball game. The boy peeped <\/strong>through the hole in the fence and saw the baseball game.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The principal looked <\/strong>at the boy who had broken the window. The principal glared <\/strong>at the boy who had broken the window.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. In the motion picture, the villain looked <\/strong>at the hero who was his captive. In the motion picture, the villain leered <\/strong>at the hero who was his captive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. John looked <\/strong>through the half light of the room to see who was entering. John peered <\/strong>through the half light of the room to see who was coming. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Being busy, he merely looked <\/strong>at the news on the front page of the newspaper. Being busy, he merely glanced <\/strong>at the news on the front page of the newspaper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Eagerly and attentively, he looked <\/strong>at each move of the chess game. Eagerly and attentively, he scrutinized <\/strong>each move of the chess game.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. As if held in a trance, he looked <\/strong>at the scene until I called. As if held in a trance, he gazed <\/strong>at the scene until I called.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. As I walked through the hallway in my clown costume, my pupils looked <\/strong>at me. As I walked through the hallway in my clown costume, my pupils stared <\/strong>at me.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. From the high tower, we looked <\/strong>at the scenery around us. From the high tower, we beheld <\/strong>the scenery around us.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This article has been updated and migrated to: General Versus Precise Words on the CXC English Official Website. First Published: 5th of April, 2021 by Patrick Carpen. The English language Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,34,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-319","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-communication","category-vocabulary","category-writing-skills"],"yoast_head":"\n(Redirected) General Versus Precise Words - English for CXC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"General words cover a broad range of meanings, while precise words cover a specific meaning within that range.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/patrickcarpen.com\/englishforcxc\/general-versus-precise-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"(Redirected) General Versus Precise Words - 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