Using precise, vivid language strengthens and clarifies your writing. It helps readers visualize your ideas and prevents the confusion that can arise from vague descriptions.
Consider the following examples:
Vague: This pizza is gross.
Specific: This pizza tastes like a year-old, microwaved waffle slathered in crusty ketchup and globs of Cheez Whiz.
Vague: The kids expressed happiness when they found out they were getting a snow day.
Specific: The kids squealed and jumped up and down when they found out they were getting a snow day.
Vague: The Lenovo ThinkPad is too big.
Specific: The Lenovo ThinkPad is 15 inches wide and 2 inches thick; it was so bulky that it didn’t even fit in an average-size backpack.
In the Margins 