WANT TO WRITE LIKE THE NATION'S NEWS WRITER
Dear Dr English,
I have just read your column on the Internet, and I found it very useful. My problem is not so much speaking but rather writing. When I write, I find myself running out of words to express what I have in mind, so I keep using the same words or expressions repeatedly. Occasionally, I seek help from a Thesaurus, but somehow I feel it is not adequate. How can I write the same way as The Nation's news writers? What would you suggest?
Aroon Buranasakorn
Dr Stephen Krashen, a famous linguist from America, has shown in his research that reading improves writing more than anything else because it models the language the writer might want to use. Since you have already found a writing style that you would like to emulate, the best advice I can give you is: keep reading The Nation!
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WORDS THAT MEAN LOTS OF MONEY
Dear Dr English,
What are the meanings and the differences among the following words: rich, wealth, tycoon, opulent, magnate?
MAEW- 7597
Rich, is an adjective. It means having a lot of money or valuable possessions. It is the same as wealthy and affluent.
Samai lives in a rich neighbourhood.
Samai lives in an affluent neighbourhood.
Samai lives in a wealthy neighbourhood.
Wealth is a noun means the state of being very rich.
Great wealth does not always bring happiness.
It is also refers to the money or assets that somebody owns.
William inherited most of his father's wealth.
Opulence is a formal word meaning very wealthy. Opulent is its adjective form.
Sam's opulent father bought him a new Ferrari last month.
A tycoon is a successful businessman who has become rich and powerful.
The tobacco tycoon in the north has a lot of influence in local politics.
A magnate is someone who has earned a lot of money from a particular business or industry.
That young man in the blue shirt is the frozen-food magnate from Samut Songkram.
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