English 101 - Making a Synonym List for Your Question

Making a Synonym List for Your Question

Before you begin searching for articles related to your Question, consider what search terms you are going to use. Not all words that helped you locate books related to your Topic may be useful now. Think of synonyms that relate directly to the language of your Question.

Remember: a "synonym" is a word that is similar to another word. Because some words are better than others as search terms, it is helpful to make a "synonym list" of key words in your Question. Begin by underlining every key word in your Question. For example, here are the key words in one student's Question:

Should loved ones of gang members tolerate the violent acts of gangs in their communities?

After underlining key words, think of all the synonyms, or similar words, for each key word. These synonyms may provide better search terms than your original words and phrases. For example:

loved ones	gang members	tolerate	violent acts	communities
families parents relatives children grandparents wives husbands neighbors friends	gangsters gangs mobs criminals	tolerance accept(ance) withstand ignore(ance)	crimes violence theft murder killings shootings drive-bys	cities towns neighborhoods suburbs ghettoes barrios public

Any questions or comments for Kenn?

Where do I go next?
Go to "Collecting a Relevant Article."

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Content by Kenn Pierson
Created 9.2.99 -
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URL: http://www.kjpierson.com/TEACHING/ENG101