T HE R IGHT W ORD : A PPROPRIATE L ANGUAGE 79 3. The decision to cut the pay of those who disagreed was not uncommon at that time, but Alan found it_________. exceptional/exceptionable 4. The two inspectors had different ideas and offered_________ opinions about the quality. divers/diverse 5. The decisions _________each other. complemented/complimented S LIPPERY W ORDS When we write, we create a verbal climate. This is influenced by our attitude toward the reader, our tone, and, especially, our choice of words. Indeed, much of the beauty and vibrancy of English comes from the variety of words from which we can select. That breadth of choice can have its drawbacks, though. Denotation and Connotation Think back to our warning against blithely substituting synonyms. We began by looking up the definition of limit to confine or restrict within limits a