--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good writer is likely to know and use…" description: "\"“A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and use, the words for common architectural features, like \"lintel,\" \"newel post,\" \"corbelling,\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png" --- # A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and… ![“A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and use, the words for common architectural features, like "lintel," "newel post," "corbelling," "abutment," and the concrete or stone "hems" alongisde the steps leading up into churches or public buildings; the names of carpenters' or pumbers'…” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png) > ““A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and use, the words for common architectural features, like "lintel," "newel post," "corbelling," "abutment," and the concrete or stone "hems" alongisde the steps leading up into churches or public buildings; the names of carpenters' or pumbers' tools, artists' materials, or whatever furniture, implements, or processes his characters work with; and the names of common household items, including those we do not usually hear named, often as we use them. Above all, the writer should stretch his vocabulary of ordinary words and idioms--words and idioms he sees all the time and knows how to use but never uses. I mean here not language that smells of the lamp but relatively common verbs, nouns, and adjectives. The serious-mined way to vocabulary is to read through a dictionary, making lists of all the common words one happens never to use. And of course the really serious-minded way is to study languages--learn Greek, Latin, and one or two modern languages. Among writers of the first rank one can name very few who were not or are not fluent in at least two. Tolstoy, who spoke Russian, French, and English easily, and other languages and dialects with more difficulty, studied Greek in his forties.”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer should master everyday architectural and household terminology, expanding ordinary vocabulary through reading, dictionaries, and learning multiple languages. **In simple terms:** Writers need common, precise words and should study languages to enrich their diction. Key Takeaway Learn and use everyday terms; study languages for depth. Themes writing vocabulary language learning literary craft Mood thoughtful instructive Type educational practical When to use this quote - novel drafting - historical fiction - technical descriptions - character dialogue - world‑building Key Concepts lexicography multilingualism semantic precision Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate common terms without sounding pedantic? - Which languages could most enrich your writing? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on obscure terms can hinder clarity; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When putting words together is good to do it with nicety and caution, your elegance and talent will be evident if by putting ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/when-putting-words-together-is-good-to-do-it-with-nicety-and-caution/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [One word of wisdom is as good as a hundred ordinary words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/one-word-of-wisdom-is-as-good-as-a-hundred-ordinary-words/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [ His \[Death\] voice is cold at first, John. It seems unfeeling. But if you listen without fear, you find that when he speaks, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-leavitt/his-death-voice-is-cold-at-first-john-it-seems-unfeeling-but-if-you/) [Martine Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-leavitt/) > [I often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, “It’s true. There aren’t any new words. Our job is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-often-recall-these-words-when-i-am-writing-and-i-think-to-myself-it/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most ordinary words have amazing life in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-t-coffin/the-most-ordinary-words-have-amazing-life-in-them/) Robert P. T. Coffin > [Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/literature-is-the-art-of-discovering-something-extraordinary-about/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [I think that a lot of things are hard to read if you're not in the vocabulary flow of that particular discourse. I sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/i-think-that-a-lot-of-things-are-hard-to-read-if-you-re-not-in-the/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“I have to cry out here that language is all we have for the delicacy and truth of telling, that words are the sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-have-to-cry-out-here-that-language-is-all-we-have-for-the-delicacy/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [When you want to cry, plug it. When you want to run, glue it. When you want to shrivel up and hide, stretch it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-caldwell/when-you-want-to-cry-plug-it-when-you-want-to-run-glue-it-when-you/) Nicole Caldwell > [“After years of not speaking, I understood the importance of words. How they had the power to hurt individuals, yet they also had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittainy-c-cherry/after-years-of-not-speaking-i-understood-the-importance-of-words-how/) [Brittainy C. Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittainy-c-cherry/) > [Words are our servants, not our masters. For different purposes, we find it convenient to use words in different senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/words-are-our-servants-not-our-masters-for-different-purposes-we-find/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [But in the finished art of the song the use of words has no connection with the use of words in poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-drinkwater/but-in-the-finished-art-of-the-song-the-use-of-words-has-no/) [John Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-drinkwater/) > [Good men died for our right to say whatever we want to say and use whatever words we want to use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fraser-anning/good-men-died-for-our-right-to-say-whatever-we-want-to-say-and-use/) [Fraser Anning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fraser-anning/) > [Before I'll say 'I love you' Why do I always use the words that cut the deepest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-aldean/before-i-ll-say-i-love-you-why-do-i-always-use-the-words-that-cut-the/) [Jason Aldean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-aldean/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/they-only-think-they-think-no-total-vision-total-system-merely/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/good-writers-may-tell-about-almost-anything-in-fiction-except-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-chief-offense-in-bad-fiction-we-sense-that-characters-are-being/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/there-seems-little-or-no-hope-for-the-adult-writer-who-produces/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-any-long-fiction-henry-james-remarked-use-of-the-first-person/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/nothing-can-be-more-limiting-to-the-imagination-than-only-writing/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-nation-that-values-bad-philosophy-above-good-plumbing-will-have/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-citizen-can-bring-our-political-and-governmental-institutions/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-a-web-of-words-pale-walls-of-dreams-between/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and use, the words for common architectural features, like \"lintel,\" \"newel post,\" \"corbelling,\" \"abutment,\" and the concrete or stone \"hems\" alongisde the steps leading up into churches or public buildings; the names of carpenters' or pumbers' tools, artists' materials, or whatever furniture, implements, or processes his characters work with; and the names of common household items, including those we do not usually hear named, often as we use them. Above all, the writer should stretch his vocabulary of ordinary words and idioms--words and idioms he sees all the time and knows how to use but never uses. I mean here not language that smells of the lamp but relatively common verbs, nouns, and adjectives. The serious-mined way to vocabulary is to read through a dictionary, making lists of all the common words one happens never to use. And of course the really serious-minded way is to study languages--learn Greek, Latin, and one or two modern languages. Among writers of the first rank one can name very few who were not or are not fluent in at least two. Tolstoy, who spoke Russian, French, and English easily, and other languages and dialects with more difficulty, studied Greek in his forties.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use-or-find-out-and-use-the-words/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use-or-find-out-and-use-the-words/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a31/john-gardner-3092_family_a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use_464714.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good writer is likely to know and use, or find out and use, the words for common architectural features…” — John Gardner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A good writer is likely to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use-or-find-out-and-use-the-words/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-good-writer-is-likely-to-know-and-use-or-find-out-and-use-the-words/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```