Beverly Cleary Quotes

When I need to know the meaning of a word, I look it up in a dictionary.

Every time I have to look up a word in the dictionary, I'm delighted.

I actually tried to learn the dictionary at one point. It didn't work; I only got through the first few pages.

A lot of people use the dictionary to find out how to spell words.

I was given a dictionary when I was seven, and I read it because I had nothing else to read. I read it the way you read a book.

The trouble with the dictionary is that you have to know how a word is spelled before you can look it up to see how it is spelled.

It makes it harder to write if I watch a lot of television, because television is not like a written story.

I used to go through the dictionary looking for unusual but nontechnical words. At one time, I thought the greatest word was 'jejune' and I would throw it into every piece because something about it appealed to me.

I'm a massive fan of the dictionary.

I once tried to read the dictionary. It didn't work.

I spend a lot of my time just looking at words and grammar and writing things down that I don't know.

English was my worst subject in school.

I tend to read more nonfiction, really, because when I'm writing I don't like to read other fiction.

What's another word for Thesaurus?

While in the middle of writing a book, I have a hard time reading other books for pleasure.

I always try to block out an hour or so a day to read. Being a writer is a job, and reading helps train my brain in the right direction.

The more you read, the better you are at writing, no matter what you're writing. A lot of songwriters miss that and don't see the connection there, and I've always felt like you're more able to communicate if you have a bigger toolbox to work with.

Writers who don't read can't write well. It's that simple. The more you read, the better you read, the better you'll write. The upside is that you can't read too much, and even 'junk' reading can be constructive.

I've done projects where I've read 25 books and did all kinds of journal and character work for hours.

Even today, I am easily distracted by reading material and will pick up articles on virtually any factual material if I have the time.

I use the dictionary all the time when I'm reading or working on scripts.

I have a good memory for words, and when I come upon a word I don't know, I remember it, or try to - it's almost like a tic. I also just have a good feeling for how words are made and formed in English and the etymologies that give you prefixes and suffixes.

Math was my favorite subject, and English was my worst.

I've found that writers who don't read really can't write.

I don't listen to music when I write. If I do, I usually end up giving it my whole attention, which means, unfortunately, I don't get much work done!