2.3 Language: We translate it all into words--objective, vivid, specific, imaginatively drawn words, phrases, and metaphors. For instance, is the Washington Monument 555 feet tall or is it as high as fifty elephants stacked one on top of the other? Both, of course. But which characterization conjures the most vivid mental image. How many different words can you use to describe someone moving along a sidewalk? Why say "walk" when you can more evocatively describe the action with "sashay," "stroll," "skip," "stumble," or "saunter"?