Selecting captivating and appropriate words to convey a message Key qualities of word choice Applying strong verbs Selecting striking words and phrases Using specific and accurate words Choosing words that deepen meaning ID: 483928
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Slide1
Word Choice
Selecting captivating and appropriate words to convey a message. Slide2
Key qualities of word choice…
Applying strong verbs
Selecting striking words and phrases
Using specific and accurate words
Choosing words that deepen meaning Slide3
Nonstandard English….a no no!
Text talk and spelling
-u instead of you
-ur instead of you are
-
jk
,
lol
, ttyl…..NO Slide4
Think about: applying strong verbs
Have I used action words?
Did I stretch to get a better word – scurry rather than run?
Do my verbs give my writing punch and pizzazz?
Did I avoid: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been...whenever I could? Slide5
Applying Strong Verbs
When Jared saw the skunk in his living room, he went up the stairs and went under his bed.
When Jared spotted the skunk in his living room, he darted up the stairs and disappeared under his bed.
Where are the strong verbs? Weak verbs? Slide6
Replace verbs with STRONG verbs! Activity
I am going to the track meet later today. It’s going to be fun. My brother is going to be running the 200-meter race. It is a sprint. Sprints are hard because you have to run so fast. He should win. Slide7
Think about: selecting striking words and phrases
Did I try to use words that sound just right?
Did I try hyphenating several shorter words to make an interesting-sounding new word?
Did I try putting words with the same sound together?
Did I read my piece aloud to find at least one or two moments I love?Slide8
Striking?
Homework is terrible. I hate homework. I work pretty hard in school and so I don’t know why I have to do so much at home, too. There is a lot of other stuff I’d rather do than homework. I wish we never had to do it anymore. Slide9
How about now?
No reruns of
Friends
.
No Mortal Combat. No toe-tapping tunes from
Beyoncé.
No life. When I get home from school,
I don’t
grab my board to do a goofy-grab or fakey-stance or try for my first air walk. No, I do homework. That sit-in-your-chair-till-it’s-done work that never ends, day after day after live-long day. Until Saturday. Then it’s my time. But meanwhile, I’m doing my math, studying my science, reading my book, wishing I was free. Slide10
Think about: using specific and accurate words
Have I used nouns and modifiers that help the reader see a picture?
Did I avoid using words that might confuse the reader?
Did I try a new word, and if so, did I check to make sure I used it correctly?
Are these the best words that can be used? Slide11
Bad figurative language
She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like a dog gagging.
Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a thigh exerciser.
Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
The ballerina rose gracefully
en
pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant. Slide12
Think about: Choosing words that deepen meaning
Did I choose words that show I really thought about them?
Have I tried to use words without repeating myself?
Do my words capture the reader’s imagination?
Have I found the best way to express myself? Slide13
Scary story…and forbidden words.
Ideas for a scary story…
Plot, characters, setting, problem to be resolved
1 paragraph, 5-7 FULL sentences