1. Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Effective Word Choice Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Writers, Form A John Langan

2. Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Effective Word Choice Slang Slang is usually out of place in formal writing. Some drawbacks to using slang expressions: – They go out-of-date quickly. – They become tiresome if used excessively. – They may communicate clearly to some readers but not to others.

3. Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Effective Word Choice Slang Someone ripped off Ken’s new Adidas. After the game, we stuffed our faces at the dinner. After the game, we stuffed our faces at the dinner. I finally told my parents to get off my case. I finally told my parents to get off my case.

4. Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Effective Word Choice At a loss for words Word to the wise Clichés cliché A cliché is an expression that has been worn out through constant use. Short but sweet Sigh of relief Saw the light Work like a dog

5. Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Effective Word Choice Pretentious Words stilted. Trying to use fancy, elevated words rather than simple natural words may make your sentences sound stilted. splendid opportunity Pretentious : It was a splendid opportunity to get some slumber. Simple : It was a good chance to get some sleep.