Language Arts Columbia School EMCSD, California

In this video clip you’re going to see a blind man sitting on a wide sidewalk. He has a tin can and is hoping those who pass by will help him out. He is not having much luck. But a woman comes along and does something. Watch and listen for the three lines of dialogue shown below:clip

Good word choice is choosing words that can make your writing a masterpiece. Remember, an author needs to paint a picture in the mind of the reader. Using the right words will add color, texture, and emotion to your writing.

Replace dull, over-used verbs with colorful, exciting, and descriptive verbs. Use specific nouns that create a picture. Use adverbs and adjectives in order to increase the effectiveness of your imagery. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new compound words.

went, go, ran, run, jumped, jump, threw

She said, he said, or someone said …

dogdog birdbird househouse buildingbuilding ChihuahuaChihuahuamalamutemalamute bald eagle ravenraven bungalowbungalow granny flat school’s gym skyscraperskyscraper

bigbig smallsmall blueblue smartsmart enormousenormousimmenseimmense minuteminutepetitepetite cornflowercornflowerroyalroyal brilliantbrilliantintelligentintelligent

I ran into the tree branch. The mountain pine reached out and smacked me heartily with its branch. The baboon left. The big, black, bumbling baboon sauntered off and never returned.

All the houses on our street are very ugly. Mrs. Gibbons lives in a big ugly house down the street. The Fitzgeralds live in an ugly house at the other end of the street. The house we live in isn’t the ugliest, but it comes close. The ugliest house on the street belongs to the Smiths. The McClouds, however, think none of the houses are ugly.

nice things stuff a lot scared have to like kid mad get got then so fun good but awful great guy funny lots use want big small sad happy nice very bad real

Words support the ideas Vivid vocabulary that paints vivid pictures in the mind of the reader (e.g., imagery, figurative language) Active verbs, specific nouns, and original adjectives and/or compound words that enhance meaning Words that are varied, not repetitious Language and phrasing that is natural

The man went down the street. The cat made a noise. The dog barked at something. I was so happy. She cooked a dessert. The child cried when he dropped his ice cream. The girl looked nice. We were afraid when we looked down. The room did not smell good.