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Trait #3 – Word Choice. 6 Traits of Good Writing. A Definition. In good writing, word choice is clear, precise and colorful. Marked by thoughtful selection of words and phrases that convey both meaning and attitude or mood. Words are spent like money, making each one count.
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Trait #3 – Word Choice 6 Traits of Good Writing
A Definition • In good writing, word choice is clear, precise and colorful. • Marked by thoughtful selection of words and phrases that convey both meaning and attitude or mood. • Words are spent like money, making each one count. • Strong verbs give writing energy, while truckloads of adjectives and adverbs do little more than weigh the text down. • Strong word choice is free of fluffy language: nice, fun, wonderful, great. • Clean, clear, and to the point – sometimes quotable.
Student Checklist for Word Choice • I chose my words carefully to make the message clear. • The language is well-suited to my topic and audience. • Strong verbs give my writing energy and power. • Some words create vivid images or sensory impressions. • The writing is concise. Every word carries its own weight. • I avoided vague, overused words like great, nice, exciting, or special. • The language is natural, not overdone. I was writing to be clear, not to impress. • I avoided redundancy, using repetition only for emphasis or when necessary.
Stronger Verbs: Look at the boldfaced words. Do they work – or can you think of a stronger alternative? Crickwing hid until the next night, when hunger sent him out to look for a meal. But as soon as he had added the final flower petal to his dinner, an enormous, scaly lizard nearly swallowedhim down. Crickwingmoved, and the lizard left with his edible artwork. “Another masterpiece – ruined!” Crickwingsaid. “I’m starving and my wing hurts. I don’t know if I can take this much longer.” The next night things got even worse. An ocelot jumped and nearly hurtCrickwing. When he moved off, the ocelot took him up in her massive paw and threw him high into the air. “Oh nooo!” Crickwingsaid. “Not again!”
Analogies and Similes – from High School Essays (Could you do better?) • Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a thigh master. • She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature beef. • He was as tall as a six foot three inch tree. • The revelation that his 30 year marriage had disintegrated came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM. • The boat glided gracefully over the lake, just the way a bowling ball wouldn’t. • Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze.
Analogies and Similes continued • The whole scene had a surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7 instead of 7:30. • John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met. • He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was East River. • The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating. • The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant. • She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs. • He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he heard bells, like the bells you hear when the garbage truck backs up. • Her vocabulary was as bad as…. Whatever.
Your turn: analogies and similes • Her face was a _______________ • Her hair glistened in the rain like ______________ • The whole scene had a surreal quality, like __________________ • She walked into my office like _______________ • Her vocabulary was as bad as ______________ Do five analogies or similes. They do not have to be these five, they can be any of the others. Change them when they fall flat.
Meaning and Mood – words can change the entire meaning and mood of your sentence and paper! • Begin with the following sentence: • Paul went down the road. • Change the verb to make Paul seem: • Exhausted • Hot • Frightened • Lost • In a hurry • Nervous • Ecstatic • Very Young • Angry • Excited • Very old
Word Gallery Walk • Step 1 – Divide into groups of 4 • Step 2 – Find a WORD poster and stand next to it. • Step 3 – Choose one word that you could use in a paper to mean the same thing. Bury the old word and use the new. • Step 4 – Write the new word on the poster (neatly)!
