The Six Traits

1. Trait Introduction: Word Choice The Six Traits The Six Traits of Writing represent the things that we can observe, assess, revise, and edit in any piece of writing.

2. Trait Introduction: Word Choice Focus on Word Choice Good word choice means that clear and precise nouns and verbs carry the message, supported by carefully selected adjectives and adverbs.

3. Trait Introduction: Word Choice Good word choice is easy to recognize. Read the following rough draft. The word choice is weak. Nouns and verbs are neither clear nor specific. Modifiers are vague and weak. As the storm approached, dark clouds covered the sun, and the wind began to blow really hard. There was thunder, lightning, and a lot of rain.

4. Trait Introduction: Word Choice Good word choice is easy to recognize. Now read the final draft, which has been revised to improve word choice. As the thunderstorm loomed, a towering wall of black clouds totally eclipsed the sun, and the wind began to howl like a pack of angry wolves. Thunder boomed and rolled, shaking the windows of the house. Lightning cracked violently, and rain poured from the sky.

5. Trait Introduction: Word Choice What makes the word choice better in the second sample? As the thunderstorm loomed, a towering wall of black clouds totally eclipsed the sun, and the wind began to howl like a pack of angry wolves. Thunder boomed and rolled, shaking the windows of the house. Lightning cracked violently, and rain poured from the sky. The author uses nouns that are clear and precise.

6. Trait Introduction: Word Choice What makes the word choice better in the second sample? As the thunderstorm loomed, a towering wall of black clouds totally eclipsed the sun, and the wind began to howl like a pack of angry wolves. Thunder boomed and rolled, shaking the windows of the house. Lightning cracked violently, and rain poured from the sky. The author uses verbs that are precise and very descriptive. They show the actions very clearly.

7. Trait Introduction: Word Choice What makes the word choice better in the second sample? As the thunderstorm loomed, a towering wall of black clouds totally eclipsed the sun, and the wind began to howl like a pack of angry wolves. Thunder boomed and rolled, shaking the windows of the house. Lightning cracked violently, and rain poured from the sky. The author carefully selects just the right adjectives to describe some of the nouns.

8. Trait Introduction: Word Choice What makes the word choice better in the second sample? As the thunderstorm loomed, a towering wall of black clouds totally eclipsed the sun, and the wind began to howl like a pack of angry wolves. Thunder boomed and rolled, shaking the windows of the house. Lightning cracked violently, and rain poured from the sky. The author carefully selects just the right adverbs to support some of the verbs.

9. Trait Introduction: Word Choice Figurative Language Writers sometimes choose words that are figurative to describe or compare things. Here are some examples: Simile: Comparing two things using like or as The night was black as ink. Metaphor: Describing one thing as if it were something else The silver moon was a bright hole in the sky. Personification: Assigning human traits to non-human things Our campfire danced and whispered. Idiom: Using commonly known expressions to explain or describe After laughing and telling stories around the campfire, we decided to hit the sack.

10. Trait Introduction: Word Choice Remember! • Good word choice means choosing clear and precise nouns and verbs. • Good word choice means supporting some nouns and verbs with well-chosen adjectives and adverbs. • Good word choice sometimes means using figurative language.