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Word Choice

Word Choice. English 1, September 6 th 2011. What is Word Choice?. It is the use of specific language within a text that allows the reader to better connect with the story and it’s characters.

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Word Choice

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  1. Word Choice English 1, September 6th 2011

  2. What is Word Choice? • It is the use of specific language within a text that allows the reader to better connect with the story and it’s characters. • It can take many different forms, depending on what the author wants its readers to know and how he or she wants the characters within the story to be portrayed.

  3. Word Choice = Engaging and Expressive Language • Words and phrases in personal narratives that are interesting for the reader • Incorporate the five senses: see, hear, touch, taste, smell • Allow the reader to create an accurate picture of the story in their minds, and feel as if they are in the story with the characters

  4. Example • EXAMPLE: I walked over to the sad boy to help him feel better. • BORING WORDS: walked, sad, feel better • REPLACE THEM WITH: strode, troubled, cheer him up • NEW SENTENCE: I strode over to the troubled boy to help cheer him up.

  5. Why is this important? • We want our readers to be engaged! • In literacy, we identified use of engaging word choice • Being able to identify it as readers will help us be able to use it effectively in our writing as well!

  6. HOW TO USE ENGAGING AND EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE IN A TEXT: • Read through your narrative • As you read through the text, circle words that are considered common/boring: words that fail to put that image of the story in the reader’s mind • Look through your text again, specifically at the circled words; ask yourself, “what word would be better used here that would really describe to my reader EXACTLY what is happening in this moment of the story? (Hint: the thesaurus is your friend!)

  7. My example I woke up. I looked over at the clock, and saw that it was 6:00 and I was running late. I got out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs for some breakfast before catching the bus at 6:15. What a busy morning!

  8. How does this character feel? Can we get these feelings from this text? • Is the character scared of being late? • Does she care if she misses the bus? • Is she moving slowly or quickly? • We don’t know ANY of this from the text given to us.

  9. I woke up. I looked over at the clock, and saw that it was 6:00 and I was running late. I got out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs for some breakfast before catching the bus at 6:15. What a busy morning!

  10. Woke: I could spice up that word with something like arose • Looked: peered, glanced, surveyed, stared • Saw: realized, recognized, discovered • Running late: severely behind schedule • Got: sprang, tumbled, scrambled • Got dressed: threw on clothes, frantically grabbed clothing to put on • Went: bounded, sprinted • Catching: apprehending • Busy: crazy, chaotic, stressful • Also: -woke up with a start -looked quickly

  11. I woke up with a start. I glanced over at the clock, and realized that it was 6:00 and I was running late. I sprang out of bed, threw on some clothes, and bounded down the stairs for some breakfast before barely catching the bus at 6:15. What a stressful morning!

  12. In Groups • I stood, watching as the bird landed on the nest. The momma bird fed her babies and then flew away. I looked away from the babies, thinking about what the babies would do while their mom was gone.

  13. HOW TO USE ENGAGING AND EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE IN A TEXT: • Read through your narrative • As you read through the text, circle words that are considered common/boring: words that fail to put that image of the story in the reader’s mind • Look through your text again, specifically at the circled words; ask yourself, “what word would be better used here that would really describe to my reader EXACTLY what is happening in this moment of the story? (Hint: the thesaurus is your friend!)

  14. What words did you circle? • Why did you circle those words? • How do these words fail to convey an image of the situation in your mind? • With this list of words, what are some suggestions of words/phrases that you would include in this text instead? • How do these words work to convey that picture in a way that the common words failed to?

  15. Word Choice Game! • In groups, you will have 20 seconds to come up with as many synonyms to each boring word as possible. • If you have a word other groups have, you get 1 point • It your word is NOT a synonym, you get 0 points • If you have a word that other groups do NOT have, you get 2 points

  16. Word #1 VERY

  17. Word #2 Said

  18. Word #3 Mad

  19. Word #4 Good

  20. Word #5 Sad

  21. Word #6 Cool

  22. Word #7 Happy

  23. Word #8 Fun

  24. Exit Ticket • Complete your exit ticket and turn it in on your way out of class.

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