EXERCISING WORD CHOICE

Manipulating words for your benefit

English 0100

Noun- The name of a person, place or thing.

Pronoun - Used in the place of a noun.
Verb- Shows what the subject does or what happens to it

Identify the nouns, pronouns and verbs in the

sentence below.

I was almost to the door when he

stopped me.
PARTS OF SPEECH

Adverb- Describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb

Adjective- Describes a noun

Identify the adjectives and adverbs in the

sentence below.

He sighed loudly and went back to

his big desk.

PARTS OF SPEECH

Preposition-

Shows the relationship of a noun or

pronoun to another part of the sentence
Conjunction Joins words, phrases, or clauses
Interjections - Words used to express strong
emotion or feeling
Identify the prepositions, conjunctions, and
interjections in the sentences below.

Oh, thank you, sir!

He sighed loudly and went back to his big desk.
PARTS OF SPEECH

GROUP ACTIVITY
Parts of Speech Sort- You have
two minutes to sort each word
in the sentences provided into
the correct part of speech.

SENTENCE # 1

At the end of the day, Mr.

Schmidt winked at me.

SENTENCE # 1 ANSWERS
At- Preposition
The- adjective
End- noun
of preposition
The- adjective
Day- noun
Mr. Schmidt- noun
Winked- verb
At- preposition
Me- pronoun

SENTENCE # 2

He turned to me and asked

quietly.

SENTENCE # 2 ANSWERS
He- pronoun
Turned- verb
To- preposition
Me- pronoun
And- conjunction
Asked- verb
Quietly- adverb

SENTENCE # 3

He went back to hoeing

the weeds that sprang up
between the delicate little
bean plants.

SENTENCE # 3 ANSWERS
He- pronoun
went- verb
Back- adverb
To- preposition
Hoeing- verb
The- adjective
weeds- noun
that- pronoun
Sprang- verb
Up- preposition
Between- preposition
the- adjective
delicate- adjective
Little- adjective
bean- adjective
Plants- noun

SENTENCE # 4

Tell your principal I will

not pay the fifteen
dollars.

SENTENCE # 4 ANSWERS
Tell- verb
Your- pronoun
Principal- noun
I- pronoun
Will verb
Not- adverb
Pay- verb
The- adjective
Fifteen- adjective
Dollars- noun

SENTENCE # 5

I cleared my throat
nervously and clasped my
hands behind my back so
he would not see them
shaking.

SENTENCE # 5 ANSWERS
I pronoun
Cleared- verb
My- pronoun
Throat- noun
Nervously- adverb
And- conjunction
Clasped- verb
My- pronoun
Hands- noun

Behind adverb
My- pronoun
Back noun
So- pronoun
He- pronoun
Would- verb
Not- adverb
See- verb
Them pronoun
Shaking- verb

WORD CHOICE

Emphasizing word choice is important while writing.

Sometimes you may have a sentence that is dull in your
paragraph, and you can use a synonym to make it a little
more interesting or thought provoking.

EXERCISING WORD CHOICE

Synonyms:

A word or phrase that

means the same, or nearly the same
as another word or phrase.
Antonyms: A word or phrase that
means the opposite or nearly the
opposite from another word or phrase.
Homonyms: Ahomonymis a word
that is said or spelled the same way
as another word but has a
differentmeaning.

VOCABULARY WORDS- LIST # 1 THE

SCHOLARSHIP JACKET
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.
11.
12.

Agile(adjective):able to move quickly and easily

Despair(verb):to feel that everything is wrong and that nothing will
improve
Eavesdrop(verb):to listen secretly to what someone else is saying
Falsify(verb):to add untrue or made-up details; to fake
Resign(verb):to formally announce that one is leaving a job or position
Dismay(noun):a strong feeling of fear, worry, or sadness that is caused
by something unpleasant and unexpected
Dignity(noun):a sense of importance and value; pride; self-respect
Muster(verb):to gather up (emotions)
Significance(noun):the importance that something has, usually
because it will have an effect on a situation or shows something about a
situation
Withdrawn(adjective):very quiet; not wanting to talk to others
Gaunt(adjective):very thin
Vile(adjective):unpleasant, disgusting

EXERCISING WORD CHOICE

Jeremy

made up documents to apply to

BTVI.
Even though she was tired at the end of
the race, she gathered up the energy to
keep going until the end.
As she stood across from him, she said
words of self-hatred and hopelessness.

GROUP ACTIVITY
In your groups, compose
sentences to describe the
following pictures. You
will have two minutes for
each sentence.

WARNING!
It is possible to overuse the thesaurus!

Remember: The best writing is not an essay or story

filled with big words; rather, they draw the reader in
with the human connection.

Read critically
Write consciously
Speak Clearly
Tell your truth
- Clint Smith

OBJECTIVES
Reinforce parts of speech and vocabulary
definitions
Analyze point of view and diction in reading.
Begin the first steps in the writing process
Demonstrate paragraph structure

Reading
critically

DO NOW: VOCABULARY AND PARTS

OF SPEECH DRILL
1. Which is a way to falsifyforging a signature or
correcting an error?
2. Would an agile person be more likely to sing well or
run quickly?
3. If I began to despair, would I more likely mingle with
others or keep to myself?
4. Which is the more vile materialrotting garbage or
rose petals?
5. Would losing ones glasses or having lunch with friends
more likely cause dismay?
6. If you were going to eavesdrop, would you talk on the
phone or listen behind a door?

IDENTIFY THE PART OF SPEECH

My oldest sister,
Rosie, had won the
jacket a few years
back, and I fully
expected to also.

POINT OF VIEW
First-Person:

When a story is told from the first-person point of

view:
the narrator is a character in the story
tells the story using the pronouns I, me, we, and us
tells the story as he or she experiences it.
As you read The Scholarship Jacket, notice how the
information you receive is limited to what the narrator
sees, hears, thinks, and feels.

ANALYZING WORD CHOICE IN

LITERATURE
Who is the narrator? What have you learned from
her in the first few paragraphs?
Reread lines 4655. How does the argument
between Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Boone make
Martha feel?
Look at the authors diction (word choice)
and imagery (descriptive language).
Underline/highlight areas where her word
choice and descriptive language helped to
reveal Marthas point of view.

ANALYZING WORD CHOICE IN

LITERATURE
Martha first finds out about the situation
with the scholarship jacket, she is hurt and
upset: she felt a feeling of shock that rooted
[her] flat against the wall as if I were trying
to blend in with the graffiti written there
(Paragraph 4) and a pounding in [her] ears
(Paragraph 7); a small sound of dismay
escaped [her] throat (Paragraph 10).

ANALYZING WORD CHOICE IN

LITERATURE
When she is forced to confront her
grandfather about her predicament, Salinas
use of diction and imagery reveals Marthas
anxiety her eyes were red and puffy
(Paragraph 12), she cleared [her] throat
nervously and clasped [her] hands behind
[her] back so he wouldnt see them shaking;
her words came out in an eager rush
(Paragraph 16).

ANALYZING WORD CHOICE IN

LITERATURE
When she gets the answer she was dreading
from him, she wrestles with hiding her
feelings of dismay, but is determined to
appear strong and dignified. She says that she
sat very straight in [her] chair (Paragraph
23), forcing [her] eyes to stay dry
(Paragraph 27), even though she could feel
[her] heart pounding loudly in [her] chest and
see [her] blouse fluttering... [and] something
bitter and vile tasting was coming up in [her]
mouth

ANALYZING WORD CHOICE IN

LITERATURE
(Paragraph 29). When she finally gets the
justice she deserves, she feels as though
something was pumping through [her],
making [her] feel as tall as the sky
(Paragraph 31). Salinas ends the story with
Martha on a high, skipping home, whistling
some silly tune (Paragraph 37).

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Marthas grandfather says little, but his words and
actions mean much to Martha. What does Martha
learn from him? Explain how you came to this
conclusion. (Hint: Examine the authors diction)

Tell your
truth

FREEWRITING
Think: What is your dream? What obstacles might you
encounter while working to make your dream come true?
Share: With a small group of classmates, discuss your
dream for the future. What obstacles might you
encounter while working to make your dream come true?
Then, discuss ways to overcome each obstacle.
Write: After your discussion, take five to ten minutes to
write down your thoughts. Dont worry about structure,
spelling and grammar right now. Simply get all of your
thoughts on paper.
Underline a sentence that stands out to you the most.

Write
consciously

PARAGRAPH COMPOSITION
MODEL

HOMEWORK # 2
Read Grassroots chapter 9- Subject-verb agreement
Next week
Remember, your first homework assignment is due
next week Monday first thing. On my deskno
exceptions
Please post your paragraph responses onto moodle.
The due date is Friday. Remember to check it in
Microsoft word for spelling and grammar errors.
Bonus points if you respond to a classmates response.
First Quiz will be on Jan. 25/26- Parts of Speech,
vocabulary, synonyms antonyms, homonyms

HOMEWORK
Buy the paper tomorrow. Look for any stories
that interest you that may have some relation to
our story. (discrimination, doing the right thing,
remaining silent when it counts) Bring it to share
in our next class for bonus points (5)
Start gathering your thoughts for your paragraph
submission on Moodle- use bullet points and just
write what you think about the topic/question
presented.

VOCABULARY WORDS- LIST # 1 THE

SCHOLARSHIP JACKET
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Agile
Despair
Eavesdrop
Falsify
Resign
Dismay
Dignity
Muster
Significance
Withdrawn
Gaunt
Vile

DO NOW: VOCABULARY AND PARTS

OF SPEECH DRILL
1. Which is a way to falsifyforging a signature or
correcting an error?
2. Would an agile person be more likely to sing well or
run quickly?
3. If I began to despair, would I more likely mingle with
others or keep to myself?
4. Which is the more vile materialrotting garbage or
rose petals?
5. Would losing ones glasses or having lunch with friends
more likely cause dismay?
6. If you were going to eavesdrop, would you talk on the
phone or listen behind a door?

B. VOCABULARY PRACTICE. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH

THE CORRECT WORD FROM YOUR VOCABULARY LIST.

1. She unhappily swallowed the

medicine.
2. He would often
on his parents
conversations.
3. He tried not to
over the terrible news.
4. She climbed the tree in a very
manner.
5. There was a look of
when she received the news.
6. Dont
the records to hide the truth.