Word Choice

Specific An average writer will use general words like “shoes” and “equipment.” A better writer will use “cleats” and “catcher’s mitt.” An average writer will use common verbs like “said,” “came,” and “had.” A better writer will use “stammered,” “arrived,” and “owned.”

Vivid Use words that appeal to the senses. “gleaming” instead of “very shiny.” “earsplitting” instead of “noisy.” “bitter” instead of “bad tasting.”

Varied Use a variety of words and use synonyms for overused words. Instead of “smart” use “talented,” “ingenious,” “resourceful,” “shrewd.” Instead of “angry” use “irate,” “fuming,” “raging,” “indignant,” “furious.”

Use strong, energetic verbs “Like a big, ugly monster, the train bellowed and roared, as it thundered through the mountain. Frantically, it dove in and out of the mountain’s caverns, hurling me against the side of my seat. I could feel the icy air whip and bite at my cheeks, and tears peeked out from my eyes because of this—they, too wanted to witness what was happening. A howling scream that no man could create penetrated my ears. At one point, an immense white-furred creature with fiery eyes leaped out into the train’s path.

Use active voice Avoid overusing “to be” verbs No qualifiers: kind of, perhaps, seems like, sort of, could be No absolutes: always, everybody, nobody, never No empty expressions: basically, obviously, surely, certainly, very.

Sentence Structure Any run ons or fragments lower your score to a 3 or lower, unless they are used with a purpose. Vary your sentence lengths. Vary your sentence beginnings. Use semi-colons, colons, and dashes to develop more sophisticated syntax.

Use all four types of sentences Simple: consists of one independent clause. I walked to the store. Compound: consists of two of more independent clauses connected with a conjunction or semi-colon. I walked to the store, and my cat followed me. Complex: consists of one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses. Whenever I walk to the store, my cat follows me. Compound\complex: consists of two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses. Whenever I walk to the store, my cat follows me, and I have to carry him home.

To earn a 5 you need to use structure to enhance the meaning and purpose of your writing. Purposeful use of sentence lengths and fragments are ways to do this You could also do this through effective use of parallelism, a technique used to show that two or more ideas are equally important by stating them in grammatically parallel form. “I came; I saw; I conquered.” –Julius Caesar “We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” –Ben Franklin

“He stood with the body in his arms in the silent room and cold facts battered him like waves sweeping in from the sea: she was dead; she was white; she was a woman; he had killed her; he was black; he might be caught; he did not want to be caught; if he were they would kill him.” -James Baldwin Native Son