The “Nitty Gritty” Writer’s Practice Guide USING VIVID IMAGERY PLC Activity 4th Grade S. Boyd 2009/2010

WORD IMAGES Authors use words to “paint” pictures in our minds about the stories they write… If the words are dull & lifeless, we can’t “see” the pictures in our head. …walked …went These words don’t give us enough information to imagine the events clearly. We only have a faint idea what’s happening… …said

VIBRANT & VIVID WORDS NOW, it’s your turn… Vibrant, vivid words help us see, hear, feel, smell, and taste exactly what the author intended us to imagine… “munched” is more vivid than “ate”… “argued” is more precise than “said”… “squealed” is more vibrant than “laughed”… “shrieking” is more vivid than “yelling” “bawling” is more precise than “crying”… NOW, it’s your turn…

WHICH WORD? In each pair of words, delete the vague word & leave only the more precise term. dark gloomy hurled threw said bellowed raced ran exclaimed answered looked gazed

CAN YOU “PICTURE” THIS? Delete the words below that are faint & fuzzy. Only leave words on the screen that “paint” a picture in your mind. told gobbled whispered said mean little peered good slammed looked gigantic ran bad whined strolled tattled big devilish drooling plopped walked

“SEEING” THE DIFFERENCE? In each pair of sentences, underline the sentence that creates a more vivid picture in your mind. The old witch laughed loudly. The withered witch laughed like wild animals screeching. The blustery wind moaned as it rattled the windows. The strong wind blew outside our house. The tired baby sobbed softly. The little baby cried a lot.

YOUR TURN… Change the colored words in the next few paragraphs to more vibrant, precise terms. Be sure they “paint” a more vivid picture in your mind about what’s happening in the story…

The Walk Home The bell rang and I walked toward home. It was such a nice day that I decided to take a shortcut. I saw a mist coming toward me. Before I realized it, the mist had surrounded me. It was thick and I couldn’t see a thing, but I heard strange noises. It was scary.

The Adventures of the Lost Quarter I’m a lost quarter that a little boy found laying on the sidewalk. He picked me up and dropped me into his pocket. It was dark and dirty inside, but I wasn’t alone. I bumped into a plastic bug, an old rubber band, a little toy car, some foil, and a piece of gum. I looked around for a way out, found a hole, and fell to the ground below. I hope my next adventure is more fun.

If you wish to save your work to show your teacher how your writing is improving, follow these directions: Click file Save As Select your H drive Rename the file: Vivid Words Hit Save