Painting pictures with words! Word Choice Painting pictures with words!

Definition Good writing contains strong, power words, including specific nouns and verbs. Power words help paint a picture for the reader. Word choice is about the use of rich, colorful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but also in a way that moves and enlightens the reader.

Painting Pictures with Words Word choice helps the reader see what the writer saw. Word choice uses “Show” sentences not “Tell” sentences.

Use Strong Nouns Vague Noun Strong Noun Tree Southern Oak Chair Dog Road Strong Noun Southern Oak Varnished, cedar rocking chair Bull-Terrier Red clay trail

Use Strong Verbs Weak verbs Ran Walk Look Strong verbs Dashed Stroll glance

The house needed repair Show - Not Tell Tell sentence The house needed repair Show sentence The paint was peeling from the walls, and the shingles hung on one nail. A window was broken and the screen door had a rip in it.

More Show – Not Tell A Sound of Thunder – by Ray Bradbury The tyrant lizard raised itself. Its armored flesh glittered like a thousand green coins. The coins, crusted with slime, steamed. In the slime tiny insects wriggled, so that the entire body seemed to twitch and undulate, even while the monster itself did not move. It exhaled. The stink of raw flesh blew down the wilderness.