1. The fourth element of the 6 + 1 Writing Traits
Word Choice
The fourth element of the Writing Traits

2. What is word choice?
Word choice is choosing words that can make your writing a masterpiece.
An author needs to paint a picture in the mind of the reader. Word choice can add color to your masterpiece.

3. How do I make good word choices?
Change dull verbs into colorful ones.
Use nouns that create a picture.
Colorful verbs and specific nouns are best but use adjectives and adverbs to add flavor to your writing.

4. Colorful Verbs The day was hot.
Choose verbs that create a picture in the mind of the reader.
Stay away from too many is, are, was, and were
The day was hot.
The July afternoon was scorching, it burned my feet on the sizzling sidewalk.

5. Specific Nouns Nouns are used to show who, what, or where.
When using nouns be specific
Dog – Dalmatian
Building – School
When using nouns think, could I be more specific? Do not leave it to the reader’s imagination.

6. Adverbs & Adjectives nearly, slowly, fast, badly
Adverbs show where, when, or how.
nearly, slowly, fast, badly
Adjectives describe a noun.
red, fat, strong, old, colorful
Use adverbs and adjectives to add color to your writing!

7. Make a Masterpiece!
Make a masterpiece using words. Think of words as the paint and the paper as the canvas. By choosing the most colorful and exciting words your writing can be a work of art!
What would happen with no color?

8. Implied Main Ideas
Anything you read has two basic parts: a main idea and the supporting details that explain and develop that idea.
The main idea is usually clearly stated in one sentence of a selection.
However, the main idea is sometimes implied—only suggested by the supporting details and not clearly stated in one sentence.
To figure out an implied main idea, you’ll need
to look at the supporting details.

9. What is the implied main idea of the cartoon?

10. You can figure out the implied main idea by looking at the supporting details: 1. The man’s coworkers are complaining that he doesn’t leave coffee for anyone else. 2. He has such a caffeine high that he is flying! The clearly implied idea is that he is drinking too much coffee.

11. Read the following paragraph and see if you can figure out its
main idea.
All people are concerned about a few great questions: the existence of God, the purpose
of life, the existence of an afterlife, and morality. About the first, science has nothing to say:
no test tube has either proved or disproved God’s existence. As to the purpose of life, although
science can provide a definition of life and describe the characteristics of living organisms,
it has nothing to say about ultimate purpose. Regarding an afterlife, science can offer no
information, for it has no tests that it can use to detect a “hereafter.” As for the question of
morality, science can demonstrate the consequences of behavior but not the moral superiority
of one action compared with another. Science cannot even prove that loving your family and
neighbor is superior to hurting and killing them.
The above paragraph has no good “umbrella” statement that covers all the
other sentences. To decide on the main idea, we must ask the same three
questions we’ve already used to find main ideas:
• Who or what is this paragraph about? (The answer is the topic
of the paragraph.)
• What is the main point the author is trying to make about that topic?
• Does all or most of the material in the paragraph support this main idea?

12. • Who or what is this paragraph about?
All people are concerned about a few great questions: the existence of God, the purpose of life, the
existence of an afterlife, and morality. About the first, science has nothing to say: no test tube has either
proved or disproved God’s existence. As to the purpose of life, although science can provide a definition of
life and describe the characteristics of living organisms, it has nothing to say about ultimate purpose.
Regarding an afterlife, science can offer no information, for it has no tests that it can use to detect a
“hereafter.” As for the question of morality, science can demonstrate the consequences of behavior but not
the moral superiority of one action compared with another. Science cannot even prove that loving your
family and neighbor is superior to hurting and killing them.
• Who or what is this paragraph about?
In the paragraph, all the details are about science and great human
concerns, so that must be the topic.
• What is the main point the author is trying to make about that topic?
Science alone cannot tell us about the four main concerns that all people have.
•Does all or most of the material in the paragraph support this main idea?
Yes. Every sentence is about the “great questions” people are concerned about and the lack of information science provides about them.

13. Parallelism
Writing with Clarity and Style!

14. Using parallel structure helps the reader to navigate your writing with ease.
Writing this way makes your essays clear and logical.

15. Basic Rules
Parallelism = Items in a list should be in the same format.
nouns, adjectives, and verbs in same style
Correct: My favorite hobbies include swimming, hiking, and walking.
Incorrect: My favorite hobbies include swimming, hiking, and to walk.

16. Advanced Parallelism
Use the same form not only for verb tenses, but for the construction of the sentence.
Before leaving for Miami, we had to pack some sun tan lotion, check our flight schedule, and call a taxi cab.

17. Introductory Phrases and Clauses

18. First, what is a phrase?
A phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject or a verb.
For example:
Eating a peach
Under the teacher’s desk
After seeing the Taj Mahal
To buy a new phone

19. What is a clause?
A clause is a group of words that does have both a subject and a verb.
For example:
After the rain stopped
They studied for the test
I decided to go home
Since the children are sleeping
The cage door was open

20. Before he lit the candle Alice wants to be an astronaut
Identify these as either phrases or clauses
Before baking a pie
Picking some apples
Before he lit the candle
Alice wants to be an astronaut
Although Alice wants to be an astronaut
Behind the couch
When I return from school
While juggling avocados

21. Introductory Phrases
After using an introductory phrase to begin a sentence, you may or may not need to add a comma.
If the introductory phrase is a short and simple prepositional phrase, you probably do not need a comma.
For example:
Under the bridge I met a kindly troll.
After dinner we went for a walk.
In France the students toured museums.

22. However, if the introductory phrase is a longer prepositional phrase, or if a comma will make the sentence clearer, use a comma.
After getting stung by a bee, Janice cried for hours.
Above the door of his bedroom, Alex’s little brother had placed a bucket of water.
In fact, facts provide useful information for research papers.

23. If the introductory phrase is any other type of phrase, use a comma.
For example:
Eating a peach, Caroline walked down the street.
To buy a new phone, David first needed to get a job.
Preparing to ride the giant rollercoaster, I took a deep breath.

24. Introductory Clauses
After using an introductory clause to begin a sentence, you must add either a comma, a semicolon, a comma with a conjunction, or a period.

25. If the clause can act as a full sentence (for example, “I decided to go home”), you must follow it with either a semicolon, a period, or a comma with a conjunction (and, but, for, so, or, etc.)
For example, any of these constructions are grammatically correct:
I decided to go home; I was tired of the zoo.
I decided to go home. I was tired of the zoo.
I decided to go home, for I was
tired of the zoo.

26. If the clause cannot act as a full sentence (for example, “After the rain stopped”), you must follow it with a comma.
For example:
After the rain stopped, the chickens emerged from their coop.
After the rain stopped, I splashed in the puddles.
After the rain stopped, the threat of a flood significantly decreased.

27. USING APOSTROPHES

28. Why Bother? We awoke to the smell of grandmothers cooking.

29. There are two uses for apostrophes.
1. To form contractions.
do + not = don’t
2. To show possession or ownership.
Jean’s essay was good.

30. 1. Forming Contractions I + am = I’m could + not = couldn’t
REMEMBER: The apostrophe marks the location of the missing letter! Don’t put it in the wrong place!
could’nt couldn’t
wrong
right!

31. Contractions and Formal Writing
Do not use contractions in formal writing. Always write the words out.
Informal:
Experts don’t agree on why people can’t seem to stick to their diets.
Formal:
Experts do not agree on why people cannot seem to stick to their diets.

32. 2a. Showing Possession Singular
the hat belonging to the girl = the girl’s hat
the coat belonging to the boy = the boy’s coat
the title belonging to the book = the book’s title
REMEMBER: You need to add both the apostrophe ' and the s

33. Tip!
Even when a singular noun already ends in -s, you must still add an apostrophe and an -s to form the possessive.
The class’s test scores were high.
Oscar Lewis’s article was interesting, but I disagree with much of what he said.

34. Singular Possessive Lincoln Universities mascot is the lion.
Lincoln University’s mascot is the lion.
My next clients appointment is at 1:00.
My next client’s appointment is at 1:00.

35. 2b. Showing Possession Plural
Form the possessive of plural nouns, including plural names, by adding just an apostrophe. No additional -s is needed after the apostrophe, because the plural noun already ends in an -s.
The five dogs’ water dishes were all empty.
The Stengles’ car is a Subaru.

36. Plural Possessive All three agencies directors are coming.
Those students excuses are unbelievable.
Those students’ excuses are unbelievable.

37. Here’s the Common Mistake!!
Don’t make a word possessive when it really is just a plain old plural.
The students’ did well plain old plural
The students’ success was well deserved. X
possessive

38. Another Tip!
You don’t always need an apostrophe to show possession. Personal pronouns do NOT use apostrophes to show possession, only to make contractions.
The dog wagged its tail. (“its” is a personal pronoun meaning “belonging to it”)
It’s really happy today. (“it’s” is a contraction for “it is”)

39. CAPITALIZATION 1. Capitalize names of particular persons or places.
2. Never capitalize a junior high school or high school unless it is the name of a specific school.
3. School subjects are not capitalized except for the names of language (English, Spanish, French, Latin, etc.).
4. Don't capitalize seasons--spring, winter, etc.
5.  Capitalize "north, east, south, west" when they indicate parts of the country. Example: I live in the South

40. 6. When these words indicate direction, don't capitalize them
6. When these words indicate direction, don't capitalize them. Example: To get to the farm, drive south on I-40.
7. Capitalize holidays. Example: Christmas, Easter, Halloween.
8.  Titles of people are capitalized when they are followed by the name. Example: President George Bush, Principal Bob Grimes.
9. Titles of people in very high national or state offices are often capitalized even when not followed by the name. Example: The President of the United States.
10. When the position is referred to instead of the person, the position is not capitalized. Example: The principal of Laney High School.

41. 11. Do not capitalize words of family relationship when used with a possessive pronoun. Example: Capitalize “Mom” or “Dad” when you use the words as if “Mom” or “Dad” were their proper names. Example: “Mom told you not to play basketball in the house.” DO NOT CAPITALIZE “mom” or “dad” if you say “my mom” or “your dad.” Example: “Your dad drives a nice car.”
12. Capitalize the first words and all important words in a title. Example: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
13. Capitalize words referring to a specific Deity. Example: God, Allah, Zeus