STANDARD II: The student will demonstrate appropriate word choice OBJECTIVE 1.Use words that create clarity, precision, and vivid description. Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Avoid redundancy/repetitive phrases in sentences. The architect plans to build a gymnasium to be constructed at the high school. (to build and to be constructed are repetitive) The architect plans to build a gymnasium at the high school. (more precise language) Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Use specific and precise references. We caught a lot of fish. (vague reference) We caught 8 trout. (precise reference) Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Do not use meaningless phrases. Wordy:The reason that he went to college was on account of the fact that he wanted to be a lawyer. Concise:He went to college because he wanted to be a lawyer. Examples of Meaningless Phrases It goes to show that On account of the fact Came to the realization that By virtue of the fact that It goes without saying that One of the most interesting After all is said and done As of the moment The reason is that In the nature of It is clear that On the whole As the case may be Serve the purpose of Some kind of Sort of Take the time Needless to say During the course of For the purpose of It is certain that it is obvious that in terms of It is a fact that It appears that Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Avoid talking around a subject. Some long phrases can be replaced with one or two words. Wordy:Due to the fact that the shirt had been put into the dryer, at this point in time the stain cant be removed. Concise:Because the shirt had been put into the dryer, now the stain cant be removed. Long Phrases & Concise Replacements Long Phrases At an early date Ahead of schedule At all times At the same time that At this point in time Despite the fact that By means of Due to the fact Is going to In my opinion Any one of the two In the near future Concise Soon Early Always Now Although By Because Will I think Either soon Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Use words effectively without using clichs or jargon. Clichs an overused phrase that has lost its effectiveness. Clichs:Always look on the bright side of life. Revised:Always have a positive attitude. Examples:hard as a rock, fat as a pig, last but not least, better late than never, a crying shame, flat as a pancake, raining cats and dogs, so far, so good, have the last laugh Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Jargon is the use of words that are unnecessarily technical, abstract, or pretentious. It can also be the specialized vocabulary of a profession, a social group, or a specific area of expertise, such as the medical field, computer technology, any sport, etc. Jargon:The speech clearly demonstrates linkages between procedures, personnel, and objectives. Revised:The speech shows the relationship among procedures, personnel, and objectives. Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Use vivid language to create an image. The bird flew in the air. (general, vague language) The red hawk soared through the midnight sky. (vivid imagery) Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 1.Choose the BEST way to rewrite the underlined part of the sentence. The architect designed plans to build a new stadium that is to be constructed at the new high school. A.stadium B.stadium being built C.new stadium to be constructed D.stadium that is to be constructed A Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 2.Choose the BEST way to rewrite the underlined part of the sentence. As soon as winter comes, theyll go skiing in the mountains. A.Next winter B.During the winter C.After the winter snow is falling D.Because the snow falls in winter A Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 3.Choose the BEST word or words to make the sentence clear and precise. The ________waves made swimming dangerous. A.big B.ten-foot C.powerful D.mountainous B Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 4.All four sentences express the same idea. Choose the sentence that expresses the idea most vividly. A.The hawk flew into the sky. B.The hawk rode a current higher and higher. C.The red-winged hawk flew quickly upward. D.The red-winged hawk, riding a thermal current, soared out of sight. D Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 5.All four sentences express the same idea. Choose the sentence that expresses the idea most vividly. A.The skater cried out as she fell on the ice and hit her knee. B.The skater screamed in pain when her knee hit the rock-hard ice. C.The skater called out when she was skating and her knee got hurt. D.The skater yelled when she landed on her knee while she was skating. B Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 6.All four sentences express the same idea. Choose the sentence that expresses the idea most precisely. A.The West is a place to study coyotes. B.The West is a good place to study things. C.A trip to the West can help a person learn about coyotes. D.A trip to the West is a way a person can learn about them. C Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Choose the best word or words that make the sentences sound clear and precise. 7.On Friday morning, Tommy plans to meet Joey ________. A.early B.at seven C.when the rooster crows D.as the sun comes over the horizon B Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 8.Choose the best word or words that make the sentences sound clear and precise. The florist created an arrangement with ________. A.nice flowers B.beautiful blossoms C.daisies and marigolds D.large pink and white blossoms C Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description Choose the best word or words that make the sentences sound clear and precise. 9.In his backpack were ______. A.many useful things for school B.several important school items C.books, notebooks, and supplies D.things that he needed during the day C Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid Description 10.All four sentences express the same idea. Choose the sentence that expresses the idea most vividly. A.The dog moved fast across the yard. B. The dog got rapidly across the entire yard. C. The dog raced energetically across the lawn. D.The dog ran quickly all the way across the lawn. C 11.All four sentences express the same idea. Choose the sentence that expresses the idea most precisely. A.The clerk painstakingly wrote every stock number on the receipt. B. The clerk took a long time writing the information on the receipt. C. The clerk took several minutes to write each detail on the receipt. D.The clerk took forever writing lots of specifics on the receipt. C STANDARD II: The student will demonstrate appropriate word choice OBJECTIVE 2. Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Formal language does not include the use of slang, contractions, clichs, second person pronouns, and/or jargon. You should not prepare the meal while watching the tube. (informal language because of the use of you, a second person pronoun; and the use of tube, slang for television) Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Slang means using words and expressions, such as aint and Whats up? Contractions are two words put together with an apostrophe, such as couldnt, wont, Ill. Second person uses you, such as You need to have self-respect to be happy. Jargon is the use of words that can be pretentious or unnecessary technical to impress. Examples are words, such as hypothesize, interface, prioritize. Clichs are overused expressions, such as white as snow. Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Formal language is used in reports, textbooks, research papers, speeches, business letter and course catalogs. Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Informal language allows for the use of slang, contractions, second person pronouns, and/or jargon. We didnt realize how close to the edge he had gotten. You never know when it might happen. Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately Informal language is used in conversations with friends and in friendly letters. Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 1.Choose the sentence that would be appropriate in a letter to a friend but NOT appropriate in a formal report. A.Most of them live in water, but a few species make their home on land. B.More than four thousand different types of crabs exist around the world. C.This is cool because crab claws are a favorite food of everyone I know. D.Depending on a crabs habitat, the size of its claw can vary considerably. C Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 2.Read the following paragraph from a formal report. Choose the sentence in which the language is inappropriate. (1) In a nuclear reaction, changes occur in the nucleus, or center, of an atom. (2) When two nuclei join in a nuclear reaction, the nucleus of a larger atom forms. (3) In this process that we call nuclear fusion, lots and lots of energy is released. (4) A high temperature and extreme pressure are necessary for nuclear fusion to occur. A.Sentence 1 B.Sentence 2 C.Sentence 3 D.Sentence 4 C Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 3.Choose the sentence that would be most appropriate in a formal paper. A.Jellyfish are a kind of simple animal with two layers of cells and jelly stuff in between. B.Jellyfish are simple animals with two layers of cells having a jelly-like substance between them. C.If you look carefully at jellyfish, youll find two layers of cells with jelly in between. D.Jellyfish are these simple animals with two layers of cells with a jelly substance between them. B Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 4.Choose the sentence that is appropriate in a research paper. A.Nebulae perform like magicians to turn stardust into human beings. B.Nebulae are vast clouds of gas where stars are forming. C.Nebulae may look like seashells, turtles, even butterflies. D.Nebulae can be some of the most beautiful objects in the universe. B Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 5.Identify the sentence that would be inappropriate for a formal course catalog. A.Insect relationships to habitats are recorded and interpreted. B.An introduction to the ethnic diversity of American literature is presented. C.Principles and techniques of field measurement for grasslands, shrub lands, and woodlands are explained. D.An in-depth exploration of history, technique, and everything you need to know about filmmaking is offered. D Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 6.Choose the sentence that would be appropriate in a letter to a friend, but not in a formal report. A.Mount Everest remains the tallest of all mountains. B.Some differences of height measurements have occurred since a survey in C.I havent yet climbed Mount Everest, but I hope someday to have a chance to try. D.The mountain named K-2 was measured at 29,000 feet and is the second tallest mountain. C Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 7.Choose the sentence that would be most appropriate in a formal letter. A.They say Armenian men expect to live to 69 years and women to live 7 years more, to 76 years. B.For all the millions of Armenian people, there are only a couple thousand trains and cars. C.Armenian decided it wanted to be independent about the time other Soviet countries did. D.Since declaring independence, Armenia, a former Soviet Union country, has established a republic. D Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 8.Read the following paragraph from a formal report. Choose the sentence in which the language is inappropriate. (1)Lightning is a huge electrical spark that discharges electrical energy. (2) The type of lightning determines the length of the flash that is visible. (3) Lightning that zaps between a cloud and the ground could maybe be about nine miles in length. (4) A flash of lightning that travels between two clouds can be more than 90 miles long. A.Sentence 1 B.Sentence 2 C.Sentence 3 D.Sentence 4 C Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 9.Choose the sentence that would be most appropriate in a formal paper. A.Even with all that, there were four countries with more gold medals. B.I couldnt believe that the United States won 13 gold medals that same year. C.In 1994, for the first time, winning athletes received money as well as medals. D.Bonnie Blair, who speed skates, won five of the medals; you wonder how she could win that many. C Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately 10.Choose the sentence that is appropriate in a research paper. A.Whether to proceed further is really your call. B.Whether to proceed further isnt a matter of law. C.Whether to proceed further depends upon several factors. D.Whether you proceed further depends on several factors. C