AIS Unit 1 Directions:

Section 1:

Descriptive Words:

  • Choose 15 sentences to add or change two words in to make the sentence more descriptive.
  • DO NOT just change the word to another word that means the same thing.
  • Think of adding things that answer how many, what size, what color, how did they complete the task?
  • Billy walked to class.  Billy slowly walked to class dragging his feet.
  • I rode my bike today.  I quickly rode my shiny red bike today.

Overused Words:

  • The following words are the most overused words in the English language: very, say (said), nice, went, good, love, walk. Your job is to make these sentences more clear by using vocabulary that gives more meaning to the sentence than these overused words.
  • There are four sentences for every box. Pick two sentences for every box to think of new words for.
  • Ex. I was very upset about class today.  I was genuinely upset about class today.
  • DON’T use the same word twice.

Section 2:

Colloquialisms, Slang, & Jargon:

  • Read the difference between what these terms mean.
  • Answer 10 out of the 18 identification sentences and underline the words that help you identify these categories.

Using Words To Create Tone In Writing:

  • Choose 9 of the sets to complete.
  • The first sentence is written for you, all you need to do is identify the tone.
  • Tone is how what you read makes YOU the reader feel.
  • Next, you will need to rewrite the sentence by changing a couple of the words to make the tone something different and then identify what that tone is.
  • Ex. The night was dark and stormy.  Eerie tone
  • The night was serene and peaceful.  Calm tone

Analyzing the Effect of Word Choice on Tone:

  • Read three of the paragraphs.
  • After reading the paragraph identify the tone in the box.
  • Then write at least 3 words that helped you identify the tone.

Section 3:

Synonyms & Antonyms

  • List two synonyms for the words in the synonym box.
  • List one antonym for the words in the antonym box.
  • DO NOT complete the reading or responses for Oliver Twist.

Section 4:

The Denotation and Connotation of Words:

  • Read the definitions of denotation and connotation and look at the example given.
  • Choose five of the sentences to complete the denotation and connotation boxes for.
  • **Be sure to pay attention to the bold words.
  • What do they mean literally? (Denotation)
  • What do they mean figuratively? (Connotation)

Positive, Negative, & Neutral Connotations:

  • Only to be completed if extra practice is needed.

Understanding Connotation:

  • Once you are on this sheet, you must see me so we can complete number one together.
  • After we complete #1 as an example, you must choose five of the other sentences to explain your understanding of the connotations between the two different words in bold in the sentence.

Section 5:

Commonly Confused Words:

  • Be sure to read the difference between the two words that they give you. These are the words that are commonly confused, so take your time with this.
  • You will complete ALL of the sentences on these sheets except:
  • Proscribe & Prescribe

Section 6:

  • You will not complete this section unless extra practice is needed.