A Good Vocabulary Will Improve Your Child's Writing Skills

TutorGiant.com

     The choice of words your child uses is critical for optimal writing. 

     Having a strong vocabulary is essential for your child to convey meaning.  The variety of words that are used in a piece of writing create a rich and colorful form of communication that involves the reader.  Good word choice clarifies, illustrates, and expands ideas. 

     The focus of good word choice skills is not to impress the reader (or teacher) with a strong vocabulary; rather, it provides the writer with a more rounded use of everyday words.  Students should focus on using proper words in the correct context in order to improve writing skills.

     After your child writes his/her rough draft of a piece of writing, review the following tips in order to improve his/her choice of words.

·         The words are specific and used in the correct context (e.g. instead of , “He walked down the road,” we can write, “He casually sauntered down the road,”)

·         Words should ‘strike’ the reader’s eyes and remain in their minds.

·         The sentences should be natural and appropriate for the reader (i.e. is the writing intended for an adult, teen…? Is the reader a teacher or someone else?)

·         Use lively verbs (e.g. instead of ‘ran away’ we could write ‘darted off’) to add energy to the text.

·         Incorporate colorful adjectives in order to paint a better picture.

·         Use a thesaurus or a word processor ‘synonym’ tool.

·         Don’t try too hard.  Difficult words and an over abundance of colorful adjectives can easily tire out a reader.

     You can use these strategies to help your child to create an engaging piece of writing that clearly conveys a message in an interesting and natural way.   

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