Elaborating: Specific Adjectives

Shawn Reavis-Long

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help students improve their descriptive writing skills and be able to identify adjectives.

Materials: Pencil, transparency pen

Overhead projector

Lists of sensory words for each student

Copy of worksheet for each student

Copy of worksheet as overhead

Time:

Approximately 15-20 minutes

Objectives:

NCTE Standards

• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

NCSCS Standards

• Competency Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.

6.01:(6^th grade) Demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:

• Demonstrating the different roles of the parts of speech in sentence construction.

Script: Say: Who can tell me the parts of speech? (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun) Today we are going to talk about adjectives. What do adjectives do? (describe a noun; tell how many, what kind)

Pass out lists of adjectives, sensory words. As you pass out the papers, have a student or students pick out some favorite or interesting words. Pass out worksheet. Place overhead on projector.

Read directions on worksheet. Go over example and #1. Call on students to complete 2-5; several students may do the same one depending on answers. Have students complete worksheet on their own.

Sensory Words for Describing Animals and People

Eyes Beady Black Blue Bright Brilliant Brown Clear Dazzling Dark Dreamy Dull Enormous Expressive Flashing Flaming Glaring Gleaming Glistening Glowing Gray Large Laughing Oval Radiant Shimmering Sparkling Starry Wide Ears Droopy Floppy huge Pointed Rounded Small

Stature/Body Build Bent Big Bulky Chubby Colossal Crooked Enormous Fat Gigantic Graceful Grotesque Heavy Huge Immense Large Light Little Long Massive Minute Petite Portly Short Skinny Small Stout Tall Thin Tiny Towering Tail Flat Long Short Stubby Thin

Hair/Body Covering Bald Black blonde Brown Brunette Coarse Crinkled Curly Dark Feathered Fluffy Glistening Golden Green Gray Long Multicolored Red Scaly Short Smooth Spotted Straight Thick White Yellow Complexion Black Blushing Dark Light Pale Radiant Rosy Ruddy Tan White Wizened Wrinkled

Sounds Bark bawl Bleat Cackle Coo Crook Cry Groan Growl Hoot Howl Hiss Peep Purr Scream Snarl Snort Tweet Wail Shine Personality Bold Ferocious Fierce Generous Gently Happy Kingly Mean Shy Vicious

Sensory Words for Describing Objects

Size/Weight Bulky Colossal Enormous Gigantic Huge Tiny Immense Huge Massive Minute Towering Light Shape Broad Crooked Curved Deep Shallow Square Round Oblong Tapered Many sided Indiscriminate

Color Flaming Dart Bright Glowing Flashing Dull Pale Flickering Glaring Dazzling Radiant Colorful Shiny Multicolored Texture Bumpy Crinkled Fluffy Muddy Rippling Shear Wispy Cold Icy Hot warm Smooth Rough Grainy Sandy Moist Dry Satiny Silky Velvety Oily Slippery Uneven Jagged Prickly Hairy Shaggy

Cool Cuddly Elastic Tickly Moist Damp Downy Hard Slimy Sharp Sticky Soft Solid Gooey Gritty Dull Fury Greasy Earthy Lukewarm Rubbery Tepid Slushy Wet

Sound Thumping Squeaking Tinkling Ringing Clanging Sizzling Screeching Hissing Humming Rustling Buzzing Popping Splashing Thudding Snapping Odor Antiseptic Burning Clean Fresh Fragrant Medicinal Musty Pungent Putrid Strong Sweet

ELABORATING: SPECIFIC ADJECTIVES

Specific adjectives strengthen elaboration in writing by creating images for the reader (a way to show the reader what you mean)

Exercise 1:

The following phrases have vague, nondescript adjectives. Substitute specific adjectives.

Example: a great day a warm, sunny vacation day

1. the pretty leaves the _______________________ leaves

2. a neat outfit _____________________________ outfit

3. an interesting movie ______________________________ movie

4. a nice basket ______________________________ basket

5. a cool teacher ______________________________teacher

Add specific adjectives to each of the following sentences.

6. I sit on the _____________ porch and watch the _______________________

squirrels ________________________________________________________.

7. I held on to the ________________________________________ rope.

8. He sat in ______________ office for two _______________________ hours.

9. The __________________ dog bit the _______________________man.

10. My ________________ brother drives a _______________________ car.

11. In the summer _____________ people flock to the _______________

beaches to relax under the ________________ sun and the ________________

breeze.

12. The ________________ stranger __________________________________

________________________________________________________________

stood in the middle of the _____________________ street and raised his arms.