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61 Using the Right Word

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456
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Writers Express

Using the Right Word

Start-Up Activity

Share with your students the following malapropisms:

  • It's just a doggy-dog world. (dog-eat-dog)

  • "Don't" is a contraption. (contraction)

  • He had to use a fire distinguisher. (extinguisher)

  • Dad says the monster is just a pigment of my imagination. (figment)

  • He's a wolf in cheap clothing. (sheep's)

  • My sister has extra-century perception. (extra-sensory)

  • She was caught between a rock and a hot plate. (hard place)

Usage errors like these are humorous, but other usage errors can confuse a reader and reflect badly on the writer. Tell students that this section serves as a guide to commonly misused words.

Think About It

"My friend complained that she gained ten pounds while she was sedimentary."

—Anonymous

You are viewing: 61 Using the Right Word

60 Check Your Spelling
62 Understanding Sentences

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State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.G

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.2.E

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3

Page 457 from Writers Express

Using the Right Word (Continued)

On this page and those that follow, help students engage the confusing words by assigning a combination of traditional and creative activities:

  • Write a definition of each commonly confused word.
  • Write a sentence that correctly uses each commonly confused word.
  • Figure out a way to remember the difference (for example, the word "allowed" has "allow" in it, but the word "aloud" has "loud" in it.)
  • Write and perform a skit that explains the difference between the words.
  • Draw illustrations of the words in a way that visualizes the difference, and write each one under its drawing.
  • Create funny malapropisms (like those in the "Start-Up Activity") and trade them with a partner to be corrected.

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