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
 As the case may be
 It goes to show that
 Serve the purpose of
 On account of the fact
 Some kind of
 Came to the realization
that
 Sort of
 By virtue of the fact that
 It goes without saying that
 One of the most interesting
 After all is said and done
 Take the time
 Needless to say
 During the course of
 For the purpose of
 As of the moment
 It is certain that it is obvious
that
 The reason is that
 in terms of
 In the nature of
 It is a fact that
 It is clear that
 It appears that
 On the whole
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 can’t be removed.
Concise: Because the shirt had been put
into the dryer, now the stain can’t be
removed.
Long Phrases & Concise
Replacements
Long Phrases
Concise
 At an early date
 Soon
 Ahead of schedule
 Early
 At all times
 Early
 At the same time that
 Always
 At this point in time
 Now
 Despite the fact that
 Although
 By means of
 By
 Due to the fact
 Because
 Is going to
 Will
 In my opinion
 I think
 Any one of the two
 Either
 In the near future
 soon
Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity,
Precision, and Vivid Description
Use words effectively without using
clichés or jargon.
Clichés – an overused phrase that has
lost its effectiveness.
Clichés: 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, they’ll
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
B
knee while she was skating.
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
2.
OBJECTIVE
Use Formal and
Informal Language Appropriately
Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal
Language Appropriately
 Formal language does not include
the use of slang, contractions,
clichés, 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 ain’t and What’s up?
 Contractions are two words put together
with an apostrophe, such as couldn’t, won’t,
I’ll.
 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.
 Clichés 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 didn’t 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 crab’s 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.
B.
C.
D.
Sentence
Sentence
Sentence
Sentence
1
2
3
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, you’ll 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 1987.
C. I haven’t 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 couldn’t 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 isn’t a matter
of law.
C.Whether to proceed further depends upon
several factors.
D.Whether you proceed further depends on
several factors.
C