Name: ________________________________________ Date: ________________
Word Choice: Anxious vs. Eager
Read the following sentences and decide which term would be a better choice. Circle your choice and be
prepared to defend your choice.
Resource:
Use the adjective anxious when you mean nervous or full of anxiety about an upcoming event. This
word is usually negative.
[example] With the recession in full swing, all this talk about layoffs has got me anxious about keeping
my own job.
Use the adjective eager when you’re excited or looking forward to something in the future. This word
is usually positive.
[example] Even with all the layoffs, I’m still so eager for the winter holidays.
1. Sitting in the long, ancient cell and awaiting his next torturous encounter with the guards,
Edmund Dantes was (anxious/eager) for an escape plan.
2. He was held hostage for 14 years. His cell was dirty and his treatment severe. Each day was a
test of Edmund’s (anxious/eager) nerves, waiting for the moment when he could strike his
revenge.
3. The last witness for the prosecution was just too good and I’m not sure the jury bought our
defense. I’m pretty (anxious/eager) to hear the verdict.
4. Heading to bed early with (anxious/eager) hands and searching eyes, the children couldn’t
wait for Santa.
5. Before television, many families across the United States would gather around the radio each
night, (anxious/eager) for the newest installment of their favorite nightly shows.
6. Night fell on the Sahara as the Bedouins took a few minutes of tense, (anxious/eager) rest
before the battle the next morning.
7. Kleptomaniacs can’t help but steal anything they can get their hands on. Without the constant
rush of the crime, they’re left (anxious/eager) for the next target.
8. On the warmest of summer days, I get (anxious/eager) for the salvation in a freshly made ice
cream cone.