Page 45 - SpringBoard_ELD_Grade6_Flipbook

Language
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Vivid Verbs
Vague or weak verbs can leave a reader feeling bored and uninterested in a text. Vivid verbs describe the action in a story in clearer detail and add excitement. The following are two examples of ways to replace ordinary verbs with strong, vivid action words.
Run
scamper dash bolt scramble
Talk
chatter whisper yell murmur
Vivid Verb
Analyze the Effect
snatch
quick, sudden; builds drama, excitement
interacting in Meaningful Ways: analyze Sensory Language
Learning Target
• Analyze and explain in conversation and writing how sensory language such as vivid verbs produces effects on the reader.
aCtiVitY 2.5
Word ConneCtionS
Word Relationships
The adjective vivid means
“producing clear, detailed
images that seem like real life.”
Synonyms for vivid include of a story. In the opening of “Thank You, M’am,” the author, Langston Hughes, bright, lifelike, detailed, and uses sensory language, such as vivid verbs, to heighten the action and set up the striking. Although these words conflict of the story.
are synonyms, each one has a
slightly different meaning. In this activity, you will look for language in the opening that sets up the story’s
conflict. As you read through paragraph 1 of “Thank You, M’am,” write examples of vivid verbs in the chart. Then analyze each example to understand how this language helps set up the conflict in the story. Use a dictionary to look up the meaning of unfamiliar verbs.
The Opening of a Story
In the opening of a story, authors use words and phrases to introduce the reader to the characters and setting. The introduction can also be used to set up the conflict
22 SpringBoard® English Language Development grade 6
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