Overview | Why use a thesaurus? Why does finding the precise word matter? In this lesson, students will explore the difference between the right word and the almost-right word and consider the advantages and disadvantages of using a thesaurus. Then, they choose from a variety of activities to go further in experimenting with word choice in writing.
Materials | Student journals; copies of the warm-up passages, either printed or projected for student viewing; bound, online, and thesaurus apps for student use
Warm-Up | Distribute or project these passages from the end of ?The Great Gatsby?. Tell students that the first is from the actual text. The second has been altered with the help of a thesaurus. (Note to teacher: You may, of course, try this exercise with any text by swapping out key words with the help of a thesaurus.)
The first version, from the original text:
Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors? eyes ? a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby?s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.
The second, rewritten version:
Most of the enormous seaside locations were shut now and there were barely any beams except the faint, transitory radiance of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon mounted higher the useless mansions began to melt away until progressively I became aware of the ancient island here that bloomed once for Dutch sailors? eyes ? a brand-new, emerald chest of the contemporary world. Its lost trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby?s cottage, had once spoke in whispers to the final and best of all human aspirations; for a short thrilling instant man must have held his breath in the presence of America, brought into a gorgeous reflection he neither comprehended nor wanted, face to face for the last time in history with something equal to his ability for perturbation.
Ask students to read the two passages and compare them. Then ask the following questions:
- Which of these passages flows more smoothly and sounds better to your ear?
- Which words in the second passage seem awkward?
- What is F. Scott Fitzgerald expressing in the first passage?
- The first passage reflects what Fitzgerald actually wanted to say. How do the synonyms selected from the thesaurus in the second passage alter his meaning?
- What exactly is a synonym? Do words like ?wonder? and ?perturbation? mean the same thing? What about ?thrilling? and ?enchanted?? ?Inessential? and ?useless??
- What is connotation? How do the connotations of ?chest? and ?breast? differ? Why did Fitzgerald choose ?breast?? What about the connotations of ?green? and ?emerald?? What double-meaning does Fitzgerald seize upon by using ?green??
- Mark Twain once wrote in a letter, ?The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter ? it?s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.? What does he mean? How do these two passages illustrate the importance of choosing precise words?
- According the thesaurus, it appears that the words we replaced Fitzgerald?s with were all synonyms, yet their meanings are clearly very different in some cases. What does this exercise teach about the limitations of using a thesaurus?
- When and how might a thesaurus be helpful?
Related | In ?An Ode to the King of Writerly Tools?, the writer Lois Leveen opines on the humble thesaurus and its role in helping her hunt down just the right word.
But to a true connoisseur, a lover of language, traveling Roget?s branching lines of categories and subcategories to explore subtle shifts in meaning provides its own adventure. In all the years my thesaurus and I have been together, I?ve found few things as gratifying as reaching for it, consulting numerous entries and reaping the reward of encountering an elusive word.
Finding the precise word matters. Take that last sentence: at first I wrote, finding the right word matters. Right wouldn?t have been wrong, exactly, but precise is more, well, precise. Although one of several words might convey the same general meaning in any given sentence, lighting on a word that does more makes prose memorable.
Background Vocabulary: Read the entire article with your class, then answer the questions below. You may wish to introduce students to the following words or concepts before reading: Roget?s, anachronism
Questions | For discussion and reading comprehension:
- Why did the writer write a love poem to her thesaurus?
- How does a Roget?s style thesaurus organize information differently from an online thesaurus?
- What advantage does the author see to Roget?s way of organizing synonyms?
- In what way can a thesaurus be a powerful tool?
- How can this tool be abused?
RELATED RESOURCES
From The Learning Network
From NYTimes.com
Around the Web
Activity | To give students practice using a thesaurus to choose precise words, engage them in any one of the following activities.
1. Overwrite, Ridiculously: Distribute the following ?plain vanilla? paragraph to students and challenge them in groups to use a thesaurus to write two different versions of it. (Or, write your own, perhaps creating a basic description of something specific to your school community, like a recent football game or a local hangout.)
It was snowing and the world was quiet and white. The trees were covered in ice that looked pretty in the sunshine. I walked down the path to our neighbor?s house and felt cold air on my face. When she opened the door, I smelled warm things cooking. It felt cozy inside. I went in and sat down on the couch next to the dog. He smelled funny. I looked out the window and thought ?this is nice?. I forgot all about the stuff I was worried about and enjoyed being stuck at my neighbor?s in the snow.
First, challenge students in partners or in groups to create a ridiculously overwritten version that has the kind of overblown, erudite vocabulary that students often think teachers and colleges want to hear. (That is, substituting ?five-dollar words? for as many simple words as they can.) Have them read their new versions aloud to decide whose is most over the top.
Next, ask them to take the same basic paragraph, but this time try to write a better version of it, with interesting word choices that enhance the writing but don?t overwhelm it. Students should again share their versions.
Finally, discuss these questions:
- Why were the overblown, over-the-top versions ineffective?
- How did you decide which synonyms to choose when looking for the right word, rather than the biggest (and therefore seemingly most impressive) word?
- In what ways did your second pieces wind up being more effective than the original version?
- What lessons does this exercise teach us about how we might most effectively use a thesaurus to revise our writing?
2. Improve Your Own Writing: Ask students to copy out a paragraph from an essay or story they are having trouble with and exchange them with partners. Ask the partners to then use a thesaurus (perhaps coupled with a dictionary) to help suggest other word choices, keeping in mind the lessons of Activity 1, above: the best word is not necessarily the most difficult word. Once students have finished, ask them to return their partner?s paper and discuss their ideas. Then, student writers can go forth with concrete suggestions for revision.
3. Translate a Passage From Literature: Have students play their own versions of the warm-up Gatsby game by ?translating? a passage from a text currently under consideration in the classroom and using a thesaurus in order to better understand the author?s choice of words. Ask them to take the passage and choose key words to replace in such a way that alters the meaning of the passage. Then, have students trade with partners and discuss how the word choice affects meaning. (One fun tool that might help them find the words to substitute: the Visual Thesaurus? ?Vocab Grabber.?)
4. Create a Class Thesaurus: Have students collaborate to create an ever-changing, always-growing, class-specific thesaurus on Wikispaces or Google Docs. So, for instance, in an English classroom, you might generate synonyms for overused words like ?shows? to help students move beyond ?This shows that?? or ?The author shows this?? In history, you might generate different ways to present dates or ways to vary word choice when discussing a theme like war or civil rights.
Going Further |
Assign groups of students each one of the following thesaurus or thesaurus apps.
Ask them to play around with their thesaurus for a bit and then evaluate it by answering the following questions:
- How user-friendly is this thesaurus? Is it easy to find the word you need? Why or why not?
- Does this thesaurus offer a variety of synonyms? How are they classified?
- What seems to be the most useful aspect of this tool?
- Would you recommend it? Why or why not? For what purpose might it be most useful?
Once they have evaluated their thesauruses, students review them for their classmates by sharing their findings and rating their thesaurus according to a four-star scale. (It might be fun to let students come up with their own rating titles ? using the thesaurus, of course.) Alternatively, students might write love (or hate) poems to their assigned thesaurus, as Ms. Leveen does, and share their reviews with the class that way.
Common Core ELA Anchor Standards, 6-12:
Reading:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Speaking and Listening:
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others? ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Language:
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression
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