Tasks: Be 'Really' Careful With 'Very' Empty Words

If you are going to replace the adverbs 'very' and 'really' with more precise words, you will have to improve your vocabulary. The tasks give you a few examples of adjectives you can use to make your writing more concise. However, remember that the list of words is virtually endless.

Whenever you write, use a thesaurus; always be on the look-out for new words that can help you express your ideas as eloquently as possible.

In the parentheses, you will see a synonym for the word needed in each sentence.

Find adjectives that are more precise and that can help you get rid of the word 'very' (or 'really').

Use a thesaurus and find four synonyms for each of the following adjectives:

• happy

• large

• small

• sad

• nice

• angry

Collect all the words you have found on the blackboard. Make a bingo board and fill in the required numbers of words.

Your teacher will call out the words in random order. The winner is the first player to get five in a row either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.