Language Arts Grade Six

Unit Eight, Lesson Four: Exact Words

  1. bread
  2. spread
  3. thread
  4. weak
  5. sneak
  6. peak
  7. skiing
  8. recreation
  9. board
  10. resort
  1. depth
  2. drift
  3. chlorophyll
  4. cells
  5. chemical
  6. photosynthesis
  7. sucrose
  8. glucose
  9. fructose
  10. sugar
Exact Words

Read the following passage: 


	"Did you remember to buy the bread?", said Doug.
	"Yes, but I left it at Mary's house.", said Sue.
	"Can you go back and get it?", said Doug.
	"Maybe she can drop it off on her way to band practice.", said Sue.
As you can see, the verb said is used in each sentence. It would be better if we used said only once, or not at all. 

	"Did you remember to buy the bread?", asked Doug.
	"Yes, but I left it at Mary's house.", replied Sue.
	"Can you go back and get it?", requested Doug.
	"Maybe she can drop it off on her way to band practice.", suggested Sue.
In this revised version of the conversation we completely avoid using said and we use a different verb at the end of each sentence. It is always best to use exact words when writing and using a variety of words is also a good habit when writing.

Here are some more alternative words for said: 


	muttered		screamed		yelled

	whispered		asked			replied

	exclaimed		agreed			questioned

	stuttered		reported		uttered

	explained		giggled			stammered

	sang			echoed			remarked

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