Lesson 4

At the end of this lesson

we will have used a
thesaurus to improve
our writing.
 What other words can we use in place of the
word
When/ why
would we
use a
thesaurus?
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record three possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

The man ran down the

stairs.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record three possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

She felt nothing but horror

when she saw a mouse.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record three possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

There was a soft glow

coming from under the
door.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record three possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

He felt hurt by the lies

they told.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record three possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

I had a terrible fight with

my Mum.
 Some words have many different
meanings, and therefore it’s much
harder to choose an appropriate
synonym.

For example, consider the word BAD.

 Bad can mean any of the following:
▪ Having a harmful effect – He was a bad influence
on her.
▪ Making someone upset – She was given bad
news.
▪ Causing physical pain – It was a bad case of the
flu.
▪ Of poor quality – It was truly bad meal.
▪ Lacking skill – The acting was bad.
▪ Having an evil character – He was a bad man.
 Therefore, some of the synonyms for bad
may not be appropriate for certain sentences.

Stress has a bad effect on our health.

Stress has an immoral effect on our health.

Choose your
words carefully!
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record two possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

I broke the twig in half.

 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record two possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

He was a kind and good

old man.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record two possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

People often described

her as short.
 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record two possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

He was a kindly old man.

 In pairs, you are to go on a ‘word hunt’ for
synonyms.
 Your task is to find and record two possible
synonyms for the underlined word in each
sentence that follows.

A nice smell came from

the kitchen.
 Take a look at your mini-saga one
last time.
 Choose five words that you think
you can improve with the use of the
thesaurus.
 Underline these words and find a
suitable replacement.
 We have now gone through a
number of different stages to
improve our original pieced of
writing.
 Using a clean piece of paper, write a
good copy of your mini-saga.
 Decorate or illustrate your page!
 I have improved my writing.

 I still need a bit of work to improve my

writing.

 My writing hasn’t improved at all.