Banish Boring Words!: Dozens of Reproducible Word Lists for Helping Students Choose Just-Right Words to Strengthen Their Writing

I bought this to spice up my second grader's writing. It is never too early to get children interested in writing and I recognized the need for a varied vocabulary even in a young child's writing. Being a reading and writing teacher myself, I've seen students benefit from a rich vocabulary. This book makes a great introduction of sorts to help enliven one's writing. Though it states that the target group is Grades 4-8, the lists of words in here can be easily modified to suit learners of any age group. The lists are also reproducible making it convenient for use in the classroom or in homeschooling. The lists cover or comprise the following: Transitions Essay Verbs Movements Action Verbs "Said" Synonyms -ly adverbs Colors and Shapes Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch Conditions Body Hair Face Character Traits Emotions/ Feelings Big/ Small Beautiful/ Ugly Good/ Bad Interesting/ Boring A Little/ A Lot Easy/ Hard Compare/ Contrast Be Specific! 50 Boring Words and Phrases to Avoid My Own List of Interesting Words (students get to compile their own lists) I usually provide my daughter with a list of simple prompts (since she is only in second grade, I modified it a little) e.g. "Describe the wonderful smells in the bakery", etc. This is a great teaching resource!

Written by a teacher and used by teachers. Great resource for kids to use when writing narrative or informational paragraphs and stories. Definitely makes writing more interesting to read. Recommended for kids who are serious about writing.

I know the cover makes it look like an elementary-level book. When I bought it, I thought I would just have to have my aide use the lists and make new, high-school looking handouts for my to give my students (giving copyright credit, of course), but the pages are rich with words. There aren't large, silly illustrations dominating the pages at all. Every list is helpful. There's even a list of words to use in essays that I passed out to use for literary and rhetorical analysis papers. I also teach creative writing, and this book is a wealth of information and words that are far from Mickey-Mousy. I wish this company would make a pocket-sized version of this for each of my students to carry around in their backpacks since I want to make copies of every page (hint-hint)!

This book is great for quick lists to use in the classroom to help students make their writing more interesting. It is especially helpful for English Language Learners who want to develop their vocabulary.

Got this for my daughter a few years ago and it has helped her writing so much. She takes it to school and it has gotten so beat up but it is the most useful tool she has as a future writer. I bought copies for my students to use in my classroom.

Don't be fooled by the 'Grade 4-8' description on the front. I do a lot of writing as a hobby, and I really like flipping through this for inspiration when I'm not sure what verb/adjective/etc I want to start with when describing something Helps get some creative juices flowing, which is always appreciated :)

I photocopied several pages of this book, stapled them together, and told my 4th graders they would find lots of great words to describe their characters (face, hair, shape, etc.). They loved this idea and couldn't wait to use the sheets over and over again. The font is large and easy to read. The book is very much like a simplified thesaurus, and serves the same purpose without having to flip through a huge book. I would like to order a dozen copies for next year. I also use this book for my own writing and for teaching fiction to adults. I LOVE this book!!

I am currently teaching creative writing to three 6th graders in our home-school co-op. We have already gotten a nice big list of adjectives, and we work on our personal lists of words as we go along. The great thing about this book is the division into the categories. For example, several pages are replacements for the word "said." There are pages and pages of action verbs. Another section lists replacements for boring verbs. For example, the word "danced" has suggested replacements of "waltzed," "swayed," "boogied," "shimmied," and several more. We used this in class recently to change the setting of a couple dancing by changing ONLY the verb (i.e., no description of the setting). It was a fun exercise - the kids really enjoyed describing where the couple would be if they were "boogieing." LOL The BEST thing about this book, hands down, is the fact that I can make copies of the lists I want the kids to have (for example, the "said" replacements) without having to buy a copy of the book for each student. If you need to help a frustrated writer, or just want to improve your own work, get this book. It is worth every penny!

Very good for 9+ years when they have to describe things

英会話の練習用に購入しました 子供用ですが、とてもわかりやすく満足しています

Bien que la couverture puisse laisser à penser que ce recueil est destiné à des écoliers, il est tout à fait adapté à des étudiants désireux d'améliorer leurs écrits en substituant des termes plus précis à de plus courants et plus vagues. Si certain termes synonymes tombent sous le sens, d'autres bien connus surprennent par leur simplicité et adéquation, encore fallait-il y penser... Agréable à compulser et se faire une idée avant même de 'l'utiliser'. Merci

Il prodotto è arrivato nel giorno stabilito ed in perfette condizioni. Per quanto riguarda il contenuto, nonostante le sue dimensioni ridotte (50 pagine circa), il libro fornisce un buon numero di parole che possiamo sostituire ai soliti, noiosi vocaboli oramai "strautilizzati": bello, buono ... L'ho apprezzato molto perché non si trovano molti libri di questo tipo o che mantengano un rapporto dimensioni/qualità elevato. In sintesi, sebbene rimanga un libricino per bambini, ritengo che "Banish boring words!" rappresenti un valido aiuto ed un prodotto da tenere sempre a portata di mano per dare un tocco in più ( che sia in previsione di una conversazione o per una qualsiasi produzione scritta) al proprio inglese.

I could no longer bear the lack of good vocabulary in my 10 year old son's speech... I am glad I bought this book as it deals with "specific" words according to the situation. The chapters are broken down into words of common usage and develop into each topic as they progress.