Instructions: Read the character sketch below and try to replace the generic word 'nice' with different synonyms that are more specific. You can draw upon your knowledge of synonyms and you can even consult a dictionary or thesaurus. My friend Liz is the most nice friend anybody could ask for. We've been through so much together, we're basically like sisters. We met on the first day of school in sixth grade, both of us terrified by the massive size of the middle school. She had the locker right above mine. I told her I didn't know anybody in our class and she said "You do now." We've been friends ever since. Everyone in school thinks she is nice. She has long red hair, cascading over her shoulders.

She laughs about everything and when she does, you see about a hundred white teeth - so bright, you almost need sunglasses. When she laughs, her eyes grow wide, glowing emerald green. Liz likes to dress kind of skater-ish, in camouflage pants, sweatshirts, and wristbands. But, she's unpredictable, too. Sometimes she'll wear overalls or a fancy dress. She must have three closets full of clothes, because she barely ever wears the same outfit twice. Liz is the nicest and most animated character I've ever known. She's always rushing around, trying to get the latest scoop on everybody.

Right before she shares important news, Liz tosses back her hair, takes a deep breath, and quickly looks side to side, to be sure the coast is clear. She never says anything mean about people, she just wants to know what's going on. She is nice and always supports me in everything I want to do. Not many girls in our group of friends play sports, but when I told Liz I wanted to go out for basketball, she said "Go for it." Now, she comes to see almost every game I play and cheer me on. Not only is Liz a nice supporter, she also trusts me to give her my honest opinion and to say what I feel.

Last year, she thought Mrs. Jones gave her a lower math grade than she deserved. I told her the truth - that Liz handed everything in late and what did she expect? Next marking period, Liz got her work in on time, and pulled off an A-. Thanks to me, she said. Liz is a nice listener. She lets me tell her all my problems and she never diminishes the importance of my worries. I can tell she's really listening, too, because she looks directly in my eyes the whole time, like she's trying to see inside my head and figure me out. We don't always agree on everything, and sometimes we even fight like sisters.
But, in the end, we always stick together.

Q. Read the passage again after you have replaced the generic word 'nice' which does not say much about the character with more specific vocabulary. Now share your thoughts about how specific vocabulary makes a piece of writing more appealing? You can use the passage as an example to support your opinion.

Q write a character sketch of a friend and use specific vocabulary to describe her personality traits. Give examples to make it interesting.

My friend Liz is the best friend anybody could ask for. We've been through so much together, we're basically sisters. We met on the first day of school in sixth grade, both of us terrified by the massive size of the middle school. She had the locker right above mine. I told her I didn't know anybody in our class and she said "You do now." We've been friends ever since. Everyone in school thinks she is nice. She has long red hair, cascading over her shoulders. She laughs about everything and when she does, you see about a hundred white teeth - so bright, you almost need sunglasses. When she laughs, her eyes grow wide, glowing emerald green. Liz loves to dress kinda skater-ish, in camouflage pants, sweatshirts, and wristbands. But, she's unpredictable too. Sometimes she'll wear overalls or a fancy dress. She must have three closets full of clothes, because she barley ever wears the same outfit twice. Liz is the nicest and most animated character I've ever known. She's always rushing around, trying to get the latest scoop on everybody. Right before she shares important news, Liz tosses back her hair, takes a deep breath, and quickly looks side to side, to be sure the coast is clear. She never says anything mean about people, she just wants to know what's going on. She is nice and always supports me in everything I want to do. Not many girls in our group of friends play sports, but when I told Liz I wanted to go out for basketball, she said "Go for it." Now, she comes to see almost every game I play and cheer me on. Not only is Liz a nice supporter, she also trusts me to give her my honest opinion and to say what I feel. Last year, she thought Mrs. Jones gave her a lower math grade than she deserved. I told her the truth - that Liz handed everything in late and what did she expect? Next marking period, Liz got her work in on time, and pulled off an A-. Thanks to me, she said. Liz is a nice listener. She lets me tell her all my problems and she never diminishes the importance of my worries. I can tell she's really listening, too, because she looks directly in my eyes the whole time, almost as if she's trying to see inside my head and figure me out. We don't always agree on everything, and sometimes we even fight like sisters. But, in the end, we always stick together.

I did the hard part for you, you can answer the questions on your own now.

to create suspense.

what: when quoting a source, use the author’s words verbatim, or word-for-word. this means you shouldn’t change any grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. put quotations around the words to tell your reader where the quote begins and where it ends.

you also need to acknowledge the author. for example, if using mla format for your research paper, you should have in-text citations with the author’s name and page number listed at the end of each quote.

when: use quotations to provide concrete examples to support your claims. using direct quotations is a great way to build your credibility on the subject. it’s also a good idea to quote your source when the author states things in a powerful way. if you think he or she said it best, then use the exact words to share the ideas.

example: in the short story “a jury of her peers”, mrs. hale compares mrs. wright to her caged bird, saying “she—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. how—she—did—change” (glaspell).

paraphrasing

what: paraphrasing differs from quoting because you restate the passage in your own words. since you don’t use the author’s words, you don’t need to use quotation marks. however, you still need to acknowledge the author for his or her ideas.

when paraphrasing a text, you should communicate the full meaning of the text; don’t change the meaning. it can be a condensed version of the text, or it could end up being longer than the source it’s paraphrasing.

when: you use paraphrasing when you take notes, or explain a chart or diagram to someone. paraphrasing highlight the important parts of a larger text. it also allows you to simplify the ideas for your readers.

example:

original: “it was no ordinary thing that called her away–it was probably further from ordinary than anything that had ever happened in dickson county. but what her eye took in was that her kitchen was in no shape for leaving: her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted” (glaspell).

paraphrase: as mrs. hales walks around mrs. wright’s home, she notices that the kitchen is in disarray as if she was in the middle of baking bread (glaspell).