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Using Exact and Vivid Nouns
Reviewing Nouns & Their Uses
By Lesly Claribell Paz
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Using Exact and Vivid Nouns
To give interest and clarity to your compositions, select nouns that name persons, places,
and things exactly.
1
Learn to look up synonyms for nouns.
Use a dictionary of synonyms to determine the noun that will express your meaning exactly. Do not write storm if you mean waterspout, haze if you mean smog, obstacle if you mean snag, or dream if you mean nightmare.
2
Learn to select specific nouns rather than general nouns. In the following examples,
notice the progression from general to specific.
game, fowl, quail, bobwhite
lumber, hardwood, tropical hardwood, mahogany
food, meat, beef, sirloin
Exercise A
For each noun below, list three synonyms. Answers will vary.
1. law
canon rule ordinance
2. friend
confidant companion colleague
3. foreigner
alien stranger immigrant
Exercise A Numbers 4-10 p. 157
Practice
Exercise B
Exercise B For each noun below, list three nouns that are progressively
more specific.
5. clothing
footwear shoe loafer
7. machine
lever third-class lever wheelbarrow
8. weapon
gun pistol Beretta 92F
Exercise B Numbers 4-10 p. 157
Practice
Reviewing Nouns & Their Uses
Exercise A (1) underline each subject once and each verb twice. (2) Above every noun write its use: d.o. (direct object), i.o. (indirect object), p.n. (predicate nominative), o.p.
(object of preposition), ap. (appositive), and d.a. (direct address).
Exercise A
1. The poisonous rattlesnake, an example of a pit viper, can present a danger to humans.
1
2. All rattlesnakes have a heat-sensing pit between each eye and nostril.
2
3. A rattlesnake's rattle is a set of loosely connected segments.
3
Exercise A Numbers 4-10 p. 158
Practice
Exercise B
Exercise B Make these verbs agree with their noun subjects by crossing out the incorrect verb in parentheses.
1. The "first American man of letters" and "the father of American literature" (is, are)
Washington Irving.
2. On the part of Irving, there (was, were) an obvious lack of interest in a law career.
3. Irving's parents (was, were) agreed on directing him toward a literary career.
Exercise B Numbers 4-10 p. 158
Practice
Exercise C (1) Put brackets [] around noun clauses. (2) Put parentheses ( ) around gerund
phrases. (3) Underline infinitive phrases. (4) Above each clause or phrase, write
its use: s., d.o., p.n., o.p., or ap.
Exercise C
1. A legend says that the city of Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus.
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2. Soon after the defeat of the Latin League, Rome began to gain power.
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3. Building aqueducts and bridges became an important part of Roman expansion.
3
Exercise C Numbers 4-10 p. 159
Practice
Exercise D Diagram each of the following sentences. You may omit ordinary prepositional
phrases and single-word modifiers.