Vocabulary Warm-Ups for Writing Unit

1. Use thesis instead of “main idea”

Synonyms: main point, central idea

Example: The thesis of his paper was that global warming would cause serious global changes by 2050.

2. Use outline instead of plan

Synonyms: framework, guidelines

Example: Her outline was very detailed, and she was able to write her essay in less than an hour.

3. Use compare instead of “find similarities”

Synonyms: relate, match

Most used other form: compared, comparing, comparison

Example: When asked to compare an apple and a Frisbee, I came up with three similarities.

4. Use contrast instead of “find differences”

Synonyms: differentiate, distinguish

Most used other form: contrasted, contrasting

Example: In contrasting the two colleges, I figured out that one was more advantageous to me than the other. Use hypothesize instead of (to) guess

Synonyms: imagine, theorize

Most used other form: hypothesis

Example: The research scientist hypothesized that atomic subparticles can be further broken down with the right amount of energy.

Vocabulary Warm-Up #2

1. My central idea is that the North and the South both had economic motives to start the Civil War.

2. I was able to find differences in the several types of fertilizer.

3. He guessed that a zombie can be killed by a shot to the head.

4. The plan included three reasons why snakes should not be kept in captivity.

5. The teacher was able to find similarities between the two sisters.

Vocabulary Warm-Up #3 (ANTONYMS)

1. compare A. differentiate

2. contrast B. improvise

3. hypothesize C. match

4. thesis D. know

5. (to) outline E. conclusion Vocabulary Warm-Up #4

1. The introductory paragraph in an essay should include this.

2. You should do this before writing an essay.

3. An experiment is meant to prove this.

4. Girls are doing this when they check to see if their outfits are too similar before they go to a party.

5. You have to do this with twins if you want to tell them apart.

Vocabulary Warm-Up #5

Use each word in an original sentence, underline the word, and add the words to your vocabulary chart.