ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the grammatical concept of choosing words and phrases that convey ideas precisely, focusing on strong verbs and specific nouns as two grammatical concepts that help writers achieve this goal. The chapter begins by introducing the concept of language that conveys ideas precisely and describing the features of specific nouns and strong verbs. After that, it discusses the importance of conveying ideas precisely to effective writing, providing examples from published texts of specific nouns and strong verbs to illustrate what these concepts look like in practice and convey their impact. Next, the chapter presents a classroom snapshot section, which features a fourth-grade teacher’s work helping her students understand this concept. The chapter then provides key recommendations for teaching students about specific nouns and strong verbs to convey ideas precisely. It concludes with final thoughts on this topic and a series of steps teachers can use to support students who need extra assistance understanding how to use specific nouns and strong verbs to convey ideas precisely.
