Home / English / Printables / Grade 3 / Words Chosen for Effect Words Chosen for Effect is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on choosing the word that does the job you want, aligned to Common Core standard L.3.3. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
One paper per student
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Words Chosen for Effect L.3.3
Name Date
Circle the right answer.
1. Which title tells a reader most about the text?
A. Water B. Some Boats C. How a Canal Lock Works 2. Which word best shows that the girl was very hungry?
3. Why might a writer choose "whispered" instead of "said"?
A. It is easier to spell B. It is a shorter word C. It tells the reader how the words were spoken 4. Which word shows the mouse moved without a sound?
5. Why might a writer choose "stretched thin as thread" over "got thin"?
A. It is easier to spell B. It is shorter C. It gives the reader a picture 6. Which word is most exact for how the fox left?
7. Which sentence is more precise?
A. Something happened to the lamp. B. The lamp went out at eleven o'clock. C. The lamp went out at some point. 8. Which verb tells a reader most?
A. Anansi did away B. Anansi trotted away C. Anansi went away LessonPrint · L.3.3 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Words Chosen for Effect Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.
1. How a Canal Lock Works 2. gobbled 3. It tells the reader how the words were spoken 4. crept 5. It gives the reader a picture 6. trotted 7. The lamp went out at eleven o'clock. 8. Anansi trotted away More practice for L.3.3 Choose words for effect, and recognize the difference between spoken and written English.
Teaching this next? Choosing Words for Effect is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.
All Grade 3 worksheets
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.3.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.