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. When should a writer choose the plainest word?
A. Never — longer words are always better B. Only in stories C. When being understood exactly matters most 2. Which word best shows that the girl was very hungry?
3. 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. 4. Which word is most exact for how the fox left?
5. Which word shows the mouse moved without a sound?
6. Why might a writer choose "whispered" instead of "said"?
A. It is a shorter word B. It is easier to spell C. It tells the reader how the words were spoken 7. Which sentence tells the reader most about the weather?
A. Icy rain stung our faces. B. The weather was bad. C. It was not nice out. 8. Which verb tells a reader most?
A. Anansi trotted away B. Anansi did away C. Anansi went away LessonPrint · L.3.3 · Set 3 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Words Chosen for Effect Set 3. Prints on its own sheet.
1. When being understood exactly matters most 2. gobbled 3. The lamp went out at eleven o'clock. 4. trotted 5. crept 6. It tells the reader how the words were spoken 7. Icy rain stung our faces. 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.