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 verb tells a reader most?
A. Anansi trotted away B. Anansi did away C. Anansi went away 2. Which sentence tells the reader most about the weather?
A. The weather was bad. B. It was not nice out. C. Icy rain stung our faces. 3. When should a writer choose the plainest word?
A. When being understood exactly matters most B. Never — longer words are always better C. Only in stories 4. Which word best shows that the girl was very hungry?
5. 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. 6. Which is the most exact way to say how big the dog was?
A. The dog was a size. B. The dog was quite big. C. The dog was as tall as the kitchen table. 7. Why does "his stomach dropped" work better than "he was scared"?
A. It uses fewer letters B. It is more formal C. It shows the feeling through the body rather than naming it 8. Why might a writer choose "whispered" instead of "said"?
A. It tells the reader how the words were spoken B. It is a shorter word C. It is easier to spell LessonPrint · L.3.3 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Words Chosen for Effect Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.
1. Anansi trotted away 2. Icy rain stung our faces. 3. When being understood exactly matters most 4. gobbled 5. The lamp went out at eleven o'clock. 6. The dog was as tall as the kitchen table. 7. It shows the feeling through the body rather than naming it 8. It tells the reader how the words were spoken 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.
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Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to L.3.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.