Quick 10-minute writing skills task - adding energy to sentences
12.12.24
Week 6: Adding ‘energy’ to a sentence (the sea) 
By improving their verb choices, children can add energy to their descriptions. With considered verb choices, this can be achieved in just one sentence.
To write the sentence, imagine that you are holding a chain, and energy is going down each link, gaining strength and momentum.
Step 1:
1. Using the picture on this post, imagine three things that could be described in one sentence (or two closely linked sentences if one sentence feels too convoluted).
a) the crew
b) the boat
c) the sea
Step 2:
For each of the three nouns, choose an action verb from the lists below (or use your own ideas). You may need to change the spelling of the root verb depending on which tense you are writing in.
Verb synonyms for ‘pierce’ (wood splinters on a crew member’s skin)
Slash
Slit
Tear
Perforate
Gouge
Verb synonyms for ‘sway’ (the movement of the boat)
Thrash
Jolt
Lurch
Toss
Jerk
buck
Verb synonyms for ‘to hit’ (the water)
Blow
Jab
Shot
Slap
Bash
Punch
Belt
Buffet
Step 3:
Write (or say) the sentence to combine the three ideas. You could start by creating three simple sentences for each noun.
Example
• Crew sentence: Splinters of wood jabbed his skin.
• Boat sentence: Almost vertical, the boat lurched from side to side.
• Sea sentence: The relentless waters punched their way into the cabin.
Combined into one complex sentence
Splinters of wood jabbed at his skin as the almost vertical boat lurched from side to side, and the relentless waters punched their way into the cabins.
By improving their verb choices, children can add energy to their descriptions. With considered verb choices, this can be achieved in just one sentence.
To write the sentence, imagine that you are holding a chain, and energy is going down each link, gaining strength and momentum.
Step 1:1. Using the picture on this post, imagine three things that could be described in one sentence (or two closely linked sentences if one sentence feels too convoluted).
a) the crew
b) the boat
c) the sea
Step 2:For each of the three nouns, choose an action verb from the lists below (or use your own ideas). You may need to change the spelling of the root verb depending on which tense you are writing in.
Verb synonyms for ‘pierce’ (wood splinters on a crew member’s skin)
Slash
Slit
Tear
Perforate
Gouge
Verb synonyms for ‘sway’ (the movement of the boat)
Thrash
Jolt
Lurch
Toss
Jerk
buck
Verb synonyms for ‘to hit’ (the water)
Blow
Jab
Shot
Slap
Bash
Punch
Belt
Buffet
Step 3:Write (or say) the sentence to combine the three ideas. You could start by creating three simple sentences for each noun.
Example
• Crew sentence: Splinters of wood jabbed his skin.
• Boat sentence: Almost vertical, the boat lurched from side to side.
• Sea sentence: The relentless waters punched their way into the cabin.
Combined into one complex sentence
Splinters of wood jabbed at his skin as the almost vertical boat lurched from side to side, and the relentless waters punched their way into the cabins.