 Banned Words
 Synonyms for SAID
 Strong Verbs
 Quality Adjectives
 Adverb List
By
Ms. Mara
www.HomeschoolTowers.com
(feel free to use as you like)
Try to use quality verbs,
adverbs, and adjectives
when writing your
sentences.
Banned Words
say/said see/saw go/went think/thought eat/ate
get/got like/love make/made
very
bad
good
nice
pretty
big
small
fun
great
We have started using the curriculum, Excellence in Writing, a wonderful writing curriculum, in which
the students are instructed to use quality adjectives, strong verbs, and such.
In order to make this easier for us, I have put together a list of synonyms. I have also left a few spaces
where you and your students can add more.
Banned Words (in red) - Use the STRONG VERBS below to replace your banned words.
say/said
(happy)
blabbered
chortled
exclaimed
giggled
jested
joked
laughed
lilted
laughed
rejoiced
sang out
snickered
teased
thanked
whistled
yodeled
(sad)
agonized
bawled
blubbered
cried
lamented
moaned
mourned
pouted
sniveled
sobbed
wept
whined
(angry)
argued
barked
blurted
complained
fumed
grumbled
miffed
nagged
raged
ranted
retorted
seethed
shrieked
snapped
threatened
thundered
yelled
say/said
(pained)
bellowed
cried
cried out
grieved
groaned
howled
jabbered
lectured
mumbled
roared
screamed
wailed
yelped
(disagree)
contradicted
declaimed
denied
disagree
objected
protested
queried
questioned
quibbled
rebutted
refuted
(agreed)
acquiesced
admitted
affirmed
alleged
announced
assured
avowed
confessed
declared
hinted
maintained
pledged
proclaimed
professed
promised
proved
remarked
replied
reported
testified
vouched
say/said
(frightened)
quaked
quivered
shuddered
stammered
trembled
(understand)
accepted
advised
agreed
comforted
consoled
counseled
crooned
empathized
sympathized
explained
(tired)
breathed
drawled
droned
emitted
hesitated
implied
managed
mentioned
mouthed
mumbled
wheezed
whispered
(ask/beg)
appealed
beseeched
begged
entreated
grilled
haggled
implored
interrogate
inquire
petitioned
pleaded
prayed
requested
wished
questioned
quizzed
see/saw
beheld
detect
discover
examine
explore
eye
find
gaped
gawk
gaze
glance
glare
glimpse
inspect
made out
monitor
notice
observe
peek
peep
peer
perceived
recognize
sensed
scrutinize
spied
spotted
stared at
surveyed
witnessed
go/went
amble
billow
bolt
burst
coast
cross
dash
drive
exit
flock
flutter
furl
glide
hover
jogged
jolt
jostle
journeyed
loop
lumber
mount
oscillate
race
rocketed
skipped
sped
sprinted
stomped
strolled
traveled
trudged
eat/ate
absorb
attack
banquet
bite
break bread
breakfast
chew
chow down
devour
digest
dine
dispatch
dispose of
fall to
feast upon
feed
gobble up
gorge
gormandize
have a bite
have a meal
have for
ingest
munch
nibble
partake of
pick
pork out
ruminate
savor
scarf
snack
sup
swallow
swill
think/thought
assume
be convinced
comprehend
conceive
conclude
consider
contemplate
credit
debated
deem
deliberated
determine
envisage
envision
esteem
expect
fancy
feel
foresee
gather
guess
hold
idea
imagine
judge
plan for
pondered
presume
project
realize
reckon
reflected
regard
sensed
suppose
weighed
like/love
admire
adore
adulate
appreciate
approve
be gratified by
be keen on
be partial to
be pleased by
be sweet on
canonize
care for
care to
caress
cherish
choose
delight in
dote on
enjoy
enshrine
esteem
exclaim
fancy
feast on
find appealing
hold dear
idolize
indulge in
love
memorialize
prefer
prize
regard
regard
relish
respect
revel in
revere
reverence
savor
treasure
value
venerate
worship
Banned Verbs in red – replace
w/ STRONG VERBS
Banned Adverbs in red
- replace with quality ADVERBS
make/made
get/got
good
very
bad
accomplish
adjust
appoint
arrange
assemble
build
cause
compel
compose
conceive
concoct
constitute
construct
cook
craft
create
design
devise
dream up
effect
erect
establish
fabricate
fashion
forge
form
frame
generated
get ready
give rise to
hatch
initiate
invent
lead to
manufacture
mold
occasion
organize
originate
parent
prepare
procure
produce
raise
reared
set up
structured
throw up
visualize
absorb
accumulate
apprehend
ascertain
assemble
assimilate
become
comprehend
deliver
detect
determine
dig up
digest
discern
discover
drink in
earn
examine
find out
grasp
hear
hit upon
know
learn
major in
memorize
overcome
prepare
run down
scare up
search for
seize
study
track down
tumble to
understand
understand
unearth
acceptably
adequately
alright
appropriately
aptly
congruously
correctly
creditably
decently
decorously
effectively
effectually
efficiently
fittingly
gratifyingly
happily
medium
moderately
neatly
passably
respectably
rightly
satisfactorily
satisfyingly
seemly
serviceably
sufficiently
suitably
tidily
tolerably
achingly
almighty
archly
beastly
blisteringly
colossally
corking
desperately
eminently
enormously
especially
ever
exceedingly
extra
extremely
fabulously
fantastically
fiercely
filthy
frightfully
greatly
heavily
highly
hugely
immensely
incredibly
intensely
jolly
majorly
mighty
monstrous
mortally
most
much
particularly
ragingly
roaring
seriously
severely
sorely
spanking
stinking
super
super
supremely
terribly
vastly
vitally
wildly
abominably
abysmally
atrociously
awfully
deplorably
detestably
disastrously
deadly
dreadfully
egregiously
execrably
flagrantly
grossly
horrendously
horribly
horrifically
inadequately
inappropriately
incorrectly
indecently
inferiorly
insufficiently
intolerably
lousily
meagerly
meanly
miserably
naughtily
odiously
poorly
reprehensibly
rottenly
scantily
scantly
shabbily
shoddily
skimpily
sleazily
sparely
stingily
terribly
unacceptably
unbearably
unsatisfactorily
unspeakably
unsuitably
vilely
vulgarly
wretchedly
TRANSITIONAL
WORDS
besides
furthermore
hence
however
indeed
likewise
moreover
nevertheless
overall
second
therefore
third
thus
whereas
yet
Banned Words in red – use one of the QUALITY ADJECTIVES below to replace the banned word
bad
bad
good
good
abominable
abysmal
atrocious
awful
unacceptable
unsatisfactory
unspeakable
useless
invaluable
innocent
intoxicating
inviting
brutal
vile
villainous
acceptable
adequate
admirable
amiable
amusing
angelic
appreciative
approving
calming
charming
cheerful
cherished
congenial
considerable
correct
credible
law-abiding
legitimate
levelheaded
logical
loyal
luscious
cheesy
coarse
crummy
cut-rate
defective
deficient
detestable
disastrous
dissatisfactory
dreadful
faulty
flawed
gross
horrendous
horrible
ill
inadequate
inferior
insufficient
junky
lame
lesser
lousy
low-grade
low-rent
mediocre
meager
miserable
paltry
pathetic
phony
sour
stingy
substandard
terrible
trashy
worthless
wretched
wrong
poor
punk
reprehensible
rotten
scanty
shabby
sham
sleazy
darling
dreamy
decent
dedicated
delectable
delicious
delightful
dependable
determined
devoted
dreamy
ducky
enchanting
enjoyable
ethical
excellent
exceptional
expert
exquisite
faithful
fascinating
favorable
flattering
flavorful
friendly
gracious
grateful
gratifying
heavenly
honest
honorable
hospitable
jolly
just
justifiable
masterful
magnificent
majestic
noble
palatable
personable
plausible
pleasant
pleasing
positive
priceless
prized
proper
pure
rational
reasonable
reliable
reputable
respected
responsible
satisfying
savory
scrumptious
scrupulous
sensible
significant
skilled
sober
solid
soothing
sound
splendid
spotless
straight
sublime
good
superb
sure
tasty
tempting
tolerable
treasured
true
trustworthy
unwavering
upstanding
valid
validated
verified
virtuous
warm
welcome
well-founded
worthwhile
worthy
yummy
pretty/
beautiful
aesthetic
alluring
appealing
attractive
beauteous
charming
comely
dainty
delicate
desirable
divine
drop-dead
dynamite
elegant
engaging
enviable
eye-catching
fabulous
fantabulous
fantastic
fascinating
fetching
first-class
first-rate
five-star
flamboyant
flashy
foxy
glamorous
glorious
gorgeous
grand
groovy
handsome
high-class
inviting
knockout
peachy
perfect
photogenic
presentable
radiant
ravishing
resplendent
statuesque
showy
slick
snazzy
striking
stunning
well-favored
big
small
abundant
all-important
astronomical
cavernous
colossal
cosmic
critical
crucial
earth-shattering
eminent
enormous
essential
eventful
exceptional
excessive
exorbitant
extravagant
fatal
gargantuan
gigantic
grand
heavy
hefty
hellacious
historic
humongous
immense
important
impressive
jumbo
major
mammoth
massive
meaningful
momentous
monstrous
monumental
mountainous
noteworthy
notorious
outstanding
oversized
prestigious
prominent
remarkable
serious
significant
sizeable
spacious
staggering
stupendous
substantial
supersized
tremendous
whopping
bite-size
bitty
deficient
diminutive
dinky
dwarfish
fragile
frail
frivolous
half-pint
humble
inadequate
inconsequential
infinitesimal
insignificant
insufficient
marginal
meager
microscopic
mini
miniature
miniaturized
minimal
minor
minute
modest
narrow
negligible
obscure
petty
pint-size
pocket-size
puny
pygmy
remote
scant
scantly
scarce
shrimpy
skimpy
slender
slight
slim
smallish
sparse
stingy
stunted
subnormal
teeny
teensy-weensy
toy-like
trivial
undersized
wanting
wee
"LY" Adverbs List:
abruptly
absently
absentmindedly
accusingly
actually
adversely
affectionately
amazingly
angrily
anxiously
arrogantly
bashfully
beautifully
boldly
bravely
breathlessly
brightly
briskly
broadly
calmly
carefully
carelessly
certainly
cheaply
cheerfully
cleanly
clearly
cleverly
closely
clumsily
coaxingly
commonly
compassionately
conspicuously
continually
coldly
coolly
correctly
crisply
crossly
curiously
daintily
dangerously
darkly
dearly
deceivingly
delicately
delightfully
desperately
determinedly
diligently
disgustingly
distinctly
doggedly
doubtfully
dreamily
emptily
energetically
enormously
enticingly
entirely
enviously
especially
evenly
exactly
excitedly
exclusively
expertly
extraordinarily
extremely
fairly
faithfully
famously
fearlessly
ferociously
fervently
finally
foolishly
fortunately
frankly
frantically
freely
frenetically
frightfully
fully
furiously
generally
generously
gently
gleefully
gratefully
greatly
greedily
grumpily
guiltily
happily
harshly
(adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs)
hatefully
heartily
heavily
helpfully
helplessly
highly
hopelessly
hungrily
immediately
importantly
impulsively
inadvertently
increasingly
incredibly
innocently
instantly
intensely
intently
inwardly
jokingly
kindly
knowingly
lawfully
lightly
likely
longingly
loudly
madly
marvelously
meaningfully
mechanically
meekly
mentally
messily
mindfully
miserably
mockingly
mostly
mysteriously
nastily
naturally
nearly
neatly
negatively
nervously
nicely
obviously
occasionally
oddly
openly
outwardly
partially
passionately
patiently
perfectly
perpetually
playfully
pleasantly
pleasingly
politely
poorly
positively
potentially
powerfully
professionally
properly
proudly
quaveringly
queerly
quickly
quietly
rapidly
rapturously
ravenously
readily
reassuringly
regretfully
reluctantly
reproachfully
restfully
righteously
rightfully
rigidly
rudely
sadly
safely
scarcely
searchingly
sedately
seemingly
selfishly
separately
seriously
sharply
sheepishly
sleepily
slowly
slyly
softly
solidly
speedily
sternly
stingily
strictly
stubbornly
successfully
superstitiously
surprisingly
suspiciously
sympathetically
Add your own:
tenderly
terribly
thankfully
thoroughly
thoughtfully
tightly
totally
tremendously
triumphantly
truly
truthfully
understandably
unfairly
unfortunately
unhappily
unwillingly
urgently
usually
utterly
vastly
venomously
viciously
violently
warmly
wearily
wholly
wildly
willfully
wisely
wonderfully
wonderingly
worriedly
LY imposters
chilly
friendly
ghastly
ghostly
holy
kingly
knightly
lonely
lovely
orderly
prickly
queenly
surly
ugly
worldly
wrinkly