Exercise A: Effective Word Choice--Avoiding Slang and Clichés

 

Part I.

Directions: In the following sentences, replace the slang with the selection more appropriate for formal writing by clicking the letter that precedes your answer.

1 My mother freaked out when she saw the phone bill.
bugged out
got very upset
2 The book was so wicked cool, I’d recommend it to anyone.
entertaining
awesome
3 Lisa was really messed up and started drinking heavily.
screwed up
having a hard time

 

Part II.

Directions: In these sentences, replace the underlined clichˇ with language that is less stale by clicking the letter that precedes the best choice.

1 I was in over my head in that calculus class.
overwhelmed
in the deep end
2 Even when I’ve got homework coming out of my ears, I’m still glad to be a student.
I’ve got more homework than I’ll ever finish,
I’m up to my eyeballs in homework,
3 As foster parents, we got more than we bargained for.
were out of our league.
were overcome with responsibilities.