Vocabulary:

Synonyms: 'Equal' Words

From the 'I Have a Dream Speech'

 

Supplies:

Computer to play Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream Speech' on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

Thesaurus | paper and pencil

 

A "synonym" (pronounced SIN oh nim) is a word that has the same, or nearly the same, meaning as another word. They are equal!

 

For example, in the famous civil rights speech in August 1963 in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," the third word is "happy." There are many synonyms for "happy," including "joyful," "glad," "elated" and "feeling awesome." If you used one of those other words in place of "happy," the reader would get the same - equal - meaning.

 

The more synonyms you know, the better your writing will be. So it's a good idea to stretch your vocabulary, and make some lists of synonyms you know.

 

You can look up synonyms in a Thesaurus (pronounced Thee SAWR us), a book that lists words, defines them, and lists synonyms that you could use instead of the word if you wish.

 

Look at the 10 words in green in Dr. King's famous speech, below. On a piece of paper, over at the left, write each word, every one on a different line. Be sure to  skip two lines between each one. Then, in the space below each word, write at least three synonyms for that word. With a few of these words, you will have to look up the root word, or base word. For example, you might find "faithful" in the Thesaurus under "faith," and "hatred" might be listed in the Thesaurus as "hate."

 

But one thing is clear: Dr. King made a huge, positive impact on our nation and improved race relations an enormous amount, largely because he didn't have any hate - instead, he had love - including a love for words that you should share!

 

join

 

great

 

lives

 

promise

 

lift

    

rights

 

hatred

 

force

 

turn

 

faith