Using a thesaurus: spider crab
The Grammar Bit!
A thesaurus is a special type of dictionary that is full of synonyms. Using a thesaurus regularly will help broaden your vocabulary and avoid repetition in your writing.
Read the first pair of sentences opposite (1A & 1B). When do you think the thesaurus was used? Could these words be replaced with different synonyms?
With your talk partner, read the second pair of sentences (2A & 2B). When do you think the thesaurus was used this time? Could these words be replaced with different synonyms?
Scintillating Sentences
1A) The spider crabs congregated in huge numbers as they marched across the seagrass plain.
1B) The spider crabs converged in vast numbers as they marched across the seagrass plain.
soft-shelled crabs, sucking them into their powerful, crushing jaws.
“I spied a spider crab approaching!”