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Common Core ELA4th GradeLanguage

L.4.3: Choose Words and Punctuation for Effect

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3 · Cluster: Knowledge of Language.

All 43 4th Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Language · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What L.4.3 Means in Plain English

Fourth graders choose the exact word for an idea, crept rather than went, and use punctuation on purpose: an ellipsis for a pause, an exclamation mark for a shock, a short sentence for a jolt. They also tell when formal English fits and when casual talk is fine.

Third graders (L.3.3) chose words for effect and noticed how spoken and written English differ. Fourth grade adds punctuation as a tool and names formal and informal situations. Fifth grade (L.5.3) expands, combines and shortens sentences, and compares the varieties of English used in stories.

L.4.3 I Can Statements

  • I can swap a vague word for one that says exactly what happened.
  • I can use an ellipsis or exclamation mark on purpose.
  • I can tell when formal English fits and when casual talk does.

L.4.3 Worked Example

One moment at the recycling bin, written twice: the second uses exact verbs and punctuation that controls the pace.

Prompt

Revise this sentence from a personal narrative so the reader feels the surprise. Choose exact words, and use punctuation for effect.

Not YetI opened the recycling bin and there was an animal in it and it made a noise and I was really really scared.Opened, an animal, a noise and scared give the reader nothing to picture. The string of ands runs the moment at one speed, so the surprise has no place to land.
Meets the StandardI lifted the lid of the recycling bin… Two shiny eyes stared up at me. An opossum! It bared its teeth and hissed, and I jumped back so fast I dropped the lid.The ellipsis makes the reader wait, and the short sentence with an exclamation mark lands the surprise. Stared, bared and hissed replace a noise, and jumping back shows the fear that really really scared only named.
Moves to Use
Swap vague words for exact ones: an animal becomes an opossum, a noise becomes hissed.Use an ellipsis to make the reader wait before a surprise.Use a short sentence or an exclamation mark to land it.Show a feeling through an action, like jumping back, instead of really scared.

Common Mistakes with L.4.3

Exclamation marks everywhere

“We went to the zoo!!! It was so fun!!! The lions were huge!!!”

Try this: Allow one exclamation mark per page, and have students choose the single moment in the story that earns it.

Really, really, very

“It was really really very big,” where one exact word would do

Try this: Circle every really and very in a draft, then replace each with a stronger word or a detail the reader can see.

Texting voice in a report

“So basically the Pilgrims were like, super hungry” in a social studies paragraph

Try this: Ask who will read it: a friend gets casual talk, a teacher or a report gets formal English and complete sentences.

Where L.4.3 Fits

Comes BeforeL.3.3Choose words for effect and notice how spoken and written English differ.
AlongsideW.4.3Write narratives with concrete words and sensory details, where this standard shows up most.SL.4.6Tell formal from informal situations when speaking, the same judgment out loud.
Comes NextL.5.3Expand, combine and shorten sentences, and compare the varieties of English in stories.

Practice L.4.3

Quick Check

  1. What does the ellipsis do in the strong version?
  2. Which exact words replace a noise and really really scared?
  3. Would “That opossum was so wild, lol” fit a science report? Why or why not?

L.4.3: Other Names

L.4.3CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.