We’ve long been big fans of Visual Thesaurus (www.visualthesaurus.com) because it provides writers and readers with a graphic representation of the relationship between words. This is a great tool (and one we use frequently in our own writing) when you are looking for that “just right” word. The ability to discern the subtle difference between words is the mark of a person with a great vocabulary. One of our favorite methods for teaching this to students is called Shades of Meaning. We use paint chips to represent a gradient of words. Check out this VT link to find out more about the Shades of Meaning activity, featured in Word Wise and Content Rich Grades 7-12, published by Heinemann,  at http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/booknook/1765/