Download Painting Pictures with Words

Painting Pictures
with Words
5 Basic Brush Strokes
Participle
• Definition: Verbs ending in –ing or
–ed used to create precise description.
• Function--Used as adjectives, participles should be
placed as close to the noun they describe
in order to engage the reader’s senses and
bring the picture to life.
Participle
• Example: The diamond-scaled snakes attacked their
prey.
• (individual participles): “Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the
diamond scaled snakes attacked their prey.”
• “Slithering, hissing, biting, and striking, the diamond-scaled
snakes attacked their prey.”
• (participle phrase): “Hissing their forked-red tongues and
coiling their cold bodies, the diamond-scaled snakes
attacked their prey.
Participle
Practice sentences: Think of actions
that are taking place in each
sentence. Remember “show” vs “tell”
He took his dog for a walk
Mary was tired
The car went into the parking lot
Participle
• Application:
• Slouching, yelling, scolding and sweating,
he took his dog for a walk.
• Shuffling, yawning, and blinking, Mary
came into the kitchen after a long night of
studying.
• Turning, spinning, and sliding on the ice,
the car went into the parking lot.
Practice Time
Rewrite each of the following and add participles to
each.
• The player kicked the ball.
• Melody froze when she saw the
shadow.
• He washed his hands in the ocean.
• The clown smiled at the audience.
• The kitten yawned.
Participle Phrases
Rewrite each of the following and add participles to
each.
• Panting and stretching, the player kicked the
ball.
• Paralyzed with fear and shaking in her shoes,
Melody froze when she saw the shadow.
• Laughing and splashing, he washed his hands in
the ocean.
• Chuckling and playing, the clown smiled at the
audience.
• Stretching and twisting, the kitten yawned.
Absolute
• A two-word combination consisting of
a noun and an -ing or –ed verb added
onto a sentence.
• The absolute is always set off by a
comma.
• Adds to the action of the image.
Absolute
• Practice sentences:
• The car went into the parking lot.
• The cat climbed the tree.
• Application:
Engine smoking, gears grinding, the car went into the
parking lot.
• “Claws digging, feet kicking, the calico cat climbed
the tree.”
Absolute
• Application:
Close your eyes and picture a mountain
climber moving along a steep cliff.
Visualize: “The mountain climber edged
along the cliff.”
Absolute
• Adding two absolutes:
“The mountain climber edged along the
cliff, hands shaking, feet trembling.”
Or…
“Hands shaking, feet trembling, the
mountain climber edged along the
cliff”
Appositive
• When you add a secondary image to a
noun, or previous image.
• An added description that is always
set off by a comma.
Appositive
• Example:
Instead of saying ”The raccoon enjoys
eating turtle eggs,” it can be
enhanced with an appositive: “The
raccoon, a midnight scavenger, enjoys
eating turtle eggs.
Appositive
• Practice sentences:
Ms. Lark enjoys tormenting kids.
Michael Phelps swam with precision.
My brother’s car is the envy of all my
friends.
Appositive
• Application:
Mean old Ms. Lark, the red-headed Language
Arts teacher, enjoys tormenting students.
Michael Phelps, a U.S. gold medalist, swam
with precision.
My brother’s car, a sporty red convertible, is
the envy of all my friends.
Shifted Adjectives
• Instead of placing three adjectives in
front of a noun, a good writer will place
one in front and put the other two behind
the noun.
• Examples:
---Weak: The large, red-eyed, angry bull
moose charged the intruder.
---Strong: The large bull moose, red-eyed
and angry, charged the intruder.
Shifting Adjectives
• Application:
--Weak: The trembling and frightened
young pup scooted under the bed
during the thunderstorm.
--Strong: The young pup, trembling and
frightened, scooted under the bed
during the thunderstorm.
Action Verbs
• Go from passive voice to active voice
by deleting the “Be” verbs.
• By using action verbs, writers cut
down on the use of the passive voice
and reduce being verbs thus
energizing their imagery.
Action Verbs
• Passive example: The runaway horse was
ridden into town by an old, whitewhiskered rancher.
• Active example: The old, white-whiskered
rancher rode the runaway horse into town.
• Passive example: Around the left side of
the barn was a gravel road.
• Active example: The gravel road curled
around the left side of the barn.