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Image Grammar
By Harry R. Noden
“An ineffective writer sees broad
impressions that evoke vague labels;
a powerful writer visualizes specific
details that create a literary virtual
reality.”
Harry R. Noden
Image Grammar
“An amateur writer tells a story. A pro shows
the story, creates a picture to look at
instead of just words to read. A good
author writes with a camera, not with a
pen.”
Novelist Robert Newton Peck
Secrets of Successful Fiction
Painting with Five Basic Brush
Strokes
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The participle
The absolute
The appositive
Adjectives shifted out
of order
• Action verbs
Participles = an –ing verb tagged on the
beginning or end of a sentence
“The
bear walked silently through the field.”
“Languishing lazily on the log, the bear
thought of salmon swimming into its hungry
hands.”
“Roaring vociferously and posturing for an
attack, the bear scared off the unwanted
intruders with its growling.”
Absolutes = a two-word combination – a
noun and an –ing or –ed verb added onto a
sentence
“The mountain climber edged along the cliff.”
“The mountain climber
edged along the cliff,
hands shaking, feet
trembling.”
“Hands shaking, feet
trembling, the mountain
climber edged along the
cliff.”
“Feet trembling on the snow-covered rocks,
the mountain climber edged along the cliff.”
Appositive – a noun that adds a second
image to a preceding noun
“The raccoon enjoys eating turtle eggs.”
“The raccoon, a scavenger, enjoys eating
turtle eggs.”
“The raccoon, a midnight scavenger who
roams lake shorelines in search of food,
enjoys eating turtle eggs.”
Adjectives out of order = amplify the
details of an image
“The large, red-eyed, angry bull charged
the intruder.”
“The large bull, red-eyed and angry,
charged the intruder.”
By eliminating passive voice and reducing to
be verbs (linking verbs), writers can energize
action images and write in active voice.
“The runaway horse was ridden into town by
a blond-haired beauty.”
“The blond-haired beauty rode the runaway
horse into town.”
“The gravel road was on the right side of the barn.”
“The gravel road curled around the right side of
the barn.”
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•
•
•
Participles
Absolutes
Appositives
Adjectives shifted
out of order
• Action verbs