#11 Brushstrokes

Practice

(image grammar)

Remember…

• Your goal is to be a painter with words and phrases.

• Make the image come alive to your audience by sprinkling in vivid details.

• Be as descriptive and creative as possible!

Participles

Add an“-ing” or “-ed” verb before or after a noun. (You can also add a modifier

after the participle to make a more detailed phrase)

Original: My brother tried to come home unnoticed.

Participle: Creeping, my brother tried to come home unnoticed. OR

Creeping quietly down the hall, my brother tried to come home unnoticed.

…the tornado hit the city…

…the train sped through the snow…

…the lightning struck the bridge…

…the child went out in the rain…

Absolutes

Amplify the action by adding a two word combination that is a noun + participle (“ing”or “ed” verb) OR noun + participial phraseinto a simple sentence.

Original: The children ran home from school in the snow.

Absolutes: Hands shivering, teeth chattering, the children ran home from school in the snow.

…the family rowed down the river.

…the dogs ran with the branch.

…the man played the trumpet.

…a man walked across the cliffs.

Appositives

Add a noun or noun phrase after the original noun in a simple sentence to clarify the image.

Make sure to enclose it in commas!

Original: The girl reached into the trees for some fruit to eat.

Appositive: The girl, a starving orphan, reached into the trees for some fruit to eat.

The man, ____________, read his book.

The dancer, _________, performed for his friends.

The bears, ____________, attacked each other.

The soldiers, _____________, waited for the enemy.

Inverted Adjectives

Add adjectives out of order to the simple sentence to amplify the details

Original: The loud and mean coach yelled at his players to run a lap.

Inverted Adjectives: The coach, loud and mean, yelled at his players to run a lap.

The library, ___________, is a place for people to study.

The kids, ___________, swing around the sky.

The blossoms, ___________, fell from the tree.

The boy, ___________, pet the horse.

Vivid Verbs

Eliminating the “passive voice” and replacing them with more active verbs.

Original Sentences: The runaway horse was ridden into town by an old, white-

whiskered rancher. The grocery store was robbed by two armed men.

Vivid Verbs: The old, white-whiskered rancher rode the runaway horse into

town. Two armed men robbed the grocery store.

Use vivid verbs to describe the lions.

Use vivid verbs to describe the father and son.

Use vivid verbs to describe Spiderman.

Use vivid verbs to describe the explosion.

Now it’s your turn…

Conclusion

Write a 3-5 sentences about the following picture using each of the 5 brushstrokes. Underline / highlight each brushstroke.