Descriptive Writing Intro

Thursday Dec. 20, 2011

Missing Work Block A

• Lemon: Portfolio (late), Café (late), Tiger/Lamb Para (late).

• Youki: Café• Rae: Café• Jessia: Café

Missing Work Block D

• Beryl: Portfolio, Poetry Test, Synthesis Essay• Jakym: Café• Sam: Tiger/Lamb P (email)• Remy: Tiger/Lamb P (will check)• Constance: Tiger/Lamb P (email)

Missing Work Block E

• Vicky: Tiger/Lamb P• Chrislyn: Tiger/Lamb P• Regina: Tiger/Lamb P• Yumi: Café• Jumon: Literary Quiz (no internet, cheated),

Portfolio (late marks tomorrow), Elephants P (handed in?), Café

Five SensesExamples

See• Crowds filling the streets, man with sledgehammer, East

Berlin, brother ahead of crowd

Five SensesExamples

Hear• Sledgehammer whacks, bricks cracking, gravel crunching,

crowd cheering, brother calling out

Five SensesExamples

Smell• Crisp autumn day, sweat, cigarette smoke

Five SensesExamples

Taste• Water from plastic bottles, crackers passed to workers on the

wall

Five SensesExamples

Feel• Heavy hammer, rough bricks, cold wind

Poetic Devices

Adjective and Adverb Use• Adjectives:

– Words that modify nouns and pronouns• Adverbs:

– A word that changes or identifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb

• Be careful not to use an adjective where you need an adverb– [WRONG] Once the test was over, Sharon walked slow out of the

classroom.[RIGHT] Once the test was over, Sharon walked slowly out of the classroom.The sentence needs an adverb, not an adjective, to modify the verb "walked.“

– [WRONG] We tried real hard to get the muffin mixture perfect.[RIGHT] We tried really hard to get the muffin mixture perfect.The sentence needs an adverb, not an adjective, to modify the adjective "hard." (Note that "really" is an informal substitute for "very", and you should avoid in in formal essays.)

Using GOOD, BAD, WELL, BADLY• You might also note the distinctions between "good"

and "bad" (which are adjectives) and "well" and "badly" (which are adverbs):

• Shelley plays the piano well and the drums badly.The actor's performance was good even though he felt bad that night.

• "Well" is an adjective only when it refers to health or condition:

She protested that she was well enough to start playing sports again.

Using Adjectives with Linking Verbs• Remember that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Do

not mistakenly use an adverb to modify these parts of speech.• For example, after a linking verb you may be tempted to use

an adverb instead of an adjective. • The linking verb is a special kind of verb because it links its

subject to a subject complement. • A subject complement can be either a noun (renaming the

subject) or a modifier (describing the subject). • When it is a modifier it must be an adjective because it

describes the subject (always a noun or pronoun). It does not modify the linking verb itself and should therefore not be an adverb:

• [WRONG] We felt badly about having caused the accident[RIGHT] We felt bad about having caused the accident.

Using Conjunctive Adverbs• The conjunctive adverb is a special kind of adverb

that often serves as a transition between two independent clauses in a sentence.

• Some common conjunctive adverbs are "therefore," "however," "moreover," "nevertheless," "consequently," and "furthermore."

• When using a conjunctive adverb at the beginning of the second independent clause, be sure to precede it with a semicolon not a comma.

• My roommate usually listens to rock music; however, he also likes John Coltrane and several other jazz musicians.

Using Vivid Verbs

• Verbs– A word or group of words that expresses the

action or indicates the state of being of the subject

– Activates sentences; makes them come alive• Vivid Verbs– A verb that is very descriptive

Using Vivid Verbs

• Vivid Verbs– Make writing more interesting and enjoyable for

the reader– Have more specific meaning than the general

verbs they replace– Be careful when replacing a general verb– Make sure it does not significantly alter the

meaning of the sentence

Using Vivid Verbs

• We must keep in mind that each vivid verb has its own distinct meaning

Using Vivid Verbs• EX As the students walked through the park, the breeze blew the leaves on the trees.• EX As the students ambled through the park, the breeze lifted the leaves on the

trees.• In the revised sentence, the verb “ambled” connotes relaxation and pleasantness,

while the verb “lifted” connotes a gentle action. Here the use of vivid verbs conveys a pleasant tone.

• EX The harder James worked, the more he disliked his job and the customers he served.

• EX The harder James toiled, the more he detested his job and the customers he served.

• In the revised sentence, the verb “toiled” denotes hard labor, while the verb “detested” denotes intense dislike. Here the use of vivid verbs conveys a more negative tone. Also note that not all of the verbs in the example sentence were replaced with vivid verbs; the writer chose to leave the verb served because it seemed specific enough for the situation.

Using Vivid Verbs• Vivid verbs are best used in moderation• Replacing more than two or three general verbs in

one sentence could make the sentence difficult to understand

• In effect, vivid verbs are a great tool to use when you want to make your meanings clear to the reader

Vivid Verb Game

Team 1: Say, said, tellTeam 2: Like, love, wantTeam 3: Movement (walk, run, play,

jump, etc.)Team 4: Feelings (Laugh, Cry, Mad, etc.)

Vivid Verb Game

1. Create a list of as many vivid verbs as you can (can use dictionaries)

2. Team X presents a vivid verb3. The other teams must come up

with a sentence using that vivid verb

4. Team X and Teacher will judge the best sentence

Homework

1. Describing a Moment2. Grade 11 Vocab Test - Friday

Exit Slip

Hopes + Fears of the O.C. and Final Exam