Methods of Elaboration

1
Methods of Elaboration

• Mrs. Fairchild

2
Action Verbs

• He could jam he could slam. He could do the
  whimmy wham.They were shooting and spinning,
  whooping and juicing, slamming and jamming.(Ardi)

3
Adjectives/Adverbs

• Adjectives I led a great army over the
  knee-high weeds, over the dead animal carcasses,
  and over the dangerous, to-be-avoided ant hills.
  (Ryan)
• Adverbs You strike as quickly as a King Cobra
  but as quietly as a mouse. (Angela)

4
Allusions

• The fantasy luxuries depicted on the cartoon The
  Jetsons, combined with very real ones reserved
  for stars of the Lifestyles of the Rich and
  Famous, pale in comparison to those in our own
  private dream worlds. (Mary)

5
Analogies

• A number of similarities exists between life and
  a roller coaster. The journey starts out
  innocently enough as we find ourselves standing
  in line for the roller coaster. After we board,
  we are locked in snug and tight. Secure as a
  newborn baby wrapped in swadding cloth, we have
  no idea of whats ahead. Then it begins--that
  palm-sweating, gut-wrenching, butterflies-flying
  feeling in the pit of our stomachs as anxious
  anticipation builds while waiting, waiting for
  the ride to begin. (Karen)

6
Anecdotes

• And, oh, how we loved the blackberry cobbler.
  One day out of the summer, Mother would send us
  on a blackberry harvest. Armed only with buckets
  from recent visits to McDonalds, we trooped out
  into our own world. It was like a contest.Our
  little hunt lasted from after Sesame Street was
  over to when the Muppet Show was due to air.
  (Teri)

7
Definitions

• Utopiaa place with dragons soaring at
  unimaginable heights, with wizards casting
  spells, and elfin archers saving people with the
  earth so filled with magic. (Tom)

8
Descriptions

• Gone will be the monotony of neighborhoods were
  used to, where each house resembles the next
  except for a curlicue here and a doodad there,
  and in its place will be winding, red-bricked
  streets and rainbow-colored houses, some with
  gables and dormer windows, rooftop decks, and
  tri-leveled porches. (Mary)

9
Dialogue

• As I walk into the kitchen, I see a ham sandwich
  on the table with a note that says, I love you!
  From your mother. I then realize that everybody
  loves me. That is what is right about my life.
  (Helmuth)

10
Examples/Explanations/Illustrations

• One of the things that we like best about
  Carlsbad Caverns is the sightslots of unique
  formations underground, such as totem poles,
  stalagmites, and rock draperies. (Doug)

11
Facts

• According to Michael Samuels in Art as a Healing
  Force, a number of doctors use art to diagnose
  and treat their patients.(which includes)
  teaching people to use art for growth and healing
  purposes.(including) the treatment of various
  diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and heart disease.
  (Melissa)