Brush Strokes

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Brush Strokes

• From Image Grammar
• Harry R. Noden

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Painting with Participles

• Participles an ing verb
• They are used as adjectives.
• They come at the beginnings or endings of
  sentences, separated by commas.
• Sentence The diamond-scaled snakes attacked
  their prey.
• Participle Example Hissing, slithering, and
  coiling, the diamond-scaled snakes attacked their
  prey.
• Participles can also be in phrases.
• Example Hissing their red forked tongues and
  coiling their cold bodies, the diamond-scaled
  snakes attacked their prey.

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You try it. AW 7 Brush Strokes

• In your notebook, rewrite at least two of the
  following sentences, adding a participle(s) or a
  participle phrase to the sentences to make them
  more interesting and vivid. Punctuate correctly.

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• _________________, the Olympic long jumper thrust
  the weight of her whole body forward.
• The rhino, _________________, looked for freedom.
• Melody froze, _________________. A beam of light
  swung out into the darkness, _________.
• The clown, ___________________, smiled and did
  his act with unusual certainty for someone who
  had just killed a man.

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Share

• First, share with your seat partner.
• Volunteers share with class.
• Idea for your piece Look for opportunities to
  paint a better picture in your readers mind by
  adding the Participle Brush Stroke!

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Assigned Write 8 Brush Strokes, part 2

• Write the sample sentences with the brush stroke
  strategies as directed on the following slides.

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Painting with Absolutes

• Absolute Noun Participle
• One or two absolutes in a sentence are good,
  three might overload.
• A comma the telescopic lens zooms in on the
  absolute, giving it emphasis.
• Example The mountain climber edged along the
  cliff.
• Absolute Hands shaking, feet trembling, the
  mountain climber edged along the cliff.
• Absolute Phrase noun participle and other
  descriptors, such as a prepositional phrase Feet
  trembling on the snow-covered rocks, the mountain
  climber edged along the cliff.

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Practice sentences for AW 7. Label by number.

• 1. The rhapis palm sat in the large, silver
  container.
• 2. The quarterback raised his arm to throw the
  football.
• Add one or two absolutesto each sentence.
  (noun participle Ex Hands shaking,
  feet trembling)

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Share examples.

• One Suggested Answer 1. The rhapis palm sat in
  the large, silver container, the branches
  stretching into the air, fibrous joints knuckling
  the otherwise smooth surface.
• 2. The quarterback raised his arm to throw the
  football.

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from The Mummy by Anne Rice

• The mummy was moving. The mummys right arm was
  outstretched, the torn wrappings hanging from it,
  as the being stepped out of its gilded box! The
  thing was coming towards hertowards Henry, who
  stood with his back to itmoving with a weak,
  shuffling gait, that arm outstretched before it,
  the dust rising from the rotting linen that
  covered it, a great smell of dust and decay
  filling the room.

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Another Brush Stroke Strategy Adjectives Out of
Order
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Painting with Adjectives Out of Order

• Used more by authors of fiction, but works well
  in creative nonfiction too.
• Not all adjectives have to precede a noun.
• This would work well if you had a string of three
  adjectives. Move a couple adjectives after the
  noun for emphasis.
• Sentence The large, red-eyed, angry bull charged
  the intruder.
• Enhanced The large bull, red-eyed and angry,
  charged the intruder.

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Practice sentences. Label by number.

• Add adjectives out of order to the sentences.
• 3. The woman smiled upon her newborn great-
  grandson with pride.
• (Tip Describe the woman or the grandson with
  adjectives out of order.)
• 4. The band performed at half-time.

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Share examples

• One suggested answer 3. The woman, old and
  wrinkled, smiled upon her newborn great-grandson
  with pride.
• 4. The band, practiced and ready, performed at
  half-time.

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from The Hound of Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle

• And then, suddenly, in the very dead of the
  night, there came a sound to my ears, clear,
  resonant, and unmistakable.

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Another Brush Stroke Strategy Appositives
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Painting with Appositives

• Appositivea noun that adds a second image to a
  preceding noun
• Appositive Phrasenoun with modifiers
• Sentence The raccoon enjoys eating turtle eggs.
• Appositive The raccoon, a scavenger, enjoys
  eating turtle eggs.
• Appositive Phrase The raccoon, a midnight
  scavenger who roams lake shorelines in search of
  food, enjoys eating turtle eggs.

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Practice sentences. Label by number.

• 5. On the first day of school, the student looked
  for someone to sit with at lunch. (Add an
  appositive to the student.)
• Appositive a noun that adds a second image to a
  preceding noun

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Share examples.

• 5. On the first day of school, the student looked
  for someone to sit with at lunch.

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from June 6, 1944 The Longest Day by Cornelius
Ryan

• Plowing through the choppy gray waters, a phalanx
  of ships bore down on Hitlers Europe fast new
  attack transports, slow rust-scarred freighters,
  small ocean liners, hospital ships,
  weather-beaten tankers, and swarms of fussing
  tugs.

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Revision Suggestion

• Look in your creative nonfiction piece for ways
  to use Brush Strokes to enhance your writing
• Absolutes
• Adjectives Out of Order
• Appositives

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Painting with Action Verbs

• Eliminate being verbs and passive voice.
• -Being verbs slow down the action.
• -Passive voice weakens images.
• Example Passive Voice The runaway horse was
  ridden into town by an old, white-whiskered
  rancher (Noden 10).
• Active Voice The white-whiskered rancher rode
  the runaway horse into town.
• Example Being Verb The gravel road was on the
  left side of the barn.
• Removed Being Verb The gravel road curled around
  the left side of the barn (10).
• Group Sentence The grocery store was robbed by
  two armed men (10).