The Five Brushstrokes

1
Image Grammar

• The Five Brushstrokes
• Adapted from the book by Harry Noden

2
Compare the following images, the first written
by a high school student

• It was winter. Everything was frozen and white.
  Snow had fallen from the sky for days. The
  weather was horrible.

3
The second by well-known novelist Brian Jacques

• Mossflower lay deep in the grip of midwinter
  beneath a sky of leaden gray that showed tinges
  of scarlet and orange on the horizon. A cold
  mantle of snow draped the landscape, covering the
  flatlands to the west. Snow was everywhere,
  filling the ditches, drifting high against the
  hedgerows, making paths invisible, smoothing the
  contours of earth in its white embrace.

4
Image Grammar

• The writer is an artist, painting images of life
  with specific and identifiable brush strokes,
  images as realistic as Wyeth and as abstract as
  Picasso. In the act of creation, the writer,
  like the artist, relies on fundamental elements
  to express his or her vision.
• - Harry Noden
• Image Grammar

5
Brushstroke 1

• Appositives
• A noun or noun phrase that adds a second image to
  a preceding noun.
• It expands details in the imagination.

6
The raccoon enjoys eating turtle eggs.The
raccoon, a midnight scavenger, enjoys eating
turtle eggs.
7
The zebras turned to face the noise.
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Brushstroke 2

• Participles
• An ing or ed word (usually) that acts as an
  adjective.
• Adds more action to a description.

9
The diamond-scaled snakes attacked their
prey. Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the
diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey.
10
The dog ran across the beach.
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Brushstroke 3

• Absolute
• A two-word combinationa noun and a participle
  added onto a sentence.

12
The cat climbed the tree.Claws digging, the cat
climbed the tree.
13
The moose stared at the onlookers.
14
Brushstroke 4

• Adjectives out of order
• Placing adjectives in a different order can be
  effective.
• Do not use too many lists of adjectives.
• Amplify the details of an image.

15
The large, red-eyed, angry moose charged the
intruder.The large moose, red-eyed and angry,
charged the intruder.
16
The soft, floppy-eared, brown-eyed bunnies
chomped silently on the delicate flowers.
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Brushstroke 5

• Active Action Verbs
• Eliminate the passive voice (using be past
  participleis taken, was written).
• Reduce being verbs.

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Passive The runaway horse was ridden into town
by an old, white-whiskered rancher.Active The
old, white-whiskered rancher rode the runaway
horse into town.
19
Being The gravel road was on the right side of
the barn.Action The gravel road curled around
the right side of the barn.
20
The leaves were covered with dollops of snow.