Painting Pictures with Painting Pictures with WordsWords

Painting Pictures with Painting Pictures with WordsWords

5 Basic Brush Strokes5 Basic Brush Strokes

Participle• Definition: Verbs ending in –ing or –ed used to create precise description.

• Function---Used as adjectives, participles should be

placed as close to the noun they describe in order to engage the reader’s senses and bring the picture to life.

Participle

• Example: The diamond-scaled snakes attacked the prey.

• Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the diamond scaled snakes attacked the prey.

• The diamond-scaled snakes attacked the injured prey.

• Hissing their forked-red tongues, the diamond-scaled snakes attacked the prey. (participle phrase)

Participle and Participle Phrases

• Panting and stretching, the player kicked the deflated ball.

• Paralyzed with fear and shaking in her shoes, Melody froze when she saw the slumping shadow.

• Laughing and splashing, he washed his hands in the ocean.

• Chuckling and playing, the clown smiled at the surprised audience.

• Stretching and twisting, the frightened kitten yawned.

ParticiplePractice sentences: Think of actions

that are taking place in each sentence.

He took his dog for a walkMary was tiredThe car went into the parking lot

Participle• Application:

• Yelling, and sweating, he took his dog for a walk.

• Defeated and recovering, Mary was tired.

• Turning, spinning, and sliding on the ice, the car went into the parking lot.

Practice TimeRewrite each of the following and add participles to

each.

• The player kicked the ball.• Melody froze when she saw the

shadow.• He washed his hands in the

ocean.• The clown smiled at the audience.• The kitten yawned.

Absolute• A two-word combination consisting

of a noun and an -ing or –ed verb added onto a sentence.

• The absolute is always set off by a comma.

• Adds to the action of the image.

Absolute• Practice sentences:• The car went into the parking lot.• The cat climbed the tree.

• Application: Engine smoking, gears grinding, the car went

into the parking lot.• “Claws digging, feet kicking, the calico cat

climbed the tree.”

Absolute• Application:Close your eyes and picture a

mountain climber moving along a steep cliff.

Visualize: “The mountain climber edged along the cliff.”

Absolute• Adding two absolutes:“The mountain climber edged along

the cliff, hands shaking, feet trembling.”

Or…“Hands shaking, feet trembling, the

mountain climber edged along the cliff”

Appositive• When you add a secondary image

to a noun, or previous image. • An added description that is

always set off by a comma.

Appositive• Example:Instead of saying ”The raccoon

enjoys eating turtle eggs,” it can be enhanced with an appositive: “The raccoon, a midnight scavenger, enjoys eating turtle eggs.

Appositive• Practice sentences:Ms. Lark enjoys tormenting kids.Michael Phelps swam with precision.My brother’s car is the envy of all

my friends.

Appositive• Application:Mean old Ms. Lark, the red-headed Language

Arts teacher, enjoys tormenting students.Michael Phelps, a U.S. gold medalist, swam

with precision. My brother’s car, a sporty red convertible, is

the envy of all my friends.

Shifted Adjectives• Instead of placing three adjectives in

front of a noun, a good writer will place one in front and put the other two behind the noun.

• Examples:---Weak: The large, red-eyed, angry bull

moose charged the intruder.---Strong: The large bull moose, red-eyed

and angry, charged the intruder.

Shifting Adjectives• Application:--Weak: The trembling and

frightened young pup scooted under the bed during the thunderstorm.

--Strong: The young pup, trembling and frightened, scooted under the bed during the thunderstorm.

Action Verbs• Go from passive voice to active

voice by deleting the “Be” verbs.• By using action verbs, writers cut

down on the use of the passive voice and reduce being verbs thus energizing their imagery.

Action Verbs• Passive example: The runaway horse

was ridden into town by an old, white-whiskered rancher.

• Active example: The old, white-whiskered rancher rode the runaway horse into town.

• Passive example: Around the left side of the barn was a gravel road.

• Active example: The gravel road curled around the left side of the barn.