Transcript Document 385296

Image Grammar
• “Traditionally, the study of grammar has
dealt only with words, phrases, and
clauses. However, when I began to see
grammar as a process of creating art, it
seemed unnatural – even impossible – not
to view grammar as a continuous
spectrum in a whole work.”
Conclusion:
Writing is like art. Grammar is the craft that
gets the artist from rough sketch to
professional painting.
The Five Brush Strokes:
• Painting with Participles
Definition:
• “ing” verb tagged on the beginning,
middle, or end of a sentence (one
variation is past tense of verb with “ed”
ending)
i.e.
verb + ing
walk + ing
• walking
Participles
• Participles Painted by Hemingway
•
Shifting the weight of the line to his
left shoulder and kneeling carefully, he
washed his hand in the ocean and held
it there, . . . watching the steady
movement of the water against his
hand as the boat moved. --- Old Man
and the Sea
» by Ernest Hemingway
Harry Noden’s Students
• Participles Painted by Students
• Flying through the air on the wings of a dream, the
Olympic long jumper thrust the weight of his whole
body forward. --- Cathleen Conry
• The rhino, caught in the tangled rope, looked for
freedom. --- Erika Schreckengost
• Melody froze, dripping with sweat, hoping with all
her might that they wouldn’t hear the noise. A beam
of light swung out into the darkness, searching. --Becky Swab
• The clown, appearing bright and cheerful, smiled
and did his act with unusual certainty for someone
who had just killed a man. --- Christi Flick
Now, you try it…
• Let’s look at the
picture and create an
anchor sentence
using only a subject,
verb, and an object
(SVO).
Sample:
Mrs. Gladys Nathan Beasley remembers her
children.
Now, add a participial phrase:
Sitting in the window, Mrs. Gladys Nathan
Beasley remembers her children.
Your turn:
• _________________________, Mrs.
Gladys Nathan Beasley remembers her
children.
Let’s try another:
• Write an anchor sentence, then add a
participial phrase to it.
Your Turn
• _________________________, the chimp
looked on in amazement.
And finally:
• The cat yawned.
Your Turn
• _________________________, the cat
yawned.
Painting with Absolutes
• Definition:
• a two-word combination—a
noun and an “ing” or “ed”
verb added onto a sentence
• i.e. hand shaking,
lips cracking,
Sample:
The mummy was moving. The mummy’s right arm
was outstretched, the torn wrappings hanging
from it, as the being stepped out of its gilded
box! The scream froze in her throat. The thing
was coming towards her---moving 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. --The Mummy by Anne Rice
Samples
Flames flying, gravel ripping, Dash ran to save the
screaming people from the flaming building.
– Tawny Hanna
Heart racing, mind wondering, the boy ran
frantically to his house.
-Rachel
Stomach growling, mouth drooling, the monkey
wanted the boy’s banana.
–James Choi
More Samples
• Mind racing, anxiety overtaking, the
diver peered once more at the
specimen. --- Erin Stralka
• I glanced at my clock, digits glowing
florescent blue in the inky darkness of
my room. --- Jenn Coppolo
• Jaws cracking, tongue curling, the
kitten yawned tiredly, awaking from her
nap. --- Tara Tesmer
Let’s Try One
• The car won first place.
Now You Try It:
• _______ ______, ______ ______, the car
won first place.
Let’s try another:
• The gorilla stared at us.
Your Turn
• _________ ________, ________
• _________, the gorilla stared at us.
And finally:
• The sun rose in the east.
Your Turn
• _________ ________, ________
• _________, the sun rose in the east.
Did you say, “commas”?
• Let’s stop for a minute and look at the use
of the comma in Image Grammar.
• The comma tells you so much about
where the main idea is, where the
supporting details are, what the rhythms of
the sentence are, and when to breathe.
Do you think punctuation is
important?
• That that is is that that is not is not that
• that is not is not that that is that that is is
• not that that is not is not that it it is
Answer:
• That, that is, is. That, that is not, is not.
That, that is not, is not that that is. That,
that is, is not that, that is not. Is not that
it? It is.
Painting with Appositives
• Definition:
• a noun that adds a second image to a
preceding noun
• Basically, any additional noun used to
describe a noun, usually set off by
commas.
i.e. Keon, a brilliant student,
Layla, a great writer,
Sample:
• Plowing through the choppy gray waters, a
phalanx of ships bore down on Hitler's Europe:
fast new attack transports, slow rust-scarred
freighters, small ocean liners, channel steamers,
hospital ships, weather-beaten tankers, and
swarms of fussing tugs. Barrage balloons flew
above the ships. Squadrons of fighter planes
weaved below the clouds. -- June 6, 1944: The
Longest Day
Cornelius Ryan
Samples
The clown, a popular entrepreneur, performed for the
continuous laughing audience.
-Paul Symes
Superman, the man of steel, saved the day.
- Bryce Kelley
The meteor, a fiery ball of fury, raced through the sky.
- Dylan Siegel
The meteor, a steaming hot boulder, killed almost
600,000 scared people.
-Madison Budetti
Now, you try it:
• Harry’s son caught the biggest fish.
• Harry’s son, ______________, caught the
biggest fish.
Let’s try another:
• Hester lingered on the dock beneath a
burning sun.
Your Turn
• Hester, _____________________,
lingered on the dock beneath a burning
sun.
And finally:
• Hayden sat looking into the ocean.
Your Turn
• Hayden, ________________________,
sat looking into the ocean.
Painting with Adjectives Out of Order
• Used more commonly in fiction. Instead
of stringing three adjectives in a row,
like “ a large, red-eyed, and angry
moose”, you would write “a large
moose, red-eyed and angry,…”. It is the
use of one adjective in its common
place, and placing two other adjectives
after the noun, usually set off by
commas.
Sample:
I could smell Mama, crisp and starched,
plumping my pillow, and the cool
muslin pillowcase touched both my
ears as the back of my head sank into
all those feathers.
A Day No Pigs Would Die
Robert Newton Peck
Samples
Robin, hopeful and eager, ran like a bullet,
trying to get the frightened women.
-Rachel Handa
Flash, big and bold, dove under the
crackling red bridge.
- Anonymous
• Along the street, the actor, silly and grumpy,
crawled rapidly like a one man parade.
- James Choi
Let’s Try One
• Claudine was startled by a ghost.
Your Turn
• Claudine, _________ and ________, was
startled by a ghost.
Let’s try another:
• The savage refused to release his love.
Your Turn
• The savage, ________ and ________,
refused to release his love.
And finally:
• Saturn devoured his son.
Your Turn
• Saturn, _________ and ________,
devoured his son.
The last brush stroke is:
• Painting with Action Verbs
• Eliminating passive voice in verbs such as “was
running, is walking, are jumping” and replacing
them with action verbs, such as “running
furiously around, walking slowly around the,”—
eliminating “be” verbs like are, is, was, etc. This
is a process of unfreezing still images by writing
with an active voice.
Sample:
First Draft
Rockwell was a beautiful lake. Canada geese could be heard
across the water bugling like tuneless trumpets. Near the
shore, two children were hidden behind a massive maple tree.
Watching quietly, they hoped to see the first gosling begin to
hatch. Tiny giggles escaped their whispers of excitement.
Final Draft with Action Verbs
Rockwell Lake echoed with the sounds of Canadian
geese. Their honking bugled across the water like
tuneless trumpets. Two children hid behind a
massive maple tree. They silently watched, hoping to
see the first gosling hatch. Tiny giggles escaped
their whispers of excitement.
Goose Moon by Shawn and Jerry Jividen
Let’s try using action verbs:
• The boys were riding their cruisers.
Your Turn
Let’s try another:
• The master was meditating.
Your Turn
And finally:
• Your partner at your table will give you an
anchor sentence.
Now, you add a brush stroke to
your partner’s sentence:
• Anchor sentence plus brush stroke:
Review: Five Brush Strokes
•
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
Participle: verb + ing
Absolutes: noun + ing verb
Appositive: renames the noun
Adjectives out of order: noun followed
by adjectives
• 5. Active verbs: eliminates passive voice