IMAGE GRAMMAR

PAINTING WITH WORDS

“I love writing.  I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”…James Michener

Authors use words to help you visualize the action they have written.  These words act as brushstrokes which the author uses to paint a picture.  They are:

-Absolutes

-Appositives

-Participles

-Adjectives Out of Order

-Action Verbs

Paint with…ABSOLUTES

Absolutes are: modifying phrases that add onto a sentence without any connecting words.

Noun + “ing”

The batter prepared to swing at the baseball.

Heart racing, palms sweating, the batter prepared to swing at the baseball.

Time for you to try one…

The kitten struggled while in Sarah’s arms.

Voice mewing, body squirming, the kitten struggled while in Sarah’s arms.

Here is another example…

The boy smiled at the doctor.

Teeth grinning, eyes flashing, the boy smiled at the doctor.

Paint with…APPOSITIVES

Appositives are noun or noun phrases that rename the noun right beside it.  They are generally set off by commas.

Noun + Noun

The skater sped past the judging booth.

The skater, James Wilson, sped past the judging booth.

Time for you to try one…

The cook looked for a recipe.

The cook, a dark haired lady, looked for a recipe.

Here is another example…

The Eifel Tower is located in Paris, France.

The Eifel Tower, a famous landmark, is located in Paris, France.

Painting with…PARTICIPLES

Participles are ”ing” and ”ed” forms of verbs that can be used in a sentence.  They can also add phrases to the participle to create a participle phrase.

Verb + “ing”

Verb + “ed”

The truck hauled garbage to the dump.

Rattling and thumping, the truck hauled garbage to the dump.

Time for you to try one…

The couples danced the fox trot.

Quick-stepping to the music, the couples danced the fox trot.

Here is another example…

The secretary looked at her computer monitor.

The secretary looked at her computer monitor, while rubbing her chin.

Painting with ADJECTIVES OUT-OF-ORDER…

Adjectives describe nouns by answering one of these three questions: What kind is it? How many are there? Which one is it?

Moving them out of order brings interest to the description of the noun.

The alert, friendly, and well-groomed dog greeted me with a wag of her tail.

The alert dog, friendly and well-groomed, greeted me with a wag of her tail.

Time for you to try one…

The old, tarnished, bronze statue stood atop a pillar in the town square.

The bronze statue, old and tarnished, stood atop a pillar in the town square.

Here is another example…

The stopped, weary, and aged elephant crossed the meadow.

The aged elephant, stooped and weary, crossed the meadow.

Painting with ACTIVE VERBS…

An active verb shows action in a sentence.  Active verbs show the subject of the sentence doing the action.  These verbs are more descriptive and interesting for the reader.

The ball was kicked by the player.

The player kicked the ball.

Time for you to try one…

The church was in the woods.

The church rose up from the woods.

Here is another example…

The lighthouse was at the craggy coastline.

The lighthouse towered over the craggy coastline.