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SENTENCE VITALITY
To improve the vitality of your writing each sentence has Actors (usually nouns) and Actions (usually verbs). When each actor and each action is vivid and tangible, the story unfolds before the reader’s eyes.
* TECHNIQUES TO GIVE YOUR SENTENCE IMMEDIACY AND ENERGY
CONCRETE, SPECIFIC NOUNS AND MODIFIERS
ABSTRACT :
*TRANSPORTACION*U.S. DOLARS*CHILDHOOD*NUTRITION
CONCRETE:
*CARS*DIME*CHILD*BROCCOLI
GENERAL SPECIFIC
*PETS *ROVER*STORES *MURPHY’S DRUGS*TEACHERS *MY ENGLISH PROFESSOR
CONCRETE, SPECIFIC NOUNS
Up in the tree, a bird sang, its voice warm and
melodious. Nearby, an animal crouched, watching the bird. Emotion made the animal’s eyes glitter. Stealthily it began to slink forward, body to the ground. It was only a little distance from the bird when another animal dashed toward it from the next yard. As the first animal fled, the bird flew down and perched confidently on the second animal’s head.
CONCRETE, SPECIFIC MODIFIERS
Madeline was pretty girl with nice brown eyes. Fair-skinned laughing
The city housing manager pointed out a row of old wooden houses.
peeling and crumbling
WORDS AND PHRASES THAT DESCRIBE NOUNS AND VERBS
USING ARTICLES WITH NOUNS
Nouns are either count nouns or noncount nous.
COUNT NOUNS NONCOUNT NOUNS
SINGULAR PLURAL INFORMATIONISLAND ISLANDS HOMEWORKCHILD CHILDREN JUSTICERATIO RATIOS SUCCES
A, AN OR THE
1. You must use an article before a singular count noun. an island the child a ratio
Execeptions: Singular proper nouns Italy Pearl Street Lake Erie
2. Use a or an with a singular count noun when you haven´t specified one particular thing or induvidual.
There is a problem with this approach.
*Readers don´t know what the problem is yet.
We all appreciate an understanding friend. *Any understanding friend, not a particular one.
3. Use the with a singular count noun in the following cases. The noun has already been mentioned. The noun is made specific by elements that follow it. The noun is made specific by the context. The noun names a unique person, place or thing
4. Use the with plural count nouns in the following cases. The noun is made specific by elements that follow it.
The novels that I like best focus on characters rather than events.
The noun is made specific by context.We saw a play tonight. The actors were from London.
The noun is a proper noun referring to a country or a set of lakes, mountain range, or islands.The United States The Rocky MountainsThe Great Lakes The Bahamas.
5. Use some (any in any negative sentences) or no article with noncount nouns if the noun is not specificThey asked for some information at the tourist center.There isn´t any homework for tomorrow.The citizens are demanding justice.
6. Use the with noncount nouns if the noun is specific because it has been previously mentioned, it is clear from the context, or it has modifiers.
We ordered some new skiing equipment. After the equipment arrived, we decided we didn´t need it
STRONG VERBS
1. REPLACE STATIC VERBS WITH ACTION VERBS
This problem will soon become evident. erupt
sprawl onto
The outer suburbs of los L.A are in the hills beyond the San Fernando Valley.
2. AVOID WEAK ACTION VERBS
bakes
He makes good. sings wonderfully
She has a wonderful singing voice.
3. CHANGE NOUNS BACK TO VERBS
Few biographies of FDR have given a satisfactory explanation of the disastrous Yalta conference.
Satisfactorily explained
ACTIVE OR PASSIVE VOICE? When a verb is in the ACTIVE VOICE, the person or thing
performing the action is the subject. The active voice hepls readers visualize what happens and who
does it.
actor ative-voice verb direct object, recipient of action
Juana collects the tickets. When a verb is in the PASSIVE VOICE, the recipient of the action
becomes the subject, and there is no object.
subject of action passice-voice verb agent of action in
prepositional phrase
The tickets are taken by Juana