Word Choice Lesson 1 Active Verbs

1. Word Choice Lesson 1 Active Verbs Instructor: Rebecca RaichleCourse: Writing with the Traits

2. Active Verbs • Verbs energize. An active verb generates more drama and emotion than any other part of speech. • Strong verbs generate strong feelings. • Active verbs are riveting. You get the readers’ attention.

3. Exercise 1 • Passage 1: A cold wind went through the forest, blowing the leaves of the trees. A deer ran by as owls sat on branches and called in the dark. Rain fell. Mice ran under piles of leaves to stay dry. Far in the distance, a train went by. • Passage 2: A cold wind whistled through the forest, rustling the leaves of the trees. A deer dashed by as owls perched on branches and hooted to each other in the dark. Rain pelted the ground. Mice scurried under piles of leaves to take shelter from the rain. Far in the distance, a train roared by. • Exercise: • Find three examples of verbs that changed from Passage 1 to Passage 2.

4. How many did you find? • Passage 1 A cold wind went through the forest, blowing the leaves of the trees. A deer ran by as owls sat on branches and called in the dark. Rain fell. Mice ran under piles of leaves to stay dry. Far in the distance, a train went by. • Passage 2 A cold wind whistled through the forest, rustling the leaves of the trees. A deer dashed by as owls perched on branches and hooted to each other in the dark. Rain pelted the ground. Mice scurried under piles of leaves to take shelter from the rain. Far in the distance, a train roared by.

5. Your Assignments for Week 1 • Go to the Individual Class Assignments’ page on the wiki and open attachments Week 1A and Week 1B. • Save the documents with your first initial and last name and assignment name. Example: rraichle1A or rraichle1B. After you have completed the assignments email them to me as an attachment. Each assignment is worth 25 points.