Writing Dress-ups

1. Writing Dress-ups Power up your writing

2. Opener #1-Subject Opener • Normal sentence • Sally ran. • Starts with the subject. • Ends with the predicate. • It can be more complicated. • Sally ran all the way to her grandmother’s house. • I wanted to tell you about it but I was sworn to secrecy.

3. Opener#2 Prepositional Phrase Opener • Begins with a prepositional phrase. • After the storm, we ran down to check the damage. • Between coffee breaks, we actually got a lot of work done. • In Penticton, we like to swim in one of our beautiful lakes. • On the stage, I felt nothing but fear. • Against all odds, he made it to the finish line.

4. Opener #3- ly Opener • Starts with an adverb. • Tells how it happened. • Suddenly, she jumped up and ran to the door. • Unfortunately, he could not remember the combination. • Normally, Toby slept through every alarm. • Quickly, Tamorra packed everything into her suitcase. • Frantically, they searched the lake for the sailboat. • Calmly, George reached for the box.

5. Opener #4-1st word ends in either ing or ed • Put an –ing or an –ed verb at the beginning. • Walking noiselessly, she crept into the silent house. • Grimacing at the ugly sight, she looked away and wiped at a tear. • Focused on the jar of candy, he hardly noticed her arrival. • Tightening his grip, he leaned out over the cavernous opening. • Annoyed, he crossed the room in a hurry.

6. Opener #5-Adverbial Clause Opener When I run, I feel as free as a bird. While it did not seem important at the time, he knew that it could make a big difference. Wherever you go, take this map with you. As they ate dinner, George rushed around cleaning the kitchen. Since George arrived, they have done nothing but talk. If bacon is so good, why do we only have it on special occasions? Although Toby wanted to chase after his friends, he stayed by his father’s side. Whereas Jon wanted to eat now, Claudia decided they had to wait. Unless Fred could leash the powerful dog, he knew the others would never get into the compound. Because Toby needed the robe, he took the risk.

7. Who/Which Clause • The whole clause acts as an adjective for the noun that comes before it. • Separate it with commas. • Dr. Bonder, who went into space in 1992, was our first female astronaut. • George, who could feel his stomach rumbling, struggled to convince himself to share the sandwich. • The spaniel barked at the squirrel, which ran up a tree for safety. • The squirrel dropped a large acorn, which landed on the spaniel’s head.

8. Strong Verb • Chose a strong verb not a boring one. • Check your thesaurus for help. • Jon walked into the cafeteria. • Jon strolled into the cafeteria. • Garfield talked Jon into feeding him. • Garfield persuaded Jon to feed him. • Freda turned and left the room. • Freda whirled about and stalked from the room.

9. Dual Verbs • Use two verbs in place of one. • George howled and screamed as he ran up the hill. • The sky rumbled and shook with the storm. • Alana stuttered and tripped over her lie. • Joseph shook and shuddered with cold.

10. Dual –ly words • Double adverbs can add power to your verbs. • The boys hurried quickly and quietly through the empty house. • Olaf hopelessly yet bravely stepped to the line. • George knowingly and mockingly pointed out her error. • Alana foolishly but excitedly danced out onto the stage.

11. Very Short Sentences • Once in a while, in the midst of longer sentences, a Very Short Sentence can have great power. • The plane crashed. • He died. • Alana just breathed. • Why?

12. Quality Adjective • Adjectives describe a noun. A good one can change everything. • A sturdy, wooden door was the only exit. • The bitter fruit sat uneasily on her tongue. • The noisy approach of the teenagers frightened the old woman. • The delayed delivery of the package ruined the surprise. • The short woman looked about for help with the top shelf.