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E405 Expository Composition

E405 Expository Composition. 9/12/11 Klein. Welcome Ladies and Gents!. Literary Research Book Draft Scene Description Using Effective Verbs. Hint: My brother’s puppy. The best dog breed ever. Describe a scene….

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E405 Expository Composition

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  1. E405 Expository Composition 9/12/11 Klein

  2. Welcome Ladies and Gents! • Literary Research Book Draft • Scene Description • Using Effective Verbs Hint: My brother’s puppy. The best dog breed ever.

  3. Describe a scene…. • Describe ONE scene from this particular montage. Do your best to capture what’s happening in the scene and paint a picture for your reader. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8xHjC27YvM

  4. The “Myth” of Description • You don’t need to pile on all kinds of adjectives, similes, and metaphors to describe something in detail – use those verbs! • Let your verbs DO WORK! • Example… Instead of saying, “old, gray, stooped and crippled man,” consider using an action verb: • “The old man limped toward me.”

  5. Quick Verb Review • State-of-being verbs, which include all forms of to be. is, was, were, are, am, be, being, have been • Helping verbs, which help the main verb in a phrase to tell about an action.

  6. Quick Verb Review 3) Action verbs, which include thousands of words, such as throw, catch, run, and sit. **While state-of-being and helping verbs are central to English, writers often become lazy and forget about the mother lode of action verbs available to them.

  7. “So what can I do, Kleiner?” • Omit state-of-being and helping verbs. Original: Her voice is as soft as a summer’s eve, and the way it bends is like a pine tree in a storm. Revision:Her voice, soft as a summer’s eve, bends like a pine tree in a storm.

  8. “So what can I do, Kleiner?” 2) Replace state-of-being and helping verbs with more active verbs. Original: My uncle only has a high school diploma. Revision:My uncle only earned a high school diploma.

  9. “So what can I do, Kleiner?” 3) Replace state-of-being and helping verbs with active verbs rich in imagery. Original: This one time he was making sandwiches and needed lettuce. Revision:One time, while slapping sandwiches together…

  10. “So what can I do, Kleiner?” 4) Avoid the passive voice*. Original: The ball was thrown by Luis. Revision:Luis threw the ball. *With the passive voice, the subject is acted upon. While this construction may be necessary at times, the active voice is usually clearer and more powerful. Also, note that using active voice eliminates a helping verb.

  11. Practice Makes Perfect • Complete #9 on page 62.

  12. Revisit that scene… • Go back to the scene you described earlier. • Find all of the helping and state of being verbs and replace those with action verbs. • Did your piece become more effective?

  13. Homework • None, bring your books tomorrow. • Get your literary research books by Friday!!!

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