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