Image Grammar Using Grammatical Structures to Teach Writing

The 5 Basic Brush Strokes Participles Absolutes Appositives Action Verbs Adjectives Shifted Out of

Participles ◦ Definition: �“-ing” words or phrases tagged on the beginning or the end

Participle “Makeover” The soccer player kicked the ball. Grunting and arching with effort, the

Participle “Makeover” The fish was caught on the line. Rising from the water, the

Absolutes ◦Definition: �Simply put, they are nouns + an “-ing” participle. ◦What they can

Absolute “Makeover” The mountain climber edged along the cliff, hands shaking, feet trembling. www.

Now YOU Try It Add an ABSOLUTE (noun + -ing word). I ran to

Appositives ◦Definition: �A noun phrase that adds a second description, image, or idea to

Appositive “Makeover” The boat bobbed lifelessly in the Lake Michigan swells. The boat, a

Now YOU Try It Add an APPOSITIVE (rename the bus or I) I ran

Action Verbs ◦Definition: �Avoid “passive” voice: It was raining. I had been reading. The

Action Verb “Makeover” The snake was under the porch. The snake waited under the

Now YOU Try It Add an ACTION VERB (think of another word for ‘run’

Adjectives ◦Definition: Shifted Out of Order �Adjectives are descriptive words that help color and

Adjectives Shifted Out of Order “Makeover” The young, nimble, and well-trained gymnast clearly outclassed

Now YOU Try It Add some ADJECTIVES (out of order). I ran to catch

Put It All Together Look back over your practice sentences. Pick and choose parts

This slide presentation is meant to be a GUIDED tutorial and is meant to

This is a brief introduction and overview of Harry Noden’s 5 Basic Brush Strokes

Slides: 20

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Image Grammar Using Grammatical Structures to Teach Writing For Teachers Based on the book Image Grammar by Harry Noden

The 5 Basic Brush Strokes Participles Absolutes Appositives Action Verbs Adjectives Shifted Out of Order http: //www 1. istockphoto. com/file_thumb view_approve/2296341/2/istockphoto_22 96341_artist_s_palette. jpg

Participles ◦ Definition: �“-ing” words or phrases tagged on the beginning or the end of a sentence �Example: “-ing” = present participle; “-ed”= past participle ◦ What they can do: �Add description to an otherwise bland sentence or string of sentences. Specifically, they give motion to a sentence.

Participle “Makeover” The soccer player kicked the ball. Grunting and arching with effort, the soccer player kicked the ball,

Participle “Makeover” The fish was caught on the line. Rising from the water, the fish, caught on the line, thrashed violently. www. floridasportsman. com/. . . /cobia/9904 -56. jpg

Absolutes ◦Definition: �Simply put, they are nouns + an “-ing” participle. ◦What they can do: �Add description to a noun, a subject, or a phrase acting as a noun.

Absolute “Makeover” The mountain climber edged along the cliff, hands shaking, feet trembling. www. freesoloist. com/page 14. html

Now YOU Try It Add an ABSOLUTE (noun + -ing word). I ran to catch the bus.

Appositives ◦Definition: �A noun phrase that adds a second description, image, or idea to a previous noun. �Simply, it means that you ‘re-name’ a noun with a word or a phrase. ◦What they can do: �Add more description to the subject (person, place, thing, idea) of sentences.

Appositive “Makeover” The boat bobbed lifelessly in the Lake Michigan swells. The boat, a small weathered trawler with a faded inscription -- “Lucky Lady” --on the stern, bobbed lifelessly in the Lake Michigan swells. www. aquafind. com/wholesalefish. php

Now YOU Try It Add an APPOSITIVE (rename the bus or I) I ran to catch the bus.

Action Verbs ◦Definition: �Avoid “passive” voice: It was raining. I had been reading. The cookies were taken. (Watch out for “be” verbs. ) �Use a verb that does something! ◦What they can do: �Give a sentence ACTION and movement.

Action Verb “Makeover” The snake was under the porch. The snake waited under the porch. http: //thinkinginvain. blogspot. com/2007_08_01_archive. html

Now YOU Try It Add an ACTION VERB (think of another word for ‘run’ to show more OR less urgency). I ran to catch the bus.

Adjectives ◦Definition: Shifted Out of Order �Adjectives are descriptive words that help color and enhance pictures in reader’s minds. ◦What they can do: �Give a “safe” and “ordinary” sentence more sophistication.

Adjectives Shifted Out of Order “Makeover” The young, nimble, and well-trained gymnast clearly outclassed her amateurish opponents. The gymnast, young, nimble, and welltrained, clearly outclassed her amateurish opponents. http: //photo. kstaken. com/pictures/gymnast 1. jpg

Now YOU Try It Add some ADJECTIVES (out of order). I ran to catch the bus.

Put It All Together Look back over your practice sentences. Pick and choose parts (brush strokes) that you thought were particularly effective, and see what you can come up with for a final sentence. Just like in art, the basic brush strokes are meant to be combined and to work together.

This slide presentation is meant to be a GUIDED tutorial and is meant to be shown as a slide show to illustrate the brush strokes. See speaker’s notes for ideas on how to use the slides. Return to Beginning of Slide Show NEXT

This is a brief introduction and overview of Harry Noden’s 5 Basic Brush Strokes from his book Image Grammar. They are basic grammatical structures that give movement and “picture” to text. This is only intended to give the big picture, with practice and further examples to follow. Book Information: Noden, Harry. Image Grammar: Using Grammatical Structures to Teach Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1999. ISBN 978 -0 -86709 -466 -4 / 1999 / 224 pp / Paperback (Grade level 6 -10) Return to Beginning of Slide Show

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