Painting Pictures with Words Basic Brush Strokes of

Painting Pictures with Words: Basic Brush Strokes of Image Grammar

A Comparison: What’s the diff?

A Comparison The amateur writes: “Bill was nervous. ” The pro writes: “Bill sat in a dentist’s waiting room, peeling the skin at the edge of his thumb, until the raw red flesh began to show. Biting the torn cuticle, he ripped it away, and sucked at the warm sweetness of his own blood. ” (Robert Newton Peck as quoted in Noden, 1998, “Image Grammar, ” p. 157)

Absolute Brush Stroke • Noun + ing verb • Function: adds to the action Core: The car went into the parking lot. Engine smoking, gears grinding, the car went into the parking lot.

Paint with ABSOLUTE Brush Stroke

Appositive Brush Stroke • A noun that adds a second image to a preceding noun, restate the noun • Function: expands detail in the reader’s imagination • Core: The car went into the parking lot. • The car, a 1936 Ford, went into the parking lot.

Paint with APPOSITIVE Brush Stroke

Participle Brush Stroke • ing verb or phrase • Function: evokes action, makes the reader feel a part of the experience Core: The car went into the parking lot. Sliding on the loose gravel, the car went into the parking lot.

Paint with PARTICIPLE Brush Stroke

Adjectives-Out-of-Order Brush Stroke • Shift two adjectives after the noun • Function: intensifies an image, gives it rhythm • Core: The car went into the parking lot. The old car, rusty and dented, went into the parking lot. (Note: avoid 3 adjectives in a row. Place 1 before the noun and two after)

Paint with ADJECTIVES-OUT-OF-ORDER Brush Stroke

Action Verbs Brush Stroke • Verbs that do action • Function: effective image tools, energize images • Core: The car went into the parking lot. • The car chugged into the parking lot.

Paint with ACTION VERBS Brush Stroke

Rainy Summer Sky Rolling, draping, folding Clouds hang like icing borders on a cake glazed smooth with gray Edges congealing, a summer front, moist and cool, slides over my street. Dripping, sighing, sagging Air, heavy and suspended, rain settles in for the day.

Rainy Summer Sky Action Verb Rolling, draping, folding Participles Clouds hang like icing borders on a cake glazed smooth with gray Absolute Edges congealing, a summer front, moist and cool, slides over my street. Dripping, sighing, sagging Appositive Air, heavy and suspended, rain settles in for the day. Adjectives

You try! • Write a paragraph on a topic of your choice using these brusthrokes.