Excellence in Writing: all – Flashcards

Subject opener. The/ he. The tortoise felt confident and challenged the hare to a race. • she ran through the forest - (can start with a, an, or the)

Preposition Opener. (This opener does not have a verb in the phrase). Shows place and begins with a preposition.

"LY" opener.

"ING" or "ED" opener (verb)(past or present participle) Rule: A comma must come after the thing or person doing the action. Must also have two verbs in the sentence. (the opener and on other)(the thing doing the action after the comma, must also be the thing doing the "inging") Example: Playing happily at the park, Oreo squealed with delight as the merry-go-round went faster and faster. Example: Disoriented by the Ferris wheel, Oreo threw-up as his head spun round and round.

Clausal Opener (adverbial clause)(clauses have verbs)(www.asia/wub). *When, while, where, as, since, if, although, and because.

Very short sentence. (VSS) Must have a strong verb with 2-5 words in the sentence. Example: Alice glared in amazement!

Invisible "ing" opener. (works well starting with an adjective). Example: (Being) Short and fat, Walter the beagle stood on his hind legs begging for a crumb.

LY adverb. I ______ ran. (an adverb describes the verb)

Who/which clause. Adjectival clause. (Use only in longer sentences). -----------------------Example: The black pen fell to the floor with a thud. *change to: The pen which is black, fell to the floor with a thud.

Strong verb. It is better to use a dual verb.--------------- Example: They sat and listened attentively as the teacher explained the oxygen cycle.

Quality adjective. *better to use dual adjectives joining them with (and, but, yet, or a comma). ------------------Example: The fat, black pen fell to the floor with a thud.

Adverbial clause. www.asia.wub when, while, where, as, since, if, although, where as, unless, because.

Invisible who/which. The who or which should be followed by (is, are, was, or were). -----------------------Example: The students, (who were) excited about pizza, determined to get 100% scores.--------------------- Example: The cake, (which was) covered with sparkles, shimmered in the candle light. -----------------------Example: Benjamin, (who was) feeling frustrated, sought to write a good sentence. -----------------------------Example: It happened on November 8, (which was) a dark, cold day.

Noun clause. (thing) I hoped (that) _____________. *The thing that "I hoped" is the noun clause. * (use the word "that". *(If you use the word "that" after a verb, you will have a noun clause) * (If you use the word "that" after a noun, you do NOT have a noun clause). You can remove the word "that" and have an invisible "that".

The question. (Do not use this very often) (gets the reader thinking) ...................Example: What is the meaning of life?

3sss. Three super short sentences in a row making a pattern or rhythm............Patterns:..5 words, 4 words, 3 words. .........4 words, 3 words, 2 words..........2 words, 3 words, 3 words.

Simile. (true) _____ is like a bridge through time. Metaphor. (false) _______ is a bridge through time.

Quotation. (Conversation in a report, famous quote or expression). ..................Example: "Oh no! Led Zeppelin again?" "Come on my fellow plants, lean this way."

Alliteration. (not used often) They're words that begin with the same letter used in a row...............Example: Cute, cuddly cat.

Dramatic open and close vss. (can be combined with the topic and clincher sentences). Open paragraph with a short sentence and close paragraph with a short sentence.

Triples. Triple "ly" (use words that have different meanings).............Example: He anxiously approached the building, slowly turned the door knob and cautiously entered the dark room. Triple adjectives.............Example: He enjoyed his delicious, frosty, smooth shake.

quality adjective (adj) strong verb (v) -ly word (-ly) who/which clause (w/w) www.asia.because clause (cl) dual verbs, -ly's or adj's (2x)

#1 subject #2 preposition #3 -ly word #4 -ing phrase #5 www.asia.because clause #6 VSS (very short sentence)

alliteration (allit) 3 short staccato sentences (3sss) simile (sim) personification (pers) conversation (conv) question (?) metaphor (met) triple extension (3x)

The topic sentence and the clincher sentence must repeat or reflect 2-3 key words

adjective clause in the middle of the sentence (1)

adverb= use word bank; match adverb to focus of topic sentence (2)

Use thesaurus; avoid banned lazy verbs; match the tone of the writing and the focus of the paragraph' topic sentence (3)

Use thesaurus; avoid banned lazy adjectives; match the tone of the writing and the focus of the paragraph's topic sentence (4)

Adverb clause; middle of the sentence (5)

connected by "and" (6)

Use "that" or omit the word and leave the clause; replaces the noun, don't confuse with the adjective "that" clause which describes the noun

Dual adverbs before the verb with an adverbial clause following; Dual adjectives before a noun with an adjective clause following (8)

The gentleman assisted the young child. (the "subject" of the sentence comes at the beginning of the sentence) #1

Before the dawn of day, the student had to bolt out of bed and get ready for school. (Preposition or Prepositional phrase opens the sentence) #2

Unfortunately, she could not see the president due to the crowds of people blocking her view. (Sentence opens with and adverb) #3

Raking the leaves for hours, seemed like punishment to the young man who would have preferred to be playing baseball with his friends. (an "ing" verb opens the sentence) #4

While looking through the photo album, she found a picture of herself as a baby. (When, while, where, as, if, since, although, because opens the sentence) #5

Very Short Staccato Sentence #6

Startled by the noise, the baby could not be consoled. ("ed" word opens the sentence) #7

Who is knocking on my door? DEC

"Well....!" she snarled impatiently. "I need to ask a question," he replied sheepishly.

4:3:2 Killer bees invaded America. Viciously they attacked. Humans suffered. 3: 3: 3 Savage bees attacked. Violently they killed. Nobody was spared. 2: 2: 2 Bees invaded. They marauded. Humans perished. (Three short staccato sentences)

A short dramatic sentence (Vss) before the topic sentence, combined with another dramatic VSS after the clincher sentence.

A simile uses "like" or "as" and compares one thing to something else. Simile: The boy ate his breakfast like thick molasses flows when its cold. A metaphor says something is something else and clearly cannot be true. Metaphor: The fog is a thick blanket.

Two or more words beginning with the same letter or letter blend sound. Alliteratives may be separated by conjunctions or articles, short pronouns or prepositions. big, beautiful butterflies... crass, crude, and crafty... clumsily he clawed and clambered up the cliff...

Opener In a hurry, the shocked hare dashed toward the finish line.

Opener Hurriedly, the boy jumped to his feet

Opener Shrieking with fear, Peter scrambled to evade the rabid wolf. Deceived by the fox, the narcissistic crow began her song.

Opener Since/if. If you use a variety of sentence openers, your writing will greatly improve.

Opener The race was over. We had arrived. He smiled knowingly.

Dressup The hockey player proudly raised the Stanley Cup over his head.

Dressup Rain did not discourage the determined and competitive athletes

The winners cheered and rejoiced with many hugs

Dressup While/as. The runners' spirits lifted as the sun appeared.

Dressup The beaver, which is native to Canada, builds dams.

-begins with gerund (-ing) -acts like noun -swimming is fun

-begins with infinitive (to + verb) -functions as noun, adj. or adv. -to exercise every day is a good habit, I was relieved to finish my project

group of words with subject-verb pair

-can stand by itself -he ate, the girl ran out of the room

-contains a subject and verb but does not make a complete statement -cannot stand alone -begins with subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun -after he ate

The tortoise felt confident and challenged the hare to a race.

In a flurry, the shocked hare dashed towards the finish line.

Calmly, the triumphant tortoise placed his foot over the finish line.

Shrieking with fear, Peter scrambled to evade the rabid wolf.

Since the tortoise knew the hare to be lazy, he boldly made a challenge.

Call me Ishmael.

Deceived by the cunning fox, the narcissistic crow began her song.

Bright and radiant, the new day dawned.

Thereafter, the tortoises in the land held their heads high.

Jake slammed on the brakes. Subject + Verb + Object

The brakes were slammed on (by Jake). Verb + Object (+Subject).

Question

Contain a subject and a verb and begins with a subordinating conjunction such as before, because, if, when, as, since, that, or where.

A word or short phrase that renames another noun.

Followed by commas. Describes the verb

What type of sentence opening is this? Having been a gymnast, Lynn knew the importance of exercise.

What type of sentence opening is this? Carrying a heavy pile of books, he caught his foot on a step.

What type of sentence opening is this? Washing and polishing the car, Frank developed sore muscles.

What type of sentence opening is this? Arriving at the store, I found that it was closed.

What type of sentence opening is this? Removing his coat, Jack rushed to the river.

What type of sentence opening is this? Aboard the runaway train, the passengers were frightened.

What type of sentence opening is this? Outside the boundary, the area is dangerous to cross.

What type of sentence opening is this? Beside the red one is the car I want to buy.

What type of sentence opening is this? Below deck, all rooms are for sleeping.

What type of sentence opening is this? Without a GPS, we will lose our way.

What type of sentence opening is this? Because Sam was late to school, he stayed after for detention.

What type of sentence opening is this? Since we left the dance, most of us went to a midnight movie.

What type of sentence opening is this? When we went to Florida, we visited the Everglades.

What type of sentence opening is this? If we hurry, we can make it.

What type of sentence opening is this? A gifted musician, Ted discovered his talent at age five.

What type of sentence opening is this? A sporty red convertible with bucket seats, my brother's car is the envy of my friends.

What type of sentence opening is this? The first state to ratify the U. S. Constitution, Delaware is rich in history.

What type of sentence opening is this? A critical period in history, the civil rights era plays an important role in many novels.

What type of sentence opening is this? Besides, he's not the one with the BMW.

What type of sentence opening is this? Foolishly, the children left the house without telling their mother.

What type of sentence opening is this? As a matter of fact, she was at the game.

What type of sentence opening is this? However, most people don't like that.

Noun or pronoun. Most common way to start a sentence in English. Subject can be found in places other than the first word.

Stands for "very short sentence". 5 words or less. Can be a one-word sentence (an interjection), BUT these often don't work in academic writing.Must be a real sentence that makes sense!

A clause is like a sentence, in that it has a subject and a verb, but it is not a sentence that can stand on its own. Ex. As I opened the door, Ex. When I saw my brother, Ex. Since the tortoise knew the hare to be lazy, he boldly made the challenge of a race www.asia

Verbs that end in "ing" or "ed". Example - running, thinking, comforting, exhausted, bewildered, depressed Example - Walking, she made it to school in 9 minutes. (note the comma)

Words that show "how" the action is done - how, how often, when, or how much. Examples - slowly, strangely, equally, frankly, bitterly, peacefully, usually, rarely, always, daily, repeatedly, afterwards, again, before, almost Example - Slowly, she put down the phone.

Words that show position. Examples - in, under, into, about, above, among, before, except, toward, since, etc. Example - Among my friends, I am the level-headed one.

Two or more words in quick sequence that begin with the same consonant sound. Note - "SOUND" not "letter" (example - c or k can make the same sound).Examples: big, beautiful butterflies.

Most effective as the first sentence. Example: Have you ever wondered why the grass turns brown in the fall?

A simile compares two things using "like" or "as." A metaphor says one thing is another.

A short, dramatic sentence (VSS) before the topic sentence, combined with another dramatic VSS after the clincher sentence. Example: Hungry flames roared. (opening) The farm lay in ashes. (closing)

One of three patterns: 4:3:2, 3:3:3, or 2:2:2 Example 4:3:2: Killer bees invaded Canada. Viciously they attacked. Humans suffered. Example 3:3:3: Savage bees attacked. Violently they killed. Nobody was spared. Example 2:2:2: Bees invaded. They marauded. Humans perished.

Can be a quote of something a character or person said, OR can be a section taken directly from another text. Example 1: "Why doesn't anyone believe me?" he screamed in despair

Adjective clause, found in the MIDDLE of a sentence. Example: The lion, who felt helpless, was most grateful for the assistance of the little mouse. Notice the use of commas, this showcases this dress up.

-ly words. Example: The fox CASUALLY mentioned how pleased he would be to hear the crow sing.

A type of adverb clause (starting with because). Example: The hare was delighted because he knew it would be an easy race against the tortoise.

Many of the everyday verbs we use are weak, and like weak coffee, they are not very satisfying. Usually two strong verbs in the middle of a sentence. Example: My friend GLOATED AND CROWED over my defeat on the basketball court.

Again, everyday adjectives, or the absence of adjectives altogether, make writing weak and uninteresting. Example: The WEARY AND EXHAUSTED Clydesdale appreciated a rest stop for a drink and a carrot.

An adverb clause, used in the middle or end of sentence, strengthens that sentence. Example: The hare dozed peacefully WHILE THE TORTOISE PLODDED PERSISTENTLY.