Make your writing POP! (adjectives and adverbs)

So ... I'm telling you about my day at the beach, and I say, "The sunset was lovely."

What do you know about that sunset? You know it's "lovely," but what does lovely mean to you? Do you really see that sunset? What if I said this instead?

Yesterday, I took my nephew to the beach. After a fun day energetically playing in the surf and sand, we quietly sat on the shore. With him closely cuddled by my side, we watched the vibrant hues pervade the horizon. Extraordinary oranges and astonishing reds quickly filled the sky. "Isn't that the most amazingly beautiful sunset you've ever seen?" I whispered. "Yes, auntie," he lisped. "It's the prettiest sunset ever!"

When we speak face-to-face, we communicate with more than just our words. In fact, only about 7 percent of our face-to-face communication happens through words. The rest is body language and facial expressions. When we write, however, the only way we communicate is through our words, and how we use them changes how our readers understand what we're trying to say.

We can certainly write basic sentences and adequately communicate, but using modifiers can help us more than just adequately communicate. Let's talk about how to to this.

Adjectives

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns (see "Let's start at the very beginning ..." for more on nouns and pronouns). If the noun is "man," adjectives describe him. What does he look like? What other characteristics does he have?

The man came into the restaurant.

OK. That tells us the person who came in was male rather than female, but that's about it. We don't know much, do we?

The tall, thin, dark-haired man came into the restaurant.

Do you have a better picture of what this man is like? Adjectives not only tell us about how something looks, but they also describe characteristics.

The loud-mouthed, obnoxious man came into the restaurant.

Adjectives add richness and depth to our writing.

Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs (see "Lights. Camera. ACTION!" for more information about verbs), adjectives, and other adverbs. Most (but not all) adverbs end in -ly. Adverbs help to tell us to what extent something is or does. For example:

I cheered joyfully as I watched my son run really quickly across the finish line and win the especially important award.

The adverb joyfully modifies the verb cheered, and tells my reader how I cheered. Really modifies the adverb quickly, which in turn, modifies the verb run. These adverbs tell my reader how he ran. Especially modifies the adjective important, and tells my reader how important the award really is.

Adverbs help us communicate more effectively to our readers.

Before I finish this blog on adjectives and adverbs, let me share one of my biggest pet peeves (in a few weeks I'll be dedicating an entire blog to all those things that drive English instructors crazy!).

Really is an adverb. It means "truly" or "genuinely." Real is an adjective. It means "true" or "genuine."

I become really frustrated when people say, "You're real frustrated, aren't you?"

To test this, substitute "true" for "real." You wouldn't say, "You're true frustrated, aren't you?"

Keep writing well!

Prof. Saundra Rinehart

Lights. Camera. ACTION! (Verbs)

Last week, we talked about simple nouns and pronouns. These parts of speech often function as the subjects of sentences ... They're the ACTORS. Today, we're going to talk about verbs. These function as the ACTION of a sentence.

The idea of actors and actors appeals to me. I'm often involved with local community theaters, so acting is something near and dear to my heart.

Think of your favorite actor. One of the reasons you probably like him is because of how he takes the words of a script and makes them come alive. Just a slight difference in how he acts may change how you react.

This applies especially to verbs because, depending upon the verb chosen, the message of the sentence changes. For example, you could write:

The runner ran down the street.

Nothing is wrong with this sentence. But now change the verb:

The runner sped down the street.

The verb brings a different meaning. Instead of just running, the runner is speeding ... a slightly different meaning. Or how about this:

The runner flew down the street.

I don't know about you, but I have a different vision. Instead of envisioning someone just loping down the street, I see a blur of a runner.

Verbs are very powerful, but they can also be misused. So, now let's talk about some practical concepts about verbs.

Verbs come in several forms and tenses.

   Present tense is what's happening right now or    what happens regularly: I write this blog each week.

   Past tense is what has happened in the past (a completed action): I traveled to Alaska in June.

   Future tense is what will happen in the future: I will visit my family this weekend.

These are pretty simple, right?

It doesn't end there, though. We also have present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Before we go there, though, I need to explain a concept called past participle. A past participle uses the past tense form of a verb (walked, talked, worked, danced) and combines with helping verbs to change the meaning of a sentence.

Present perfect combines the present tense of the helping verb "to have" with the past participle of a verb to communicate an action that happened in the past but continues to the present (I have driven 300 miles [and am continuing to drive]).

Past perfect combines the past tense of the helping verb "to have" with the past participle of a verb to communicate and action that was completed in the past before another action occurred (I had driven 300 miles before I stopped for lunch).

Future perfect combines "will" AND the present tense of the helping verb "to have" with the past participle of a verb to communicate an action that will be completed in the future (I will have driven 3000 miles by the time I arrive).

Whew! I think that's enough for now. I'll address other verb uses in future posts, so stay tuned!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, let me know.

Keep pen to paper!
Prof. Rinehart

Let's start at the very beginning ... (nouns and pronouns)

One of my very favorite musicals has a song:

Let's start at the very beginning,
a very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with ABC ...

Just as we start reading by learning our ABCs, writing begins with a complete understanding of the parts of speech. Now, many of you are beyond the basics, but sometimes it's good to be reminded.

So today, we're going to "start at the very beginning ..."

NOUNS ...

Nouns are words that represent people, places, or things.

People, like my husband
Places, like the top of the aerial tram at Palm Springs, California.
Things, like this tree

So I could write a sentence like:

My husband is above Palm Springs looking at a tree.

These are all nouns.

No problem with nouns, right?

PRONOUNS ...

Let's move on to pronouns. I think you all know that pronouns substitute for nouns in a sentence. Instead of "my husband," for example, I could write:

He is above Palm Springs looking at a tree. ["He" substitutes for "husband."]

The issues comes when we begin to talk about subjective versus objective pronouns.

Subjective pronouns function as subjects in a sentence:

I sing.
She sings.
He sings.
You sing.
They sing.
We sing.

Even when you have compound subjects, you still use the subjective form of the pronoun.

Sharon and I sing.
He and she sing.

Objective pronouns function as objects in a sentence:

Call me.
Call her.
Call him.
Call you.
Call them.
Call us.

NOTE: When we're talking about objects, we're usually referring to "objects of the verb" (I'll call you) or "objects of the preposition" (Give the present to her).

The issue comes when we have compound objects. For example, if you had the following sentence, which pronoun would you use?

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

In the first blank, would you write "he" or "him"? Most of you would rightly choose "him." The logical answer is "Would you please call him?"

In the second blank, would you write "I" or "me"?

This is where is gets confusing for some of us. We've been raised to say "Sharon and I ..." or "Susie and I ..."

So when we see a sentence like:

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

we think it should be

Would you please call him and I before you leave?

However, if you take the sentence apart, would you really say

Would you please call I before you leave?

No!!

So, the correct answer would be

Would you please call him and me before you leave?

I know some of you think that doesn't sound correct, but it is. (You can blame your moms for this because every time you said, "Mom, can me and Joey go to the park?" She'd reply, "You should say, 'May Joey and I go to the park.'")

So ... we've started at the very beginning.

Next Friday, we'll build on the foundation and talk about verbs and participles ... exciting, isn't it?!

Keep pen to paper!

Inaugral Post

Hello terrified writers!

If you've read my profile, you know I've been teaching composition and literature at the college level since 1999. I am passionate about the English language. Seriously passionate. I love to read more than just about anything else. In fact, the only thing better than reading is doing so by a clear mountain lake, just a whisper of a breeze through the trees.

As much as I love to read, I love to write. I've self-published several books, have seen my work in several anthologies, and have free-lanced for local papers. I have to admit: I'm also a "hopeful" novelist. I've finished the first books in two different trilogies. Perhaps one of these days, I'll actually do something about them.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why another blog about writing? Aren't there countless such sites already? Well, yes. However, this blog has a two-fold purpose.

The first (and more important) is that it is a resource for my students, especially those I teach online. While I certainly post information on the appropriate portal, there's only so much I can do online ... or even in the classroom. This blog gives me the opportunity to expand on classroom discussions, presentations, lectures, and readings. I'll be able to go into more detail or offer other ways of tackling assignments.

The second purpose is that we all learn differently. People who are looking for help with their writing might stumble upon a video or blog that I've produced, and for some reason, my approach makes more sense. In addition, I'll sometimes touch on issues, such as how to publish or how to combat writers block, that might be helpful for any writer.

Frankly, whatever we can do to get the message out and help people become more effective writers is fine with me.

I'll be posting lectures, presentations, and other helpful hints each Friday, so bookmark this page, and join the discussion. The first "real" post will be this Friday, July 12. See you then!

Keep that pen moving!

"Professor Rinehart" (as my students call me) or (more formally) "Saundra" or just plain "Sauni"