A conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases, or clauses. A coordinating conjunction is a conjunction that joins words, phrases, or clauses, that are all grammatically equal (This be where I fuck up my conjunction use, just remember that your list has to be all nouns, or verbs, or adjective, or phrases, or clauses, but not a mixture of the bunch). Here is a list of Coordinating Conjunctions and what they mean: And- Combines two or more positive or negative ideas. But- Connects two or more true but contrasting ideas. Or- Presents a choice between ideas. Only one of the ideas is true or possible. Nor- Combines two or more negative ideas. None of the ideas are true or possible. Yet- Connects two or more ideas that are somewhat contrasting. For- Explains a reason or purpose. So- Shows an effect or result. Comma Usage! You use a Comma when you are joining two independent clauses (we'll get to clauses later, but in essence, they are simple sentences.) or you have a list of words Example: I love Math. Beth loves History. = I love math, but Beth loves history. Example: I love math, history, and gym. Note: You can start a sentence with a conjunction for dramatic effect. (Before you do this ask yourself if you are doing it properly and you understand the effect you are creating by this.) Correlative Conjunctions are words that work in pairs to create an even more dramatic effect for the words, phrases, or clauses that are being joined together. They are: Either...or... (used to express options or outcomes.) Neither...nor... Both...and... Not only...but also... Whether... or... (used in indirect questions.) Parallel ideas are correct when they are Grammatically equal. Parallel ideas must be equal when they are presented in a series. A Series of Nouns: I danced with Mark, Ryan, and Ben. A Series of Verbs: We were grasping and gasping. A Series of Adjectives: The big, red, Japanese balloon floated away. A Series of prepositional phrases: Through the forest, over the bridge, and across the river to home we go. A Series of predicates: I danced Rumba, drunk rum, and flirted with guys all night long. A Series of Clauses: I love math, David loves history, and Jack loves English. A series can really be anything as long as the part are all Grammatically equal. A Conjunctive adverb, like a conjunction, connects ideas but in stronger ways. Conjunctive adverbs show a relationship between clauses. They can compare, combine, contrast, empathize, summarize, illustrate, show sequence, and concede ideas. Some examples: However, also, otherwise. A conjunctive adverb can also be used in the middle of a sentence for as a parenthetical expression. Example: I want to leave, namely, for Germany. When Punctuating around Conjunctive adverbs you have to look at the way they are being used. Parenthetical expression: I want to leave, Namely, for Germany. (A comma on both sides of the conjunctive adverb.) Joining two clauses: I bumped and grinded on David all night long; seriously, he loved it. (semicolon on one side and a comma on the other.) Starting a sentence: I bumped and grinded on David all night long. Seriously, he loved it. (If the Conjunctive adverb starts a sentence, just a comma after the word. Subordinating conjunctions join two clauses together by making one of them a dependent clause (we will be getting to clauses soon.) Subordinating Conjunctions are the strongest type of Conjunction. They are used to introduce adverb or noun clauses. Here are a few examples of Subordinating conjunctions: Unless, Before, In order that, Rather than. If you start the sentence with a subordinating conjunction, you need a comma before the two clauses. (Re-read this sentence for an example.) You don't need a comma if you use the subordinating conjunction to join two clauses. (Re-read this sentence for an example.) Other words that can be used as Conjunctions are Relative pronouns (That, which, Whom, Who, Whose). Relative pronouns are used to introduce a noun or adjective clause. Relative adverbs (Where, when, why) are used to introduce adjective clauses. Whatever, whoever, Whomever, what, whichever are used to introduce noun clauses (again, we will get to clauses later.) A few more odds and ends. Like should only be used when followed by a noun. Example: You look like a wildebeest. (Trust me, Gentlemen, this complement always gets you a second date.) As, As if, As though should be used to join clauses together. The chimes sound as though rain were falling. Such as is used before a list. Example: You need to learn dances such as the Waltz, Rumba, and Foxtrot. Interjections. While Conjunctions can be used to create dramatic effects by combining two or more ideas, Interjections are used to express emotion and subtext. (This is a great way to show off your character). Interjections use fad words, and onomatopoeias (A literary musical device I use a lot) and have no grammatical purpose. The most famous Interjection is the word 'fuck' (No, that is not a joke.) There are a few places you can place an interjection. Beginning: Fuck, I just got beat up. Middle: I found my keys, fuck yeah, I can finally go home. End: This feels so good, fuck. There are a few ways to punctuate an injection. To express strong emotion use a (!) To express mild emotion use a (,) To express doubt, a question or uncertainty use a (?) If you want the interjection to stand by itself use a (.) This ends my notes on Conjunctions and Interjections. In conclusion, Conjunctions are used to combine or express ideas with or against each other and can be used to create a dramatic effect. Interjections are used to express emotion and subtext from the speaker. Next, I will be moving onto Verbals.
In the last part, we learned that Prepositional phrases can be used as an adjective, adverb, or noun. There are some rules about where you can place these phrases at. A prepositional phrase that modifies a noun (an adjective prepositional phrase) follows the noun. Example: The girl with the red dress danced. A prepositional phrase that modifies an adjective or adverb must also go after that words they modify. Example: The danced gracefully in high heels. (Modifies gracefully) Example: I am fast as a deer. (Modifies fast.) A prepositional phrase that modifies a verb can be moved in the sentence just like how an adverb modifying a verb would normally. Example: With great speed, I ran. Should the above rules be broken, the meaning of your sentence can be drastically changed as the prepositional phrase will modify whatever part of speech you place it after. The girl with a blue dress drove the car. (Girl has the girl dress) vs. The girl drove the car with the blue dress. (The car has the blue dress). There is a rule about never ending a sentence with a preposition, however, this is more of a guideline than a rule; also, Dialect comes into play here. There is a joke about how people from Chicago always end their sentences with a preposition. I personally feel that if I talk like that normally, my narration and dialogue will reflect this, but this is something to keep in mind. Here is a list of prepositions that get people into trouble. Beside: Means Next to. Besides: In addition to. Between: Is used with two things. Among: Is used with three or more things. There is no such thing as "Should of." It is always "Should have." Angry WITH: you are referring to a person. Angry AT: you are referring to a thing. There is no such thing as "different than". The words are you looking for is "Different from." Now, onto commas (,) !!! My comma usage is horrible, so some super important shit for me. The rules are simple. If an adjective Prepositional phrase is restrictive (Meaning that the phrase is vital in making sense of the sentence) you don't need commas. Example: The man with the glasses and red shirt is the killer. (Without this phrase you would not know which man the speaker was talking about.) If an Adjective prepositional phrase is nonrestrictive (Meaning that the phrase is NOT vital in making sense of the sentence) you DO need commas. Example: Bernie, with his wild hair, gave a great speech. (Since Bernie is named, we don't need to know that his hair was wild.) Also, if an adverb phrase starts a sentence you need a comma. With the wrath of a thousand drunken-Irish-men, Scott attacked! There is an exception that if the phrase is shorter than three words you can get rid of the comma. (I personally don't do this. The reason I put the comma is so the reader stops and just takes a second to think about what he or she just read.) Okay, now that we've gone over the rules and problems that can occur with prepositional phrases, let's cover the cool things you can do with them! The two things you can do are: 1. Layer them (and give you writing a nursery-rhyme type of feel to your writing.) 2. Add motion to your verbs. Layered example: Up the mountain, over the bridge, across the river, and through the city, we danced! To add motion a verb you just do (Verb + Preposition/Prepositional phrase). [Depending on how you use the preposition this can be an Idiomatic Verb.] Example: We climbed up the mountain. Thoughts: Layering Prepositions and Idiomatic verbs are two of my favorite writing tools. In my current project, I use a fair amount of Idiomatic verbs. As for Layering Prepositions, I do a lot of layering in Chapter 1, due to the fact I wanted to give the chapter a nursery-rhyme-like feel to it. Like all tools, however, overusing it can cause the reader to become tired of it. This ends my notes and thoughts on Prepositions and puts me at the halfway mark of completing my journey to gain a better understand of the English Language for the purposes of Imagery. Next, I will be looking at Conjunctions and Interjections.
Prepositions! I love this part of speech because it can be used to create a sense of kinetic motion within a sentence. At the end of my notes on prepositions, I will show how this effect can be created. Prepositions are words that show a relationship between another word and the object of the preposition. (Sounds confusing doesn't it?) They often use phrases (we will get heavier into phrases later) to accomplish this. Example: The gun on the shelf is mine. ('On' is the preposition. 'The self' is the object of the preposition. The prepositional phrase is used to describe the gun.) There are a lot of prepositions out there (top, down, in, out, after, before etc) but they all fall into one of four categories: Time, Direction, Manner, and Place. Time: After the game, Direction: Down the wall, Manner: On his back, Place: Inside the closest. Sometimes you need more than one preposition to describe what is going on. Example: On top of the stairs. (The first three words are all prepositions.) Sometimes you need two objects to describe what is going on. Example: Between Max and David. (Max and David are the objects of the preposition.) Now, if a preposition does not have an object, it is an Adverb. Example: David danced across. (Adverb) Example: David danced across the room. (Preposition) Now Prepositional phrases can be used as an Adjective, adverb, or noun. Adjective: The book on top of the table is mine. Adverb: He ran across the room. Noun (This is somewhat rare): Next year will be great! In part 2 we will look at some problems that sometimes occur with prepositions and cool things you can do with them (and you can do a lot of cool things with them).
Often, we use adjectives and adverbs to compare. There are three degrees of comparisons: Positive (or Negative), Comparative, and Superlative. Here are some examples. Positive/negative: The Bear is red/The Bear is not red. Comparative: The Bear is redder than an apple. Superlative: That Bear is the reddest of them all. Pretty simple yeah? When you talk about one thing; you use positive/negative. When you talk about two things; you use comparative. When you talk about more than two things; you use superlative. Now let us break this down a little more. For Postive Comparative you will either add an Er (Usually words with one or two syllables) to the end of the word or you will add More (Some two-syllable words and all three-syllable words). Some words you can do either or. Here is an example. Example: Heavier or More heavy. For Postive Comparative you will either add an Er (Usually words with one or two syllables) to the end of the word or you will add More (Some two-syllable words and all three-syllable words). For Negatives, you add Less for Comparatives, and you add Least for superlatives. Like anything else, Comparatives have words that have irregular forms (and irregular forms are always what get me.) Here are some examples I have. Good/Better/Best. Bad/Worse/Worst. Well/Better/Best. Much/More/Most. Many/More/Most. Some/More/Most. Some words have multiple forms due to the fact that the same word can have multiple meanings. Here are some examples I have. Little (Size)/littler/littlest. Little (amount)/less/least. Late (time)/Later/Latest. Late (Order)/latter/last. Old (age)/Older/oldest. Old (order)/Elder/Eldest. Far (distance)/Farther/Farthest. Far (progression)/Further/Furthest. Also, some comparatives are absolutes. They don't have other forms of the word. Some examples are absolute comparatives are: Best, Worst, Dead, Pregnant, First, Last, unique, perfect, Stright, round, Square. Super Duper important rule: Don't confuse Adjectives and Adverbs. Example I danced bad last night (incorrect) I danced badly last night (Correct.) The dance was badly (incorrect) The dance was bad (Correct) Countable vs Non-Countable. If you can actually count the item, with a number, (People, books, dollars) use these adjectives: Many, more, most, few, fewer, fewest, several. If you can not count the item, a large amount (Sugar, Sand, rain) use these adjectives: Much, more, most, little, less, least, some. So I want to end this with some basic rules. Do not combine Er or Est with More or Most. One or the other people. Example: I am the most cutest girl ever. Don't do Double negatives. Example: I did not dance no songs. Be sure you place the adverbs: Just, Only, Almost, Even, Hardly, Merely, and Nearly in front of the verb they modify. (I don't have any good examples, but misplacing these words may change the meaning of the sentence.) Illogical comparisons. Sometimes you will compare things that shouldn't be compared. This sometimes happens when we leave words out. Here is an example. My Teeth are better than Jack. (Illogical.) My Teeth are in better shape than Jack's teeth. (Logical.) - This ends my notes on comparisons. I personally don't use a lot of Comparisons in my writing. They are good if you are trying to paint a picture by comparing it to other things for the reader, but sometimes taking the extra time to find that one word is a better solution. Here is an example though of me using one. 'The silhouette stood taller than a doorway and blacker than any of the other shadows in the house.' This ends my notes on Modifiers (to be honest, my least favorite part of speech.) Next, we will be looking at prepositions and prepositional phrases.
The adverb, the most misused word in English. But what is an adverb? An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. An adverb answers one of the following questions. When? (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow) Where? (There, here) How? (Fastly, slowly, beautifully) How much? (Mostly, partially, completely) Adverbs can be positioned in a number of positions in a sentence. At the start of the sentence: Daily, I dance. At the end of the sentence: I dance with Katie, daily. After the verb: I dance daily with Katie. Before the verb: I daily dance with Katie. Before the helping verb and main verb: I have daily danced with Katie (Sounds a little weird.) You cannot, however, interrupt an infinitive verb (anything that follows 'to') with any Adverb. Example: I love to eat often chocolate. (Wrong) Example: I love to eat chocolate often. (Correct!) An adverb that modifies an Adjective or another Adverb is called an intensifier. An intensifier usually answers the question 'To what extent?' They must go before the adjective or adverb they are modifying. Example: The bright (Adverb) blue (Adjective) ball was kicked very (Adverb modifying an Adverb) hard (An adverb modifying the verb.) Nouns can be used as adverbs; these are called adverbial nouns. I personally have a hard time telling the difference between direct objects and adverbial nouns. The difference is that a direct object receives the action. Adverbial nouns modify the action by answering the questions of: Where? I walked home. Where to? I walked east. How long? I walked four hours. How far? I walked four miles. How much? I paid twenty dollars. Interrogative adverbs ask questions. They are made up of the following words: Why? Where? How? When? Just like Interrogative pronouns, Interrogative adverbs can be used to join two clauses together. They are called Relative adverbs. I will get deeper into clauses much later. Example: My father's death was the reason why I came back home. Conjunctive Adverbs are another type of adverb that joins two clauses together. You have to use a semicolon ( when you use them. They include Anyway, besides, consequently, finally, furthermore, however, instead, likewise, meanwhile, nevertheless, next, otherwise, specifically, still, subsequently, then, therefore, and thus. I love grammar; however, I am really bad at it. - In conclusion, that ends all my notes on the Adverb; however, I wanted to go into why a lot of people say don't use adverbs. It is advice that I dole out as well, time to time, but I'd like to expand on what I mean. Example: He was very angry. This is a great example of misusing an adverb. Why? Because there is a better word for 'very angry.' Example: He was enraged. By taking the time to find a word that means very angry, you have in essence have eliminated 1/4 of the words in your sentence. I overwrite. If I took the time to find better words for what I was describing, I could easily eliminate 20-25% of what I have written and given my story a sharper, quicker feel to it. However, there is a time where adverbs work miracles. Where? Juxtapositions. This is one of my favorite imagery tools. A Juxtapositions is where you combined two opposing things (words, images, dialogue, etc.) to give the word/image new meaning. When people talk about Dream-like imagery this is one of the tools used to create that effect. Using my above example, I will create a Juxtaposition. Example: I was happily enraged. Happily and enraged would normally oppose each other, however by combining the two I've created a Juxtaposition. Also, this should paint a picture of the speaker, as I know people who just LOVE to get pissed off. Sounds odd, doesn't it? This ends my notes on the Adverb. On the next, and last, part of Modifiers, I will be working through comparisons.
Adjectives are words that modify or change a noun. The overused and underused adjective. Adjective, as any modifier, can be a powerful tool for a writer but is sometimes misused. Before I go into what an Adjective is, I want to explain what their purpose is in terms of imagery. Every Noun in existence cast a shadow. What do I mean? All nouns have a connotation and a denotation. A Connotation is the various social overtones, cultural implementation, or emotional meaning behind the word. A denotation means its exact dictionary meaning. An example of this would be Myrrh. Myrrh is a plant used in perfume, but some people who hear that word think of Christ's birth. This is a great example of Myrrh having a strong connotation. Adjectives can be used change the Connotation of a noun. Here in an example of Adjectives changing connotation. An orange cat. (I think of Garfield) A black cat. (I think of bad luck, witches, and one of Poe's stories.) So what is an Adjective? An Adjective is a word that answers one of the following questions about a noun. Which one? What kind? How much? How many? Articles are adjectives (They answer the question of which one.) A/An (A used after a hard consonant, AN used after soft consonants and vowels) means you don't know which one you are talking about. The means you do know which one you are talking about. Sometimes words that are used in other parts of speech can be adjectives. Listed below is the different types with examples after them. Noun: The squarial trap. Possessive noun (Any type of possessive is an adjective): The dog's bone. Proper noun: The Trout Stream. Proper possessive noun: Bartlett's car. Proper Adjective (Nationalities are Proper adjectives): The Italian man. Demonstrative pronoun: Those apples. Possessive pronoun: My gun. Interrogative pronoun: Which gun. Indefinite pronoun: Many flies. Compound Adjectives. A Compound adjective is made up of two or more words put together. A lot of compound adjectives are hyphenated, but some are one word or two words. Hyphenated compound Adjectives mean that the first adjective is describing the second adjective. Here is an example from my own work. "The piss-stained, spring-showing mattress." Piss describes stained, and spring describes what is showing. The stained and showing describes the mattress. Also, hyphenate for the following reasons. Prefixes before capitalized words. (pro-Bush) Numbers or Letter combined with words. (A-Twenty) Prefixes with dates (Mid-90s.) Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine. Prefixes. Fractions. Long list (I like Cheese-, salsas-, and Guacamole-flavored dips.) Two very important rules about Hyphenated adjectives! DO NOT combine an adjective and an adverb with a hyphen. You DO NOT need to Hyphenate your adjectives if they come AFTER the noun. Adjectives can be placed in one of three places. Before the noun: The powerful Knight... After the noun: The Knight, powerful,.... (You need commas). After a linking verb: The Knight was powerful. Adjective order. There is an order in which Adjectives need to be listed. The order is as followed. 1. Articles. (The Bear) 2. Possessives. (My Bear) 3. Demonstratives. (That Bear) 4. Numbers. (The #3 Bear) 5. Amounts. (Those Five Bears) 6. Sequence. (The Next Bear) 7. Opinion evaluation (The cute Bear) [I am going to focus on this at the end of blog.] 8. Size (The Fat Bear) 9. Shape/Length (The Round Bear.) 10. Condition (The torn Teddy Bear.) 11. Age (The Old Bear.) 12. Color (The black Teddy Bear. 13. Pattern. (The stripped Teddy Bear.) 14. Origin (The French Teddy Bear.) 15. Material (The Slik Teddy Bear.) 16. Purpose (The therapy Teddy Bear) 17. Noun as Adjective (The Plum Tree.) - I wanted to end with my thoughts on Opinion Evaluation. Opinions as adjectives is a great way to give subtext to your Character. By expressing an opinion, we give our characters a voice. Anyone who has read my stuff knows I don't like abstractions, however, they work wonders for opinions. I want to go back to my opening line and make a little change. Before: In a dark vestibule, cockroaches... After: In a dark vestibule, beautiful cockroaches... Now I've added a little bit of subtext, a small window, into the speaker's mind. But to just state a cockroach is beautiful without any context would be lazy writing. I do plan on adding more to this, and showing why the character finds them beautiful, but that will be for a later blog. In Conclusion, Adjectives can be used to give us a clear image, Identify, change connotations, or give subtext and voice to the speaker. Sometimes Adjectives are misused, when? When they state the obvious. Bad examples: Green leaf, white clouds, cold snow, wet water, etc. Good examples: Purple leaf, hot snow, Green hair, etc. Anything that would stick out to the speaker. This ends my thoughts and notes on Adjectives. Next will be the Adverb.
The Sentence, the basic unit of writing. The sentence is made up of two parts: The subject (A noun or pronoun) and the Predicate (The action being done). In other words "A noun performs a verb." So with us having learned about nouns, pronouns, and verbs, I feel it is time we build very simple sentences and build on them for the remainder of the blog (Everything in this blog, after this, will be about enhancing sentences.) Subject: A Subject is a noun or pronoun that the sentence is about. Now for the purposes of imagery, the more defined the noun; the more precise the image will be. Example 1: The Cardinal. Example 2: Azure (This is a character from my book.) - A simple Predicate is a verb being done in the sentence. It can be an action verb (which are the best type), A state-of-being, or a linking verb. So let's add some action to our examples! Example 1: The Cardinal chirped. (This is a great verb because it adds sound to the image.) Example 2: Azure sat. Here we go, two very basic sentences. (You could write a whole book doing that. It might not be engaging for adults but it would be for children learning to read.) - Now things are going to get a little tricky. A simple sentence can have a compound subject, a compound predicate, or both. Compound Subject: Azure and I Danced. (Two subjects, Azure and I, do a verb (Dance).) Compound Predicate: Azure Danced and Sang. (Azure, the subject, performed two actions (Danced and sung.) Both: Azure and I danced and Sang. (The subjects, Azure and I, performed two actions (Danced and Sung.) Now you can add as many nouns and actions as you want. While I don't believe there is any 'real rule' for this I feel anything beyond three of each would be boarding the limit. I want to address want a compound sentence is. My above examples HAVE ALL BEEN simple sentences. A Compound sentence is where you have two sentences joined together. Two sentences: Azure Sang. I danced. Compound sentence: Azure Sang, and I danced. Understand the difference between a simple sentence, with compound subjects and Predicates, and a compound sentence. This will become important when we get to clauses. - Before I move onto Objects I want to say that every word, phrase, verbal, or preposition, should either belong to the subject or the predicate. If it doesn't aid either one; it needs to be cut. I sometimes overwrite and put too many words into a sentence; this is bad. Make every word count. - Now, as we know a Verb can be transitive (The action is done to something) or Intransitive (The action is just done.) If the verb is Transitive it will have a direct object. Transitive: I (Subject) Kicked (Predicate) the Ball (Direct object.) Intransitive: I (Subject) Slept. (Predicate) Now you need to be careful. A direct object will only ever answer the question what? Example: I kicked what? Answer: The ball. You can also have compound Direct objects. Example: I kicked the red ball and the blue ball. Indirect objects are nouns that receive the action indirectly after it is done to the direct object (sound confusing doesn't it?) Not all sentences with direct objects will have an indirect object, but all sentences with an indirect object MUST have a direct object. Example: I (subject) gave (Predicate) Katie (Indirect object because she received the kiss) a kiss (Direct object because it is what he gave.) Like anything else, you can have a compound indirect object. Example: I gave Katie and Jess a kiss. - Subject complements are a noun, pronoun, or Adjective after a linking verb that remains or describes the subject. Example: Katie is a great kisser. Object complements are a noun, pronoun, or Adjective that renames or describes the Direct Object. Example: I think Katie (Object) is awesome. (Object complement.) - Conclusion. A simple sentence is made up of the following parts. Subject: What the sentence is about. (Needed) Predicate: An Action verb or linking verb. (Needed) Direct object: What receives the action directly. (Dependent if the action verb is transitive or intransitive) Indirect object: What receives the action indirectly. (Optional) Subject complements: To rename or describe the subject after a linking verb. (Used with linking verbs) Object complements: To rename or describe the direct object. (Optional). So let's write a few basic sentences. Example 1: The Cardinal (subject) chirped (Predicate/action verb) me (Indirect object) a song (Direct object) that broke my heart (Object complement). Example 2: Azure (Subject) is (Predicate/linking verb) a French-Asian. (Subject Complement) Naturally, I can make these sentences more involved by adding compound subjects, predicates, direct objects, and indirect objects, however, I don't see the need to make things difficult. The only exception I can see this being very usual was if you were trying to create confusion (a scene full of chaos) in the reader that the MC is experiencing. It is possible to write a sentence that reflects the state of the MC, and in fact, that might be the best way to construct sentences. If the scene is confusing than write confusing sentences (that are grammatically correct) if the scene is full of quick action, quick sentences. If the scene is relaxed and long-winded, write long, flowing sentences. In fact, I'll give a few examples. Action: Jino stabbed. Marshall blocked. Relaxed: Azure sang me a song that laid waste to my heart. Confusion: Jino and Marshall kicked, punched, and stabbed Betty, Mark, and Jess bloody. (Not really the best example.) This concludes my notes and thoughts on the basic sentence. The next thing I will be reviewing is Modifiers (Adverbs and Adjectives.)
Okay, we've looked at personal pronouns but now let's look at fun things you can do with pronouns (I bet you didn't think you could do cool things with pronouns; I didn't either, but I was wrong.) Reflective and Intensive pronouns. A reflective pronoun reflects back to the subject of the sentence. It acts as a direct object, indirect object, or object of the preposition in a sentence. Example: I gave myself a raise. An Intensive pronoun a preceding noun. Example: The king himself beheaded the wizard. Reflective and intensive use the same pronouns. They are as followed. Myself: 1st person/singular. Ourselves: 1st person/Plural. Yourself: 2nd person/singular. Yourselves: 2nd person/ Plural. Himself, Herself, Itself: 3rd person/Singular. Themselves: 3rd person/Plural. Thoughts: I feel that Intensive pronouns should be used sparingly in those one or two lines in your story that you really want to put a punch into. Demonstrative pronouns. Demonstrative pronouns point or show. They are as followed. This: A singular object that is close distance to the speaker. That: A singular object that is far distance to the speaker. These: Plural objects that are close distance to the speaker. Those: Plural objects that are far distance to the speaker. Note: Never combined This and Here, or Those and There in the sentence. Those and There are implied when using the pronoun. Thoughts: I never realized that This and That were used in relation to the object's proximity to the speaker until recently. interrogative Pronouns Interrogative pronouns are pronouns that ask questions. They are as followed. What Example: What did you do with my pizza? Which Example: Which of these two pizzas should I order, cheese or sausage? Who (always the subject of the sentence.) Example: Who ate my pizza? Whom (Always the object of the sentence.) Example: You gave Whom my pizza? Whose (always a possessive.) Example: Whose pizza is this? Relative pronouns. Relative pronouns show a relationship between two clauses. They join dependent clauses to main clauses (I'll get to clauses much later in this blog.) Relative pronouns share some of the pronouns that are either Interrogative or Demonstrative. What determines if they are Relative or not is how they are used. I'll list the pronouns give examples. Whom (Refers to a person that is the sentence object) What is the name of the woman (Main clause) whom you slept (Dependent clause) with? Who (Refers to a person that is the sentence subject) Example: Katie is a woman (Main clause) who I slept with (dependent clause). Whose (Possessive) Katie, whose got a great body (dependent clause), is the woman I slept with (main clause). Which (Refers to a Thing and used in a non-restrictive clause. I'll get to clauses later.) The bed, which is fine silk (dependent clause), is what we slept on (main clause). That (Refers to a thing and used in a restrictive clause) Here is the bra (main clause) that you lost (dependent clause). Indefinite pronouns. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are not sure (not really sure what that means, but that is the definition I was given) and here is a whole list of them. They are as followed. Singular indefinite pronouns: Another, Each, Either, Much, Neither, One, Other, Anybody, Anyone, Anything, Everybody, Everyone, Everything, Nobody, No one, Nothing, Somebody, Someone, Something. Plural: Both, Few, Many, Others, Several. Singular or Plural: All, Any, More, Most, None, Some. Indefinite pronouns can be used as adjectives. Two indefinite pronouns can be used as reciprocal pronouns. They are Each Other and One Another. Each other is used to replace two nouns. One Another is used to replace more than two nouns. Pronoun Agreements. A pronoun much match and agree with its number, person, and gender of its antecedent (the noun it is replacing.) The Antecedent always comes before the pronoun. If two nouns are joined by the conjunction And, use a plural pronoun. If two nouns are joined by the conjunction Or or Nor use a pronoun that matches the last noun. If you don't know the sex of the noun use His or Her, He or She. Only use Their if the Antecedent is plural. Sometimes a phrase will be placed between the antecedent and the pronoun. (We will get to phrases later.) Sometimes who the pronoun is unclear. If the antecedent is unclear, use a noun instead of a pronoun. Example: Jess and Brit were there. She is hot. (incorrect, it is unclear who was hot.) Jess and Brit were there. Brit is hot. Don't shift from 1st or 3rd into 2nd by mistake. Note: A direct reference to a person is not an antecedent. Bob, you go to the store. (You is the Antecedent, not Bob.) Collective nouns (look at my nouns post) can be tricky. If the collective is working as a whole, the pronoun is singular. If the collective noun are working as individuals, the pronoun is plural. (I won't lie. I have the hardest time with this one.) For indefinite pronouns you must pay attention to what number they fall into. Singular indefinite pronouns must be pared with singular pronouns. Plural indefinite pronouns much be pared with plural pronouns. For one that can either be singular or plural you need to look at the object of the prepositional phrase to determine if it is plural or singular (I will get to prepositional phrases later). Conclusion. Here end my notes on the pronoun. Continuing my quest to be able to create imagery through beautifully crafted sentences I will give an example of good pronoun use. One of the major critiques people have had for my sex scenes is that they are too pornographic. While there is a number of reasons for this, one of the pieces of advice I gained was to use pronouns in place of clinical terms (not that clinical terms are bad and never should be used. It is all about balance.) So here is my examples (maybe not the best, but I'm getting there.) "He traced my stomach with his hand then he put himself inside of me. 'He feels great.' I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled down; our skin rubbed against each other and we laughed." The above example is how I plan on using pronouns for such scene (though as I get better I will add more to it.) There are two effects I am aiming for with this. First, the above example is not pornographic. (At least not to me it isn't.) Second, notice at the end I use pronouns that reference them together. They have become 'one' is this act and I use plural pronouns to reflect this. One final note on pronouns, DO NOT OVERUSE 1ST PERSON PRONOUNS (I,me) the reason is that overusing them can make the reader feel excluded instead of including them in the story. As I continue on my journey to learn Grammar and apply it to creating imagery, I will return to this sentence and see how I can make this better. Next we will look at a basic sentence.
Pronouns: Pronouns stand in for nouns or replace them. While not as powerful as a noun, pronouns have their place in creating well-crafted sentences. I write Erotic-Horror stories, and one of the pieces of advice I received was to use clinical terms and pronouns to describe sex acts (none of that 'I pressed my massive pickle into her woman cave.') At the end of this blog I'll post an example of good pronoun uses in terms of erotic writing (it WILL NOT contain any pornographic or vulgar terms.) Personal Pronouns: Personal pronouns replace nouns that that refer to people or things. Personal Pronouns- have the following. Numbers: They are singular or plural. Person: 1st person is the person speaking. 2nd person is the person being spoken to. 3rd person is the person being spoken Case: Is the pronoun the subject? The object? Or a possessive? So let us go over what all these craziness up above means. Subject personal pronouns: Subject pronouns are used as the subjects of sentences or (and this is the one where I fuck up all the time) as subject complements following linking verbs. This means: The Killer was he (correct). The killer was him (Incorrect cause 'him' is an object pronoun.) Object personal pronouns: Object pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of prepositions. Possessive personal pronouns: They show ownership. Now for the list! I: Singular/1st person/Subject We: Plural/1st person/subject Me: Singular/1st person/ Object Us: Plural/ 1st person/ Object. My, Mine: Singular/1st person/Possessive Our, Ours: Plural/1st person/ Possessive. You: Singular or plural/2nd person/Subject or Object. Your/Yours: Singular or plural/2nd person/Possessive He, She, It: Singular/3rd person/ Subject. They: Plural/3rd person/Subject. Him, Her, It: Singular/ 3rd person/ Object Them: Plural/ 3rd person/ Object His, Her, Hers, Its: Singular/3rd person/Possessive Their, Theirs: Plural/3rd person/Possessive. A super important note on Possessive pronouns. Possessive pronouns are divided in two ways: Some are used as adjectives, the others are used after a linking verb. (My, Our, Your, His, Her, Its, Their) Gun. Or The Gun is (Mine, Ours, His, Hers, Its, Yours, Theirs) Know the difference. Challenging uses of Cases When used in either a compound subject or compound object pronouns can be confusing. Ask yourself, Is the pronoun 'doing' the action, or receiving the action? This will help with which pronoun to use. Put a noun before a pronoun in a compound. Example: David and I had sex. Sometimes for clarity, writers use a pronoun and noun together. Example: We Gods enjoy moral suffering. When sentences use Than or An to compare, it can be difficult to choose the correct pronoun. Always ask rather the comparative is being used against the Subject or Object of the sentence. Here is an example of how the pronoun can drastic change the meaning of a sentence. Katie loves Micheal as much as me. (Katie loves both Micheal and the speaker.) Katie loves Micheal as much as I. (Both Katie and the speaker love Micheal.)
Idiomatic verbs (Phrasal verbs) are made up of a verb and a preposition (I'll get into heavy preposition use later.) I use Idiomatic verbs a lot. Why? Becuase a preposition can add motion to a verb. From my opening paragraph, 'Cockroaches crawled up and down the walls, and in and out of the air vents.' You can see the motion I've put into the opening by doing that. There are three important notes on Idiomatic verbs. Some Idiomatic verbs are transitive and can have a noun or pronoun placed into between the verb and the preposition. ( I pushed up Tom/ I pushed Tom up.) Some Idiomatic verbs cannot have a noun or pronoun placed into between the verb and preposition. (The cockroaches crawled up the walls. /The cockroaches crawled the walls up.) Some Idiomatic verbs are intransitive; they don't need a direct object. (We will get to direct objects later) - Active vs Passive voice. This is really easy. If the subject of the sentence is doing the action, it is active voice. If the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, it is passive voice. I beat up the bully. (Active. I did the action) I was beaten up by the bully. (Passive. I received the action.) want to create a fast action scene? Use active voice. You want to slow down the action (seduction scenes) or describe a scene? Use passive voice. I am sure there are other uses, but that is all I got for passive vs active voice at the moment. - Moods, now this be some in-depth shit right here, are how the writer feels about the subject that is being written. Here are the six most common. Indicative mood states, or indicates, a fact, asks a fact, or denies a fact. Interrogate mood ask questions. Imperative mood gives a command, begs, or advises. The subject of imperative mood is always the unstated 'you.' Also, Imperative mood uses the word 'Do'. Example: (You) do your job. Subjunctive mood shows something hypothetical or contrary to the fact. It could be a wish, a desire, a doubt, or an imaginary situation. 'If' or 'I wish' usually start the clause (I'll get to clause later) for subjunctive mood. (For me this mood is super important. I am writing a Fantastical horror, which means a lot of it will be written in the subjunctive mood.) Conditional mood shows under want condition something might happen. It uses the helping verbs would, could, and might. It is often connected to a clause written in the subjunctive mood. Infinitive mood expresses action but does not have a subject. (We will get to this in more detail when we get to the verbals.) - Verb agreements were, for the longest time, the thing that got me. The rule is really simple; In 3rd person present tense, you add an 'S' to the verb when it is singular (opposite of the noun). Example The man dances. (Singular) The couple dance. (Plural) Notes and tricks on verb agreements. If you have two subjects joined by an 'and' the verb is plural. Be careful of prepositions. The verb must agree with the subject of the sentence, not the object. Be careful with indefinite pronouns. (We'll get to that later in the pronoun section.) Collective nouns can be tricky. Is the action being done by the group as a whole? (Singular) or a group of individuals (Plural)? Measurements and amounts work the same way. Titles of works and names that end with S can be tricky as they sound plural, but really they are singular. - In conclusion, this ends my notes on the Verb. I will have one more post after this about verbs and imagery before moving onto pronouns.
In English, there are four forms a verb can take: Present, Present Particle, Past, Past Particle. Present: Dance. Present Particle: Dancing. (Add -ing) Past: Danced. (Add -ed) Past Particle: Danced. (add -ed) Particles are used in verb phrases (Look at the helping verb section). There are some irregular verbs that do not follow the ing/ed endings. (Run/Running/Ran/Run being one of them) but To Be verbs is the most used so I'll go over them. (This is super duper important as this is where sometimes I fuck up my To be usages) Infinitive: To be Present: Am (1st person singular) Is (3rd person singular), Are (2nd person singular, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural) Present Particle: Being Past: Was (1st & 3rd person singular) Were (2nd person singular, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural) I feel 'were' is the most misused. 'If I were you' is correct, but most people say If I was you. - There are (believe it or not) 12 tenses you can use in writing. The first three are simple tenses (Past, present, and future. Past: I danced. Present: I dance Future: I will dance. Perfect tense show when an action happened in relation to another action. Perfect tense uses the helping verb To have (Have/Has, Had, will have) and the Past Particle of a verb. Past Perfect shows action that began in the past and ended before the event or time that it is being related too. Present perfect started in the past but continues up to or has ended in the present. Future perfect shows action that will be finished some point in the future. Past: I had danced. Present: I have danced. Future: I will have danced. Note: Past perfect tense is not an idle tense to use. I read a lengthy essay on why but in summary; it is the 'backstory' of tenses. (This is not to say never use it, but like backstory... we don't need pages and pages of it.) Progressive tenses show that an action is or was ongoing or continuing at the same time as something else. Progressive tenses use a form of the verb To Be and the present particle of a verb. Progressive Past: I was dancing. Progressive Present: I am dancing. Progressive Future: I will be dancing. Perfect progressive tenses show an action that is both completed in the past and ongoing (Confusing, right?) Perfect progressive tenses use To Have + Been + present particle = verb phrase. Perfect progressive past: I had been dancing Perfect progressive present: I have been dancing Perfect progressive future: I will have been dancing Empathic forms while not tenses are important as they empathize action that has happened (important for subtext which I will get too much, much later in my blog.) To Do verb + present form = Verb phrase (There is no future form with Empathic forms) Past: I did dance. Present: I do dance. - In conclusion here is a list of the 12 tenses. Simple past: I danced. Simple present: I dance. Simple future: I will dance. Perfect past: I had danced. Perfect present: I have danced. Perfect future: I will have danced. Progressive past: I was dancing. Progressive present: I am dancing. Progressive future: I will be dancing. Perfect progressive past: I had been dancing. Perfect progressive present: I have been dancing. Perfect progressive future: I will have been dancing. I would argue that simple present and simple past are used 90% of the time, however, I wanted to end with a note I read from an essay on tenses. People often wonder if they should write a story in present or past tense, and I am not here to argue which one is better. The essay did state however that by writing in present tense, you can only use four of the twelve tense in the narration (Simple present, perfect present, progressive present, and perfect progressive present.) I am not a grammar expert (nor will I ever be) so I can't comment on the validity of the essay, but I thought it was an interesting read. I write both in present and past, as they both come naturally to me, but it is good to know what I am losing if the choose to write in present vs. past. I don't have any great examples of me using all these tenses but it is good to know what all of them mean, and when to use them and not to use them. There is one example I'd like to give of perfect progressive present that is somewhat famous. In the T.V show Babylon 5, A character by the name of Kosh speaks in perfect progressive present, one of his famous lines "I have always been here." While I would not suggest you have character talk in weird tenses, it is an option if you want to give a character an interesting voice.
Helping and Linking Verbs, the next two categories of verbs. While, in my opinion, not as powerful as an action verb, they do serve a purpose. Helping Verbs (Auxilary verbs): helps the main verb show tense or possibility. They have to be used in a verb phrase. To be verbs (Am, Is, Are, Was, Were, Be, Being, Been) These are used in progressive tense and passive voice verbs. (I read an interesting thread the other day on Passive Voice [Which I will get to later] on how Was is always passive voice. This is not true as Was can be used as both as a linking verb and helping verb, and even when used as a helping verb, it does not mean it is passive, as it could also be progressive.) Progressive: I was beating up the bully. Passive: I was beaten. To have verbs: (Have, Has, Had, Having) These are used in perfect tense. I am not a huge fan of Perfect Tense, and I will get to why later. I have Danced. (You are going to see me use the Dance example a lot.) To Do Verbs (Do, Does, Did, Doing): these don't change the tense of the verb, they just empathize the main verb. (This can be a very powerful tool in terms of Subtext.) I danced. I did Dance. You can just feel the difference between the two sayings. Conditionals (Modal Auxiliary): Could, Should, Would, Can, Shall, Will, May, Might, Must. These express Possibility, obligation, permission, ability, Necessity, and intention. For me, the Modal Auxiliaries are the most important aspect of helping verbs. They can change your verbs in such a subtle and subtextual way.) I'll use a good example of this all works. Could = It is the possibility that I will be able to. (I could kill you.) Should = I have an obligation to do it. (I should kill you.) Would = It is the possibility under certain conditions. (I would kill you if you lied to me.) Can = I am able to do it. (I can kill you.) Shall = Used in 1st person in place of Will (I shall do this, You will do that.) (I shall kill you soon.) Will = It is my intention in the future. (You will kill me.) May = I have permission to do it, or it is a possibility. (I may kill you.) Might = It is a possibility. (I might kill you.) Must = It is a necessity. (I must kill you. I'm sorry.) Overall, Conditionals can be very important depending on what subtle meaning you want to give your words. - Linking Verbs: Linking verbs shows a relationship between the subject of the sentence and a noun or adjective. (This is the basis of Figures of Speech, where you link one thing to another.) Linking verbs can be any of the To Be verbs (Look above for the list) or: Appear, Become, Feel, Grow, Look, Remain, Seem, Smell, Sound, Stay, Taste, Turn. (Notice how this list is all sensation based?) A Note on To Be Verbs: To Be verbs can be used in Helping verbs, Linking verbs, and State of being (Where or When). State of being: I am in London. Helping: I was dancing. Linking: She is a Bear. Also, To Be verbs can slow up the pace of your story and make it weaker if overused. Here is an example: I was dancing. vs. I danced. The first was is a helping verb, the second is an action Verb. In Fantastical Horror, using the first example would be acceptable if you were trying to create possibility. He was dancing, he is still? It creates a sense of possibility and doubt. However, if you just trying to create motion in your imagery, the action verb is the better of the two. A Note on Appear, Become, Feel, Grow, Look, Remain, Seem, Smell, Sound, Stay, Taste, Turn. These verbs can be used as either Action verbs or Linking Verbs. I taste Strawberries (Action.) She taste like Strawberries (Linking) - In conclusion, I'd like to use my opening two sentences and point out all the nouns and verbs as it uses all three categories of verbs. I'll underline all the Nouns, and bold the Verbs. In a dark vestibule, cockroaches roamed (Action verb) up and down the walls, and in and out of the air vents. I could feel (This is helping verb. It tells that the speaker is able to feel the sound) the sound of a thousand tapping steps between the drywall and the studs; it felt (This is a linking verb, I am linking what the sound feels like to an actual sensation) as if they were crawling (Helping Verb) in between my muscles and bones on my arms, legs, and chest. There is a lot going on in these two sentences rather than just the verbs and nouns (I am using prepositional phrases to create a sense of motion, and I am using a figure of speech in a literal way to create hesitation in the reader, but I'll get to that stuff later.) This concludes my notes on the Categories of verbs. The next thing I will be focusing on is the tenses of verbs.
Originally, I was going to do Pronouns next, but I am going to do the verb instead. This will take many blogs to do (The verb is a massive arena) but so I begin. Again, these are notes from my quest to being able to create beautiful imagery with well-crafted sentences. Each Blog will build on the next so that by the end of this little Journey (I'm hoping the end of February) I'll be able to accomplish my aim and can write the final draft of Mystics! The Verb is the second most powerful word in the English Langauge. While a noun creates an image in our mind, a Verb gives that Image movement and motion. Verbs fall into three categories: Action, Helping, and Linking. Action verbs show action (hence, this is the type of verb you should be used most often.) They can be physical actions or mental actions (Abstractions, and we all know how I feel about abstractions....). Abstraction: The couple loved each other. (Doesn't really create much motion does it?) Physical: The couple Waltzed. (I got a picture of two people dancing. Much better.) Action verbs can either be Transitive (You do the action to something) or Intensive (You don't do the action to something.) Transitive: The lion ate the deer. Intransitive: The lion ran. Concrete nouns and Action verbs (Physical preferably) are the basic building blocks to imagery. While it might not be engaging to an adult, you could write a children's book using just those two things. - The next blog post will be on linking and helping verbs.
Before I post this I want to say these are my notes from a grammar class I've been taking. My grammar skills are a little rough so I felt the first step I should take was to get a better handle on basic grammar. These are just notes and personal thoughts and are not meant to be the end-all of grammar rules. - The great and powerful noun! The noun, along with the verb, is the most powerful word you can use. The more powerful the noun, the more powerful your sentence will be; the more powerful your sentence, the more powerful your story will be, and we should all strive for powerful stories. What is a noun? A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, (Concrete nouns) idea, or emotion (Abstractions). A noun can be used as a noun, an adjective, and a verb (careful with this last one. While all nouns can be used as verbs, the use must be appropriate. I'll get to this in the verb section.) Examples. Concrete nouns. Nouns can be seen, heard, touched, tasted, and smelled. Person: Bob, Mary, Doctor, Lawyer. Place: Spain, France, Paris, New York City, home, bar. Thing: Medicine, book, lamp, car, truck, bed, cookie. Abstraction Nouns. Nouns that can only be talked about, they are intangible. Idea: Law, Freedom, Justice, Liberty. Emotions: Love, Hate, Joy, Pain, Misery, Sadness. Concrete vs Abstraction: Concrete Nouns are powerful and strong and paint an image in the reader's mind. Abstractions don't.... and never will. Let's take a look at a simple example. Abstraction: My suffering is a woeful pain. (Yes, I've read shit like this before.) This is a very weak sentence, and the sad thing is I review stuff like this all the time. I am not saying don't ever use abstraction nouns, I am saying don't use them like the above example. Let's us take a look at a concrete example of suffering and woeful pain. Concrete: Bobby broke her ankle when she tripped on a rock. (Now we got concrete nouns and some action verbs.) When can I use abstractions? Dialogue. Common nouns vs. Proper Nouns. Common nouns name everyday persons, places, and things. Examples: boy, girl, banana, apple, cookie, beer. Proper Nouns names individual persons, places, and things. They are always capitalized (Every word). Example: Blue Moon White Ale Beer, James Smith, Mary Smith, Bartlett Apples. Plural nouns. There are some simple, and not so simple, rules on how to make your nouns plural (Meaning there is more than one.) Rule # 1: Most nouns just add an S. Cats, Cows, Dogs, Trains. Rule # 2: Nouns that end in an S, SH, X, CH, or Z add ES. Foxes, Buses. Rule # 3: Nouns that end if F or FE will either Add S, or they will change the F or FE to a V and add ES. Roof-Roofs. Elf-Elves. Rule # 4: Nouns that end in a vowel + y add S. Keys. Rules # 5: Nouns that end in vowel + O add S: Oreos. Rules # 6: Nouns that end in Consonant + Y, changes the Y to an I and add ES. Rule # 7 (This one should be crowned king of confusion.) Nouns that end in a Consonant + O adds ES, with the exceptions of Words from Foreign languages, Musical terms, Proper nouns and Words that are short forms of longer words (Photograph = Photo) all add S to the end. Examples of each Normal: Potato = Potatoes Foreign languages: Taco = Tacos Musical Terms: Cello = Cellos Proper Nouns: Eskimo = Eskimos Short forms: Photo = Photos Rule # 8: Some nouns are irregular and form plurals in strange ways. Examples: Man (singular) = Men (Plural.) Elk, fish, deer = Both singular and plural. Pants, shorts = Always plural Child = Children. Irregular plurals with Latin and Greek words. This one took me a while to get, but here is my cheat sheet. I'd like to stress that these are not officials rules, but patterns I noticed and made a note of. (always uses a dictionary if you are not sure.) Rules # 1: If the word ends in an A, add an E to it to make it plural. (Amoeba = Amoebae.) Rule # 2: If the word ends in an US, drop the US and add an I to make it Plural (Fungus = Fungi) Rules # 3: words that end in EUS, drop the US and add I. (Nucleus = Nuclei.) Rules # 4: Words that end in IS change it to ES. (Analysis = Analyses.) Rules # 5: Words the end in ON, drop the ON and add an A. (Phenomenon = Phenomena.) Now I know we have spell check and Grammar check apps and programs, but we also have a brain, so use it. Compound Nouns. Some nouns are compound. When making them plural add an S to the part that is plural, not the whole noun. They come in three forms. Single word: Lighthouse/ Lighthouses Two words: Light bulb/ Light bulbs Hyphenated: Brother-in-Law/ Brothers-in-Law (Notice the brothers is plural, not the -Law.) Collective Nouns. A collective noun names a group. Murder of crows, herd of cows, school of fish. BEWARE of plurals. Making a noun of plural, might make it a group, but it does not make it a collective noun. A trick to know if a noun is collective or not is by put one in front of it. One herd is still a group. One cow is not a group. It is important to know when it is a collective noun or not when it comes to verb usage. Possessive nouns. Possessive nouns show ownership. Rule # 1: Add a 's to the end of the noun to make it possessive. Example: Dog's (You have one dog that owns something.) Rule # 2: If you have added an S to make the word plural, don't add 's to it, just add the '. Dogs' (you have two dogs that own something.) Rule # 3: If two people own something TOGETHER, use a 's after the second person. Mike and Mary's bed. Rules # 4: If Two people each own their own of something, they both get a 's. Mike's and Mary's cars. Rule # 5: All possessive nouns act as adjectives. Rule # 6: If they possessive noun is plural, the noun that are describing must be plural as well. The Dogs' bones. - Final thoughts on Nouns: Here end my notes on the powerful noun. But why are nouns so important in writing? In essence, to paint a picture for the reader to experience we must use concrete nouns to give them a powerful image. I'd like to note that my use of the term 'Image' doesn't mean just a visible aid, sounds, touch, smell, and taste are also images. I'd like to give an example. Abstract statement: Katie and I went on a date. (date is an abstraction.) Concrete statement: At dinner, which consisted of garlic chicken and butter-baked asparagus, Katie wore a black Martini Dress and smelled of perfume. As we ate, a pianist played Billy Joel songs. Now the second example I give paints a much better picture for the reader. We have taste, sight, smell, and sound in these two sentences, all of which are made up of concrete nouns. Next will be Pronouns.
Hello everyone, It is my intention to create a list of blog series that will cover different aspects of writing, famous works, essays, and Authors. Some of these subjects will be useless to you, and some will not. Which subjects you choose to incorporate into your writing will depend on you, and 'your' style, but what is style? Style, I see this word thrown around a lot, and I'm still not 100% sure what it means when people ask "What is my style?" followed by a 3-5 sentence paragraph. In my opinion, it is an impossible question to answer. Style, in my opinion, is the sum total parts of your writing. Do you use simple sentences or complex sentences? Do you use Musical devices, figures of speech, meter, irony, foreshadowing, dreamlike-imagery, allusions, symbolism, and allegories? Do you put in layer after layer of subtext and theme into your work? What are the Tone, Voice, and Diction choice of your work? Narrative-mode? Do you write in MRUs? Or something else? Do you use Scene and Sequel? How do you manipulate the 3-Act story structure? Are your Themes, Characters, and plots deep? Or just simply entertainment? I truly believe it is all these things COMBINED that show a person's style, not just a sentence or two they write down. Of course, I could be wrong, and often I am. Regardless, it is my intention to provide new writers with some free content that will aid them on their way. Master list: https://www.writingforums.org/xfa-blog-browse/ojb.79777/month Resources: https://www.writingforums.org/resources/english-grammar-101.152/ (The best free program I've found to help a writer improve their grammar.) https://www.writingforums.org/resources/walt-mcdonald-advice-i-wish-id-been-told.215/ (A must-read Essay For anyone who is interested in creative writing.) https://www.writingforums.org/resources/copyright-law.217/ (U.S copyright laws.) https://www.writingforums.org/resources/interview-with-ted-kooser.239/ (A podcast interview with Ted Kooser, a famous poet.) Important Threads to read: 1. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/faqs-on-word-count.152108/ (Word count goals for books and genres. Written by the @Tenderiser ) Blog series on different subjects of writing. 1. Metrical writing (21 parts): https://www.writingforums.org/entry/a-study-of-metrical-writing-part-1-introduction.63871/ Blog series on famous works, essays, and Authors. 1. Clive Barker, a horror writer (Current series): https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-1-intro.63788/ 2. Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, a story about the Rise and Fall of King Arthur, written in Iambic Pentameter (14 parts): https://www.writingforums.org/entry/meter-a-study-of-idylls-of-the-king-part-1-an-introduction.63905/