high five tricks of writing

Magic 3Three items in a series, separated by commas that create a poetic rhythm or add support for a point, especially when the items have their own modifiers.

    "She blinked her blue-green eyes,

chewed on a lacquered nail and

frowned at the interviewer.”   

Magic three example:

"I'm afraid to jump," said one chicken.    "Oh, " said the others.    "Me too."    "Me three."    "Me four."    "What if we can't jump that far?"    "What if we fall in a ditch?"    "What if we get sucked into the mud?"    The chickens tutted, putted, and flutted. They butted into themselves and each other until... (Helakoski)   

Magic three example:

Three responses!

Three questions

Three verbs in a series

Exercise: Write a paragraph about a farm animal using the Magic Three to describe the animal's actions.Have the animal(s) •Give 3 similar responses for effect•Ask 3 questions for effect•Do 3 actions for effect

Your turn!

Time to

share!

Figurative LanguageNon-literal comparisons – such as similes, metaphors, alliteration, assonance, hyperbole, and personification – add “spice” to writing and can help paint a more vivid picture for the reader.

NOT a simile

• Similes: comparison of 2 different things using the words like or as

Is this a simile?

• He would like me to forget my homework.

Two objects are NOT being compared; even though, the word like is in the sentence.

Yes, it’s a SIMILE!

Is this a simile?“That quarter inch of rain did wonders for Ma, too, who is ripe as a melon these days.” (Hesse, 55)

Ma is being compared to a melon.

YOUR TURN!

Write two similes, one using like and one

using as Need an idea? Compare

your empty stomach to an animal.

Yes, this is a metaphor!

Metaphor: comparing TWO different things sometimes saying one thing is another

Is this a metaphor? “She’s [Ma’s] an old mule on the subject of my schooling,” explained Billie Jo.(Hesse)

Billie Jo doesn’t mean that Ma is actually a mule. She is just comparing her to one to explain that Ma is stubborn.

Yes!Is this a metaphor?

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

This metaphor explains that the beginning (roots) of your educational experience may be harsh (bitter), but the reward (fruit) is satisfying (sweet).

YOUR TURN!

Write two metaphors.

Need an idea? Compare your life to an object and then explain the connection.

Time to share!

CONSONANTS!F.Y.I. What are these letters?

Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, two or more per line Consonants= ALL letters EXCEPT a,

e, i, o, u which are vowels.

Of the following, which lines are examples of alliteration?

Moon, hear me sing

On top of the Orange Julius

Keyboard clicks quietly

Lion, lion oh you roar

See the sun shine

The trumpet announces the morning.

NO! There is no repetition here.

No again! The beginning VOWEL sounds are

repeated NOT consonants.

YES! The K, C and Q sounds are all the same consonant sound and are repeated in the line.

YES! The S sound is repeated.

NO! Words are repeated not consonant sounds.

NO! The letter T is repeated NOT the sound.

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(1) Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

(2) Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

(3) While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

(4) As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

(5) `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -

(6)Only this, and nothing more.‘1st stanza of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

There are 3 examples of alliteration here. Which lines are they found?

Your turn!Now, write your own TWO examples.Need an idea? Write about how the morning feels on the way to school

Time to share!

Assonance: the repetition of beginning vowel sounds

There are 4

examples of

assonance?

Can you find

them?

We Real CoolBY GWENDOLYN BROOKS

We real cool. We   Left school. We

Lurk late. WeStrike straight. We

Sing sin. We   Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We   Die soon.

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Hyperbole: an exaggeration for emphasis or effect

Mile-high ice cream cones

YOUR TURN!

Create a HYPERBOLE (exaggeration) of your own!

Need an idea? Share how much you LOVE language arts!

Time to share!

Personification: giving objects HUMAN traits or actions

Which of the following are

personification examples?

Opportunity knocked on the door.

The tree looked old.

Time never waits for anyone.

The magazine picture shouted for attention.

The radio turned off after 10 minutes.

YES!

YES!

YES!

No!

No!

YOUR TURN!

Write an example of personification.

Need an idea? Think of the moon, stars or sun and think of a human action that these objects could do.

Time to share!

Hyphenated Modifiers

Sometimes a new way of saying something can make all the difference;

hyphenated adjectives often cause the reader to

“sit up and take notice.”

Hyphen rules:

Rule 1: Always use a hyphen between numbers such as twenty-five.

YOUR TURN! Write a number that requires a hyphen.

Rule 2: When a group of words are being used as a SINGLE descriptor before a NOUN, then the words need hyphens.

Which sentence is correct and WHY?

1. I hope you can come up with an easy-to-remember rule to help me know when to use the hyphen.2. I hope you can come up with a rule that is easy-to-remember.

Hyphen rules:

Rule 1: Always use a hyphen between numbers such as twenty-five.

YOUR TURN! Write a number that requires a hyphen.

Rule 2: When a group of words are being used as a SINGLE descriptor before a NOUN, then the words need hyphens.

Which sentence is correct and WHY?

1. I hope you can come up with an easy-to-remember rule to help me know when to use the hyphen.2. I hope you can come up with a rule that is easy to remember.

Single descriptor noun

Rule 3: We never use a hyphen between an -ly adverb + adjective combination in front of a noun or pronoun.

Here are examples with the -ly adverb + adjective constructions:

She was a highly motivated employee.

Some of the most critically acclaimed films of the year were not honored at the Academy Awards ceremony.

adverb

adverb

adjective

adjective

noun

noun

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free and reduced lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind the scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long range plan included several company specific marketing strategies.

5. Home based educational services are provided to children on a case by case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind the scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long range plan included several company specific marketing strategies.

5. Home based educational services are provided to children on a case by case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after-school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind the scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long range plan included several company specific marketing strategies.

5. Home based educational services are provided to children on a case by case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after-school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind-the-scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long range plan included several company specific marketing strategies.

5. Home based educational services are provided to children on a case by case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after-school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind-the-scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long-range plan included several company-specific marketing strategies.

5. Home based educational services are provided to children on a case by case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after-school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind-the-scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long-range plan included several company-specific marketing strategies.

5. Home-based educational services are provided to children on a case-by-case basis.

6. The play was well rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

TEST YOURSELF: Where do we need hyphens in the following sentences? Some sentences may be correct.

1. Schools are often categorized according to the number of free-and-reduced-lunch students enrolled.

2. Highly motivated working parents find enriching after-school programs for their children.

3. Fred was applauded for his behind-the-scenes efforts to raise the capital necessary to launch the company.

4. Our long-range plan included several company-specific marketing strategies.

5. Home-based educational services are provided to children on a case-by-case basis.

6. The play was well-rehearsed by a troupe of extremely professional actors.

http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/040201HyphAdj.htm

Your turn!"She rolled her eyes at her mother and turned her nose up with a "god-I-can't-believe-you-actually-said-that sniff."

    Exercise: Write your own hyphenated modifiers.

    1. Mom and Dad went in the back room for one of their

_________________________________ talks.

    2. The most popular girl in school threw me one of her

_________________________________ looks.

    3. The dog had a _______________________ face.

    4. His fingernails were of the ____________ variety.

    5. She put her feet into the _____________shoes.

Time to share!

Specific Detailsfor Effect

Instead of general, vague descriptions, specific sensory

details help the reader visualize the person, place, thing, or idea

that you are describing.

“The smell rushed at me as soon as I stepped inside. The hallway had that mama-don't-cook-nothin-without-onions smell. It lingered on top of musty cigarette smoke, the kind that never quite comes out of the carpet, no matter how long ago the smoker left. My arms rippled with goose bumps. I'd been here before.“   http://www.helakoskibooks.com/smiley.htm

Example of specific details for effectRead and identify 4-5 specific details

“The smell rushed at me as soon as I stepped inside. The hallway had that mama-don't-cook-nothin-without-onions smell. It lingered on top of musty cigarette smoke, the kind that never quite comes out of the carpet, no matter how long ago the smoker left. My arms rippled with goose bumps. I'd been here before.“   http://www.helakoskibooks.com/smiley.htm

Example of specific details for effect

What details did you find?

Exercise: Describe a place in a barnyard or in a city you have seen.

*Use specific details and appeal to at least 3 of the 5 senses as you describe the scene.

*Attempt a simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification or hyphenated modifier to emphasize the sensory details.

Your turn!

Consider the smells of

the city or barn.

What details do you

remember?

Consider the tastes of the city or barn.

What details do you remember?

Consider the feel of the city or barn.

What details do you remember?

Consider the sounds of

the city or barn.

What details do you

remember?

Consider the sights of the city or barn.What details do you

remember?

Repetition for Effect

Writers often repeat chosen words or phrases to make a point, to stress certain ideas for the reader.

(1)Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

(2) Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

(3) While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

(4) As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

(5) `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -

(6)Only this, and nothing more.1st stanza of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Which lines are an example of repetition for effect?

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Last stanza in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Identify another example of repetition for effect.

The “Dash”Writers will sometimes use a

dash to demonstrate importance of ideas or where

there are already many commas.

Dashes in Summaries and Additional Information

Rule #1: Use a dash to indicate a summarizing clause.

Example: Jane, Daniel, Susan and I–we all were taken aback.Your turn! Write a 2nd example sentence now.

Rule #2: Use a dash to indicate an emphasized addition.

Example: He prayed to his God–to Allah.Your turn! Write a 2nd example sentence now.

Rule #3: Use a dash to enclose emphasized additional information which interrupts the normal progression of the sentence.

Example: He wanted us–Caron, Susan and me–to meet his family.Your turn! Write a 2nd example sentence now.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/writing/dash

Rule #4: Dashes and emphasis

Depending on the importance attached to it, additional information can be enclosed in parentheses, commas or dashes.

parentheses - not importantConnor (Amy's boyfriend) bought the tickets.Commas - neutralConnor, Amy's boyfriend, bought the tickets.Dashes - emphasizedConnor–Amy's boyfriend–bought the tickets.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/writing/dash

Your turn!

Write an example using parentheses - not important

Write an example using commas - neutral

Write an example using dashes - emphasized