Page 2 of 2

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:37 pm
by swfdoc1
Anja wrote: Three adjectives. No adverbs.
But if you count adjectives, adjective phrases, adjective clauses (the latter 2 of which serve as adjectives), adverbs, adverb phrases, and adverb clauses (the latter 2 of which serve as adverbs); you get a very different picture. Especially if you count some that are embedded within others.

Then this is virtually nothing but adjectives and adverbs.

Adjectives, adjective clause, adjective phrases:

that opened onto the street
onto the street
of Paris
of hooves
of wheels
on uneven stones
uneven
of peddlers
of a donkey
of a bucket
being winched up
strong
great
[dumping]—probably best seen as a part of a compound noun, not an adjective
of garbage and human waste
outside the city
When the wind blew . . .

Adverbs, adverb phrases, adverb clauses:

from her room that opened onto the street
from her room
that opened onto the street
from the great dumping ground

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:28 pm
by everlearning
Hi Jan,

It was a good learning curve for me as I read your “two excerpts from classic literature” and comments about them being “written by two of America’s finest writers (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Mark Twain, Two Ways of Seeing a River” It confirmed to me that each writer has a very unique way with pen and ink in hand, just as each writer of the Bible.

What a wonderful inspiration you are in showing us the rules on how to express ourselves and the need to read more literature by different authors.

The more I read this forum on each new article you write, the more I want to enter another challenge and receive critiques to improve my writings.

Thank you for this lesson and for your effort to help us to “Be a Better Writer.”

Sincerely,

Cathrine Huff

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:54 pm
by TracePezzali
Eek, I get so confused with all the different terminologies - eg adjective clauses and those many others described. I'm constantly perusing my many resources to make sense of them. If I understand correctly, I'm going to have to put myself through an intense study to know these things - otherwise my writing will be continually hindered in its editing capacity. Would this be a correct assumption. How much do we need to know?

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 8:34 pm
by glorybee
Trace, I bet you could ask several good writers that same question, and get several different answers. I know very little fancy grammar, and when I started to write I knew even less. But I'm sort of an instinctual grammarian, and a voracious reader, and I could feel when something was good--regardless of whether it was right. Others know all of the correct grammar rules and terms, and can put together a grammatically correct piece of writing-- but it's not GOOD writing. And there's every possible combination of the art and the science of writing producing writers who are good and great and not so good. It has helped my writing to learn more about grammar over the years--but I wouldn't let knowledge (or not) of adverbial clauses define you as a writer. Just write. (And thus was written on my cell phone, on a retreat in a cabin without wifi, for which I blame any mistakes.)

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 7:27 pm
by TracePezzali
Teehee :lol: Thanks Jan, I feel better already!

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:39 pm
by JudySauer
Jan, is this lesson for informational purposes only, or did I miss the homework?

Judy

Re: Be a Better Writer--Description (Kind Of)

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:43 pm
by glorybee
No homework on this one, Judy. :D