1. Image Grammar “Brushstrokes”
“The writer is an artist, painting images of life with specific and identifiable brush strokes, images as realistic as Wyeth and as abstract as Picasso. In the act of creation, the writer, like the artist, relies on fundamental elements.”
Harry R. Noden

2. APPOSITVES
Noun or noun phrase that renames another noun BESIDE it (can’t contain a verb)
They are set off by commas (can use dashes sparingly for emphasis or if there is internal punctuation in the appositive)
Provides more information about the noun before it
Hint: Often starts with the/an/a or is a proper noun

3. Mentor Sentences: Appositives
Herbert agreed to bring Florence's two daughters, Geraldine and Viola, to New York and drove down to Martinsburg in the black Ford he had bought. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers
The poems we read in class were her expressions of love to Robert Browning, her husband. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers
The numbers, the equivalent of today's lottery, were the dreams of Harlem and Mama's only hope to do more with the little money Dad gave her each week. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers
During the first week of fourth grade, Mrs. Parker, our teacher, made the two tallest boys, Eric and me, the cookie monitors. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers
“More to the point,” said the tallest of the group—the one with the most expensive frock coat, the most expensive top hat, and the most expensive shiny shoes. Lizzie Bright and the Buckmister Boy Gary D. Schmidt

4. The car went into the parking lot.
Invitation to Imitate:
Mentor Sentences
Herbert agreed to bring Florence's two daughters, Geraldine and Viola, to New York and drove down to Martinsburg in the black Ford he had bought. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers The poems we read in class were her expressions of love to Robert Browning, her husband. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers The numbers, the equivalent of today's lottery, were the dreams of Harlem and Mama's only hope to do more with the little money Dad gave her each week. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers During the first week of fourth grade, Mrs. Parker, our teacher, made the two tallest boys, Eric and me, the cookie monitors. Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers “More to the point,” said the tallest of the group—the one with the most expensive frock coat, the most expensive top hat, and the most expensive shiny shoes. Lizzie Bright and the Buckmister Boy Gary D. Schmidt
Add an appositive to to the base sentence to imitate the structure of one of the mentor sentences.
Base Sentence:
The car went into the parking lot.

5. Invitation to Imitate: Appositive
Base Sentence: The tornado swept across the plains. Imitate:

6. ADJECTIVES OUT-OF-ORDER
Adjectives that come after the noun they modify
Usually set off by commas (can use dashes sparingly for more emphasis or if there is internal punctuation)
Puts more emphases on the adjectives and makes the reader slow down
Avoid three adjectives in a row unless you use a dash instead of commas

7. Mentor Sentences: Adjectives Out-of-Order
The Pavilion was a simple city, long and rectangular. Caleb Carr, in The Alienist I could smell Mama, crisp and starched, plumping my pillow. Robert Newton Peck, in A Day No Pigs Would Die The dog—small, loud, and intimidating—barked at the children as they walked by.

8. The car went into the parking lot.
Invitation to Imitate:
Mentor Sentences
The Pavilion was a simple city, long and rectangular. Caleb Carr, in The Alienist
I could smell Mama, crisp and starched, plumping my pillow. Robert Newton Peck, in A Day No Pigs Would Die
The dog—small, loud, and intimidating—barked at the children as they walked by.
Add adjectives out-of-order to the base sentence to imitate the structure of one of the mentor sentences.
Base Sentence:
The car went into the parking lot.

9. Invitation to Imitate: Adjectives Out-of-Order
Base Sentence: The sun rose over the lake. Imitate:

10. ABSOLUTES Noun + -ing verb with optional modifiers Set off by commas
Describes the whole independent clause/sentence

11. Mentor Sentences: Absolutes
Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
His heart beating very fat, Harry stood listening to the chilly silence. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Heart pounding, I looked down at Angela, who was staring up at us, her expression serious. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Consider Adding Another for More Variation:
Palms sweating, knees shaking, he stood on the edge of the cliff.

12. The car went into the parking lot.
Invitation to Imitate:
Mentor Sentences
Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
His heart beating very fat, Harry stood listening to the chilly silence. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Heart pounding, I looked down at Angela, who was staring up at us, her expression serious. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Consider Adding Another for More Variation:
Palms sweating, knees shaking, he stood on the edge of the cliff.
Add an absolute to to the base sentence to imitate the structure of one of the mentor sentences.
Base Sentence:
The car went into the parking lot.

13. Invitation to Imitate: Absolute
Base Sentence: The man jumped out of the plane. Imitate:

14. PARTICIPLES/PARTICIPLE PHRASES
Begins with an –ED or –ING verb or phrase
Set off by commas (sometimes a dash for added emphasis or if there are more than two)
Always used as an adjective to tell more about a noun

15. Mentor Sentences: Participles/Participle Phrases
Looking back on it now, I doubt there was any way I could have imagined what lay ahead. Howliday Inn by James Howe Sliding on the loose gravel, the car went into the parking lot. Burping, growing, throwing, running—everything is a race. Loser by Jerry Spinelli Hobbled by leg shackles, constricted by handcuffs, Connor’s strides are short, his posture hunched. Unwind

16. The car went into the parking lot.
Invitation to Imitate:
Mentor Sentences
Looking back on it now, I doubt there was any way I could have imagined what lay ahead. Howliday Inn by James Howe Sliding on the loose gravel, the car went into the parking lot. Burping, growing, throwing, running—everything is a race. Loser by Jerry Spinelli Hobbled by leg shackles, constricted by handcuffs, Connor’s strides are short, his posture hunched. Unwind
Add an participle or participle phrase to the base sentence to imitate the structure of one of the mentor sentences.
Base Sentence:
The car went into the parking lot.

17. Invitation to Imitate: Participles/Participle Phrases
Base Sentence:
The deer stood at the edge of the woods.
Imitate:

18. STRONG VERBS
Avoid common verbs, including forms of: to be, to do, to get, and to have
Avoid linking verbs (to be)—show, don’t tell!
Use “colorful” descriptive verbs to paint a more vivid picture of the option
Onomatopoeia used as a verb adds sensory details (crashed, banged, roared, etc.)
Consider the connotation of verbs and what the connotation may lead the reader to infer

19. Mentor Sentences: Strong Verbs
The result was spectacular. The voltage hit his wet mouth like a sledge and stiffened him like a poker. He snarled, growling deeper, and tried to hang on, but the jolt was too powerful and slammed him back and down on his rump. My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
The wind howled about the bus, and the wipers sloshed heavily back and forth across the windshield, smearing the city in a red and yellow neon wetness. American Gods by Neil Gaimon

20. The car went into the parking lot.
Invitation to Imitate:
Mentor Sentences
The result was spectacular. The voltage hit his wet mouth like a sledge and stiffened him like a poker. He snarled, growling deeper, and tried to hang on, but the jolt was too powerful and slammed him back and down on his rump. My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
The wind howled about the bus, and the wipers sloshed heavily back and forth across the windshield, smearing the city in a red and yellow neon wetness. American Gods by Neil Gaimon
Add a strong verb to the base sentence to imitate the structure of one of the mentor sentences.
Base Sentence:
The car went into the parking lot.

21. Invitation to Imitate: Strong Verbs
Base Sentence: The mysterious plane flew through the sky. Imitate:

22. Practice Imitating

23. Practice Imitating

24. Practice Imitating