Spit and Polish: Imagery

Authors rarely use the sense of taste in descriptions because we have such limited taste experience. Our tongues can only taste a limited range (sour, sweet, salty, bitter).

Describe the taste of a favorite food.

Now, think of something that you would not normally eat (and it doesn't have to be food). Describe the taste. (use your imagination, not your tongue)

Spit and Polish: Imagery

A writer can appeal to the sense of touch with descriptions of an object's temperature, its texture, or weight. Even explaining what type of material (metal, wood, plastic) can help with touch imagery.

Write about how the following items feel:

• a basketball
• a favorite pet
• a food that you dislike

Spit and Polish: Imagery

Some consider the sense of smell our most nostalgic sense. Certain odors can conjure past memories in vivid detail. Think about a scent that has strong association for you. Describe the scent and the emotions/memories it conjures.

Spit and Polish: Visual Imagery

Most people receive the lion's share of their sensory input from their eyes, making visual imagery very important.

Think of a common object, maybe something with which you interact each day. Describe how that item looks to someone from another country/planet. This person/alien has never seen your object before.

Spit and Polish: Imagery

Imagery can appeal to any of the five senses (touch, smell, taste, hearing, sight). Using specific adjectives can help a reader experience the world a writer is trying to create.

Choose an object from home or classroom. Write at least one adjective for each of the five senses to describe the object. Blend your descriptions into a paragraph about that object.

Spit and Polish: Adjectives

Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns. They can add detail and interest to writing, but beware: too many adjectives can really clog otherwise clear writing.

Add adjectives to make the following sentences more interesting:-

1. Bob wrote about an experience.
2. He flew in an airplane.
3. He ate food for dinner last night.
4. Bob's paper would have been more interesting if he had described his experience.

Remember, too many adjectives can hurt. Are there other ways to add interest to the sample sentences without adjectives?

Spit and Polish: Verbs

Verbs are words that show action or state of being.

Walk, run, eat, read, and sleep are all action verbs. Am, is, have, was, and has are all verbs, too.

List verbs that describe actions in which you have engaged today. Try to choose the most ineresting forms...avoid state of being verbs and go for action.

Spit and Polish: Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can take the place of nouns. Personal pronouns include I, you, we, he, she, they, and it.

Try filling in these blanks:

1. Tyson borrowed my bike, but __________ never returned it.

2. __________ ate dinner before __________ finished my homework.

3. __________ like to play basketball more than I do.

How did you know which pronouns were right in each sentence?

Spit and Polish: Proper Noun / Common Noun

A noun is a word naming a person, place, object, or idea. Some name any object (common); other name a very specific object (proper). Example: teacher is a common noun. Mr. Polson is a proper noun.

Think of a few common nouns.


Now list proper nouns that name someone or something you see every day.


How does including proper nouns affect a piece of writing? How does it help the reader?

Spit and Polish: Misplaced Modifiers

On his way to the library, the dog chased Tim.

Sounds like Rover was a little distracted on the way to the local book repository. Wait...the dog chased Tim...oh. What we have here is a case of misplaced modifiers. The meaning of the sentence would be clearer if the modifier was closer to what it is modifying: On his way to the library, Tim was chased by the dog. Or reword the whole thing: Tim was on his way to the library when the dog chased him.

Clarify the following:

1. While driving to the gym, the dog slobbered on Isabelle's jacket.
2. John said he would stay home first, then he changed his mind and went to the movie.
3. The captain steered the boat into the pier blinded by the fog.

Spit and Polish: Subject / Verb Agreement

Subjects and verbs must agree, meaning that singular and plural subjects take different verb forms.

Which verb form is correct below?

1. Saul (chooses/choose) to spend his time playing Resident Evil on the PS3.

2. John and Isaac (does/do) not seem to care much about their schoolwork.

3. Nick and Nate never (try/tries) their best in math.

4. Henry (walk/walks) to the zoo on Saturday afternoons.

Spit and Polish: Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are a kind of personal pronoun that show ownership. My, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs are all possessive pronouns.

Rewrite the following paragraph using personal pronouns in place of some of the nouns.

Hector loved playing Hector's trumpet. Hector had talent, but Hector lacked the discipline to practice each day. Hector's dream was to one day play professionally. Hector's band teacher worried that Hector's band teacher's student would not reach Hector's goal if Hector did not start practicing more.