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?

Writing Prompt: Killer Quotation

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

Anne Bradstreet (1612 - 1672), Meditations Divine and Moral, 1655

Use the quote as a prompt for freewriting.

Writing Prompt: What If?

What if your pet could talk?

Write about it. Feel free to post your response in the comments section.

Word of the Week: Teem

TEEM (teem)

• verb: to swarm; to be inundated; to overrun
  

The pile of discarded food teemed with thousands of maggots.


Now write!

Use the word teem in a freewrite exercise.
How many synonyms can you generate?
How about antonyms?

Weekend Warm-Up

Write the origin to the belief that a rabbit's foot brings good luck.

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.

Writing Prompt: Killer Quotation

"[Spring is] when life's alive in everything."

• Christina Rossetti English poet (1830 - 1894)

What do you think Rossetti meant by this quotation?

Use the quote as a prompt for freewriting.