-LY ADVERBS

-LY adverbs modify verbs to make them more interesting and give the reader a better mental image.

Example:

• The boy hastily cleaned his room so that he could join his friends at the basketball court. Hastily describes how the boy cleaned his room.

STRONG VERBS

Strong verbs can turn weak verbs into powerful sentences.

Examples:

Instead of using word said...try using explained, cried, declared, announced, or advised.

Instead of using the word ran...try using sprinted, raced, rushed, fled, flew, or soared.

Use a thesaurus to help you find strong verbs to replace weak ones.

WHO-WHICH CLAUSE

Who-which clauses are dependent and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. There job is to give more information about the noun. They are offset by commas and begins with either "who" or "which".

Examples:

• The boy, who was tired and hungry, started to throw a tantrum.

SIMILES OR METAPHORS

Authors will make their writing more interesting by comparing two objects to help the reader gain a better mental image.

Similes are comparisons that use the words "like" or "as".

Metaphors are comparisons that says something "is' or "are" something else.

Examples:

• Sally is as sharp as a pencil. -- Sally is compared to a sharp pencil. This means she is smart. The use of the word "as" makes this a simile.
• Sally is a walking dictionary. -- Sally is called a dictionary. This means she has a big vocabulary. This is an example of a metaphor. Metaphors WILL NOT contain the words "like" or "as".