Can you identify the brushstrokes in the following sentences from “The Ransom of Red Chief”? The kid was in the street, throwing rocks at a kitten on the opposite fence. I made him and Bill shake hands, and then I took Bill aside and told him I was going to Poplar Grove, a little village three miles from the cave, and find out what I could about how the kidnapping had been regarded in Summit.

Can you identify the brushstrokes in the following sentences from “The Ransom of Red Chief”? The kid was in the street, throwing rocks at a kitten on the opposite fence. participial phrase I made him and Bill shake hands, and then I took Bill aside and told him I was going to Poplar Grove, a little village three miles from the cave, and find out what I could about how the kidnapping had been regarded in Summit. appositive phrase

Sentence Modeling Like “brushstrokes” that you practiced in 6th and 7th grade, writing sentences that model the style and syntax of great authors will help you in your own writing.

Sentence Modeling Directions: Revise the following sentence to imitate the model sentence. Model: The pebble was flaming red, shiny, and perfectly round, like a marble. a. The snake was bright green. b. The snake was tiny. c. And the snake was very thin. d. The snake was like a shoelace.

The snake was bright green, tiny, and very thin, like a shoelace.

a. He was gripping the dog's head. Model: Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back toward Dumbledore's mouth and tipped it for Dumbledore to drink the remainder of the horrible potion inside. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a. He was gripping the dog's head. b. He was concerned about what the dog was feeling. c. Don opened Lucky's mouth wide for the medicine.

Gripping the dog's head, concerned about what the dog was feeling, Don opened Lucky's mouth wide for the medicine.

Sentence-Composing Tools: Opening Adjective Cheerful and exuberant, he was the kind of fellow to slap a man on the back with a greeting. Numb of all feeling, empty as a shell, still he clung to life and the hours droned by. Arrestingly handsome, George had dark blonde hair that cruised back from a part he kept just a nudge off center, as was the fashion. Rigid with fear, sitting up in bed, I stared helplessly as a face rose up in the moonlit window. Full of fear, the rabbit paddled and struggled, got his head up and took a breath, scrabbled his claws against rough bricks under water and lost them again as he was dragged on. Note: Adjectives modify nouns (and pronouns) and are always located next to the word they modify.

Sentence Composing: Opening Adverb How: Quickly , they flung a rope with a hook towards him. When: Overnight, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me. Where: Outside, beyond the low white fence, a wolf watched Little Red Riding Hood prepare a basket. Note: Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives and adverbs. They do not have to be placed close to the word (or words) they modify.

Sentence Composing: Opening Adverb Reluctantly , the boy fastened the collar on the bear cub. Soon, he reached the end of the paved road. Quickly and quietly, George walked away. Instantly, obediently, Jonas dropped his bike on its side on the path behind his family’s dwelling.

Exit Ticket Write an original sentence that begins with an opening adjective. an opening adverb. Be sure to proofread for punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.