1. Image Grammar
The Five Brushstrokes

3. The second by well-known novelist Brian Jacques…
Mossflower lay deep in the grip of midwinter beneath a sky of leaden gray that showed tinges of scarlet and orange on the horizon. A cold mantle of snow draped the landscape, covering the flatlands to the west. Snow was everywhere, filling the ditches, drifting high against the hedgerows, making paths invisible, smoothing the contours of earth in its white embrace.

4. Brushstroke 1 Participles:
An –ing or –ed verb (usually) that acts as an adjective.
Adds more action to a description.

5. The diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey.
Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey.

7. Source: http://photography. nationalgeographic

8. Brushstroke 2 Absolute:
A two-word combination—a noun and a participle added onto a sentence.

9. The cat climbed the tree. Claws digging, the cat climbed the tree.

12. Brushstroke 3 Appositives:
A noun or noun phrase that renames another noun.
It expands details in the imagination.

13. The raccoon enjoys eating turtle eggs
The raccoon enjoys eating turtle eggs. The raccoon, a midnight scavenger, enjoys eating turtle eggs.

16. Brushstroke 4 Adjectives out of order:
Placing adjectives in a different order can be effective.
Do not use too many “lists” of adjectives.
Amplify the details of an image.

17. The large, red-eyed, angry moose charged the intruder
The large, red-eyed, angry moose charged the intruder. The large moose, red-eyed and angry, charged the intruder.

19. Brushstroke 5 Active Action Verbs
DO NOT USE: AM, IS, ARE, WAS, WERE, BE, BEING, OR BEEN!!!

20. Passive: The runaway horse was ridden into town by an old, white-whiskered rancher. Active: The old, white-whiskered rancher rode the runaway horse into town.