Prometheus: Asking Questions I am a great fan of Ridley Scott's movies. This one is no exception. The story is wonderful, and it makes us think about the importance of knowing about where the human race come from. I. 1. man / what / happened / to / that 2. aren't / why / you/ them / helping 3. die / why /did / he 4. where / they / go / do 5. know/ do/ it's beautiful / you / how 6. you / what / believe / you II. ( ) That's what I choose to believe. ( ) He died. ( ) Heaven, paradise ( ) They don't want my help. ( ) Because sooner or later everyone dies. III. Answer key: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Story Structure 101 - The Index Card Method Lately I'm being asked to teach writing workshops. A lot. Although I've done a few 3 and 5 day workshops, and I've got a month-long online workshop coming up in February, a lot of them are basically me trying to teach screenwriting techniques to novelists in an hour. I know, it’s crazy, right? Well, I can’t teach screenwriting or anything else in an hour, but I’ve found I can teach people how to start to teach THEMSELVES screenwriting techniques in an hour. To teach yourself story structure, you start by making a list of 10 movies and books in the genre you’re writing in and/or that you feel are similar in structure to the story you want to write. Then – write out the PREMISE or LOGLINE for each story on your list – as I’ve already talked about here, and compare your own story premise to those of your master list. Now we are going to step back and talk about basic filmic structure. Most everyone knows the Three Act structure. Try this with your master list. - Kindle - Barnes & Noble/Nook
Grammar Handbook « Writers Workshop: Writer Resources « The Center for Writing Studies, Illinois Thank you for using the Grammar Handbook at the Writers' Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This Handbook explains and illustrates the basic grammatical rules concerning parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentences and sentence elements, and common problems of usage. While we have done our best to be comprehensive and accurate, we do not claim to be the final authority on grammatical issues. We appreciate constructive emails with questions, suggestions, or corrections, but please understand we may be unable to respond to all of them. Handbook Sections Parts of Speech Nouns Verbs Adjectives and Adverbs Conjunctions Other Parts of Speech Phrases Clauses Sentences and Sentence Elements Common Usage Problems
A Guide To Proper Comma Use Parallel Structure Summary: This handout describes and provides examples of parallel structure (similar patterns of words). Contributors:Dana Lynn DriscollLast Edited: 2013-03-22 09:01:32 Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Words and Phrases With the -ing form (gerund) of words: Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling. With infinitive phrases: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle. (Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.) Do not mix forms. Example 1 Not Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle. Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle. Example 2 Not Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurate ly, and in a detailed manner. Parallel: The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly. Example 3 Clauses — or — Lists After a Colon
Daily Grammar - Improve your writing with our free grammar lessons 7 Sentences That Sound Crazy But Are Still Grammatical Let's not look at grammar as a cold, harsh mistress. She can also be a fun, kooky aunt. Here are some tricks you can do to make crazy sounding sentences that are still grammatical. 1. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. Take advantage of the fact that the same sentence can have two different structures. One morning [I shot an elephant] [in my pajamas]. But another possible, and perfectly grammatical, reading is One morning [I shot] [an elephant in my pajamas]. 2. Make a garden path sentence. 3. Another garden path sentence, this one depends on the fact that "complex," "houses," and "married" can serve as different parts of speech. 4. Make a sentence with multiple center embeddings. 5. Another crazy center-embedded sentence. 6. Buffalo! 7. This sentence takes advantage of the versatile English –ing. Sources of sentences: 1. Primary image courtesy of NationalGrammarDay.com.