Chapter 17
Adding Style to Sentences
IN THIS CHAPTER
Spicing up sentences with verbals
Choosing the correct tense for verbals
Varying sentence patterns
Many television shows feature aspiring designers who cut patterns and sew, glue, or staple fashion-forward clothing. Why do so many people, including me, watch? To see something new, a jolt out of the “same old, same old” pattern. Writing is no different. Chances are you’ve got some basic sentence patterns that serve you well. But if you’ve ever longed for a change of pace, this chapter is for you. Here you practice adding variety and style to your sentences by employing verbals, combining ideas, and changing word order.
Speaking Verbally
Every family has some interesting members who can add zing to a boring day. Verbals are the grammatical equivalent of those relatives. As the name implies, verbals have a connection with verbs, but they also have a link with other parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and adverbs). Verbals never act as the verb in a sentence, but they do influence the sense of time that the sentence conveys. This section gives you practice in identifying verbals and selecting the correct tense for each.
Identifying ...
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