Adjectives Shifted Out Of Order

4th Brushstroke (Last Brushstroke)

ASOOO

Usually when describing an object the adjectives come before the the noun. The dry and stale bagel was only 50 cents. 

In this brushstroke, the adjectives come after the noun. The bagel, dry and stale, was only 50 cents.

There are three ways to use ASOOO. 

1) simple sentence/adj/adj/adj

2) adj/simple sentence/adj/adj

3) simple sentence/adj/adj.

1: Our teacher, cruel, unfair, and strict, assigned us a three page paper due the next day.

2: Our cruel teacher, unfair and strict, assigned us a three page paper due the next day.
3: Our teacher, unfair and strict, assigned us a three page paper due the next day.
~ASOOO is easy to use and is more creative then the regular way of writing a sentence with adjs in the correct order.
~Make sure when you use this brushstroke, it's very clear which noun you are describing and it makes sense.

Appositive Brushstrokes

3rd Brushstroke

  An appositive is zooming in on a noun, using a, an, or the. 

Simple Sentence: The man walked up the stairs. 

Here, man and stairs would be the two nouns we could potentially zoom in on. The man, a tired accountant, walked up the stairs. The brushstroke describes the man, so it's a clearer picture. Instead of describing the man, I could also talk about the stairs. 

The man walked up the stairs, a tight space located in the side of the building. You could go either way, which ever is easier. 

The first example, that described the man, was a simpler version of an appositive, but usually if you want to add a little more background or detail, you would use the appositive the way I did in the second sentence/example.

Also, I could use the appositive with a "the".
For example, Jack walked up to Dan.
Jack, the faithful captain of the Knights team, walked up to Dan.
**Additional note: separate the brushstroke and the simple sentence with two commas. One after the noun that is being described and then one after the appositive. If the appositive is at the end of the sentence, then just put the comma after the noun, and a period at the end of the appositive.

Absolute Brushstroke

 2nd Brushstroke

  

 An absolute is where you describing a noun with a verb ending in -ING (or a participle).

For example, eyes widening, hands shaking,..ect.

Let's start with a simple sentence; John stood at the free throw line. Now we take a noun, its sometimes easier to pick a noun that's on your body...like a leg.

Legs shaking, John stood at the free throw line. 

~Again we separate the absolute and the simple sentence with a comma.

To add more detail, we can add two absolutes. Legs shaking and hands trembling, John stood at the free throw line.

Our final, more detailed step is called a ABSOLUTE PHRASE. In this, you just basically describe your absolutes in more detail. 

Legs shaking with fear and hands trembling, John stood at the free throw line. 
Eyes widening at the sight of the crowd and hands twitching nervously, I walked on to the stage. 
She walked out of the water, teeth clenched and arms shivering. 

~In a participle, instead of ending in -ING, -ED is also a possible option. 

Participles

1st Brushstroke

    A participle is  a verb, ending in -ING (like, writing, drawing, thinking, running, ect). There are different ways you can use a participle. One is the normal, less descriptive way. 

~If you have a simple sentence; She sat on the bench, you can add a participle in the beginning of the sentence or at the end. For example, you could do: 

Thinking, she sat on the bench or She sat on the bench, thinking. 

You separate the participle and the simple sentence with a comma. 

~The harder, more creative way to write with a participle, is to describe the verb ending in ING (usually described with an adj. ending in -ly [an adverb]). 

So you would do; She sat on the bench, thinking quietly. Thinking quietly, she sat on the bench. This is still quite easy, so lets take it a step further. 

~Basically, what you are doing here is adding more detail to the participle and the adverb.She sat on the bench, thinking quietly about the drab day she had.  You could also add the "participle phrase" at the beginning of the simple sentence. 

~ While learning this in class, I found it hard to find participles to add to my simple sentence. So what my teacher would do, is he would give us the simple sentence and then underneath, he'd write a couple of different participles that we could use. 

The man walked into the store.

-Strolling          -Roaming           -Wondering

-Thinking         -Hoping             -Carrying (bags)

Now, I choose the one I like the best. In this case I'm going to pick "hoping". Hoping to find the perfect gift for his wife, the man walked into the store.

Additionally, in a simple sentence you can add more than one participle. 

She observed the office, sitting quietly and watching busy workers. 

~ Participles can be used commonly and once you get the hang of it, it's very easy and you'll find yourself doing it all the time. 

~If you would like to practice, you can use these simple sentences;

*She sat in the audience.
*Rebecca looked out the window.
*It was cold outside.

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
-Watching the actors run around the stage and noticing the man in the back, she sat in the audience.
(watching, noticing, observing, thinking, gaping, )
-Wondering what to wear, Rebecca looked out the window.
(wondering, thinking, hoping, laughing,)
-Shivering beneath her jacket and shaking violently, it was cold outside.
(shivering, shaking, breathing, blowing, snowing).

~~~~
A brushstroke helps you paint a picture with your words. 

Writing Tips

Writing is not always the easiest subject. For me, at one point, it was my worst subject. Looking back at my work in Elementary School, I can honestly say I was not that good. In fact, my writing was pretty horrible. Luckily, my 5th grade teacher is an amazing writer, and it was the year that I actually enjoyed letting the pencil dance across the page to create a paragraph. I'm not a pro at writing or anything now, but I'm 100 times better than I was through 2nd-4th grade. In school, I continue to learn different techniques that will make my essays, stories, and descriptions better. Right now, we are learning about "Brushstroke," there are four different types: Participle (pronounced as part-ic-ible), Appositive, Absolute, and Adjectives Shifted Out of Order (ASOOO). 

Desert

  The desert was a long vacant piece of dry land, lifeless and humid. The sun was beating down on my back, burning my hair and leaving me dying for water. My throat was screaming at me now because of thirst and my stomach growling with hunger. Each step caused pain to travel through me, it made me exhausted. But I continued to stagger across the desert, it was a mission and I knew giving up wouldn't be an option, albeit I wanted to. Night warned to come in a few hours, although it would be great to get away from the sun, the moon invited vicious creatures and from experience I already knew what would happen. 

Warning

 The door swung open, inviting the unwanted guests. But one by one, they poured in filtering the dark room, now swimming with curiosity. The visitors looked at each other, questioning everyone's moves. Each knew that they shouldn't be here, but each wanted answers. Clues had been left for them, strange notes had wandered into their homes, and it was scary. However, they already knew why this has been happening, for they were given a warning. And now they're here to bear the consequences.

Burning Building 2

  The intense heat washed my face, and made me choke. My classmates were running around me, two pulling my arm and dragging me across the flaming building. Smoke slithered through my nose and fogged up my vision. With my eyes half close, I was able to identify a small shine from the corner. I pointed but couldn't say anything for my voice willed to stay quiet. We ended up drawing closer to it on the way out, and I able to identify it as a lighter. So that's what started the fire. By now, wood was falling from above, and hitting the floor. Thankfully, most of the kids were already out. In fact, I should have been with them enjoying the cool air, if it wasn't for the sudden hot item that fell against my head. 

Burning Building

   Sirens wailed in a distance and screaming was heard. She couldn't help but laugh. This was madness and if there is one thing Maddy enjoys, its chaos. The red and blue lights poured into her room and she watched as the dozens of kids exited the building screaming way too loudly. Behind them, the school was engulfed in fire, the flames licking up. Police men were directing the kids to the cars, while the firemen were spraying gallons of water at the building. By now, the entire street was watching, the apartment windows now lit up. Maddy rushed out of her rented home and in less than an hour was in the taxi on her way to the airport. She had to get out of New York before the cops realized that the fingerprints on the lighter were Maddy's or now known as Gale. 

Monday Mornings

  The bus skidded to a halt, welcoming the kids waiting at the stop. Quiet chattering and whispering broke into Dana's ears when she entered, along with the thudding against the window. She looked outside and sighed at the heavy rain drops that fell from the sky. Her friends were already sitting in the back, droopy eyes painted on their face. It was a Monday morning after all. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind was pushed through the bus and brushed against Dana's already too cold cheek. Everyone groaned at the child who opened the window. 

Rainy Days Don't Mix With Mud

     The first drops of rain were harsh. They splashed onto to the grass, and soon it would be all mushy. Kids were running across backyards despite the rain and the claps of thunder, they carried on anyway, rushing to get to the goal. I jogged over as well, trying to follow the others. But too late I realized my shoes would slide. As soon as I started picking up speed, I immediately fell into the now wet grass. I felt the thick mud cover my arms and swallow my jeans. The ground slapped my face and I couldn't help but yell in pain. Nobody seemed to hear me however as they had already grabbed the flag from the opposite team. 

Vampire Inspiration

    The fact that everything on the other side of the window  was still, just made me more aware of anything moving. Even if a squirrel were to run across the grass and climb up a tree, resembling a flash, I would notice it. So when a shape moved across the road, it was a merely a blur. Which was crazy because the only things that were that fast were animals, dangerous ones most of the time and what would they be doing in the middle of a suburb? Something moved too quickly and strangest of all the shape was tall and not very wide, so it put a doubt in my mind when I thought about an animal.
~~
Inspired by Twilight
No where close to how Stephani Meyer writes but its just about how the blur was a vampire. :P

Alex Rider Inspiration

    He approached the table, barely glancing at the faces that stared at him. His eyes immediately went to the boat on the other side of the window. He shouldn’t be noticing the ship that was gliding smoothly through the sea, in fact, it should be completely invisible. But there was something that made it stand out, the way that the very tip of the boat was too sharp, or that it looked empty, but maybe it was because it was heading towards him, towards the yacht he stood in. One by one, the men sitting at the long conference table turned towards the direction that their leader was looking at. The man with the round glasses spoke up first when he yelled “Duck!”

~~

Inspired by Alex Rider
I read books by Anthony Horrowitz (his Alex Riders series) and its always so amazing, his writing is very sophisticated, so it made me want to write a small paragraph the way he might write it. 

Heist Society Inspiration

           The building stood out from the others standing next to it. It was superior, built with hard pieces of white brick, with little color-tinted windows climbing up The Body. Passing this everyday was a pleasure to Dana, just being able to glance at it and then wonder, who was the genius who came up with the idea of make a building in the shape of a body, made her mind race. Inside, everyone knew, laid thousands of brilliant paintings, costing more than five hundred a piece. Dana always thought about robbing a art gallery, and finally made up her mind to do it.
~~
Inspired by Heist Society
Ally Carter's books, The Gallager Girls and Heist Society, both are well-written series and inspired me to write a paragraph like it would come out of one of her novels. 

It Girl Inspiration

      Her hand brushed against the abrasive wall, leaving cuts and scrapes all over. She took in her surroundings, it was old, the room. And boring. It was black and white,  literally, black seats, furniture, and a plain white wall enveloping it. But it was her new room, she has to get used to it, and probably add a Dana touch to it. Despite the dullness of the room, the view was breath-taking. Dana walked over to it, and gazed outside, watching the students run, and laugh with each other. They all looked rich, all looked care-free, completely opposite from the town she grew up in. With the tense, over dramatic, kids back at home, it was great to get away from them and listen to sounds of laughing.
~~
Inspired by It Girl
This isn't exactly how Cecily von Ziegesar would have wrote a paragraph in her book, but the idea of a girl going to boarding school made me want to write this paragraph. 

Short Introduction

Im a 13 year old girl, currently in 8th grade. I enjoy writing, but clearly am not the best at it. But for fun I write a journal and add random descriptions of a place or what would be in a story. All I'm going to do here is post my short paragraphs and then hopefully get comments...Yup, so enjoy!