Create Sentences with Details, Details, Details!

Exercise 1 

From each set of words in brackets choose the one word or phrase which most effectively conveys the heat of the scene being pictured:

Beneath the glaring sun the land was brown.  Blades of grass, shrunk by the hot rays, clung to the crumbling, scorched soil. Even to move was an effort. The slightest motion was enough to cause a sweat, but even perspiration was forced away almost instantly by the strong  heat.

Exercise 2 

Some words have been left out in the following sentences. From each group in brackets, choose the word or phrase that most effectively suggests the idea of noise.

1 Thunder banged off the mountains. The howling of the wind as it zoomed through the narrow valleys was almost drowned out by the beating  of huge raindrops on the rocky ground.

2 The clatter  of broken glass woke him. He listened intently and heard the slight screech of a hinge as a door slowly opened. There was the faintest tapping scrape of a shoe on the wooden floor of the hall.

3. She was startled at first by the harsh  squawk of a sea gull. The distant clatter  of the sea and the moan of the gentle breeze through the palms lulled her.

Exercise 3 

From each set of words in brackets choose the one word or phrase which most effectively conveys the scene being pictured:

Bright lights glowed  amusingly through the evening darkness. The steady brightness  of the larger lights was reinforced by the sparkle of an array of cheerful smaller ones chasing  each other in a lively, never-ending race. The roar of conversation, the crack of glasses, and the stench of steaming food all  drifted enticingly across the still night air.

Exercise 4 

Here is a short descriptive passage. From each group in brackets, choose the word or phrase that most effectively fills each gap. Bear in mind the impression the writer is trying to give.

The face, in the brief instant when the lightning flashed, was like some hideous carving. The forehead was topped with a clump of hair which glittered in the light. The lower part of the face was covered by a/an wild, untidy clump of wiry beard. The eyes, deep-set under thick brows,  glittered evilly as they caught the light. Mark’s heart pounded in fear at the sight. Lightning flickered again.

Persuasive Writing

Museums should not have relics of war  on display.

Gather Ideas

1) People learn from past war events.

2) People learn from mistakes they have made in the past.

3) People wouldn't know a lot about war without the relics.

4) The relics create a Image in kids minds.

Organise Ideas

1) People learn from past war events

2) People wouldn't know a lot about war without the relics

3) The relics create an image in in kids minds

Introduction

Some people think that having relics for the past should not be on display, well I think that having them on display gives people an idea on what happened in the past. my points of view are People learn from past war events, people wouldn't know a lot about war with out the relics in the museum and finally the relics create an image in kids minds.

A lot of people can learn from past war events like how it was like for the soldiers in world war one and two and how long the battles would be, an example for this would be learning how hard it was for soldiers to stay alive in the wind, rain and very low temperatures but by far people learn that soldiers risk their lives to make everyone else's lives better.

Another thing is that people like me wouldn't know much or a lot about war like how many people risked their live in the war, the temperatures, trying to survive and be safe in the cold heartened war, how much blood and sweat they put in to help theirs things like that. Even though people may not know a lot about war but people can learn about what war was like.

The relics in the museum puts an image is kids minds of what war was like and how they would imagine it being fun, cool and amazing. One example could be that the relics gave the kid an image that one day they may become a soldier to help and defend their country.

I am one hundred percent sure that museums should keep having relics of war on display because people learn from past war events, people wouldn't know a lot about war with out the relics in the museum and finally the relics create an image in kids minds and one day those kids that were having image's in their minds of being a soldier becomes a soldier.

Similes and Metaphors Worksheet

Similes 

A simile is a statement used to describe something by comparing it to something else. For example, Mike's been as busy as a bee this week. When we compare how busy Mike has been to a bee it helps us to imagine just how busy he has been. Similes use words such as like, as or such to compare the thing being described.

A. Use a word from the box below to complete each sentence.

doornail   cucumber silk   honey ox peas     pancake whistle thieves  clockwork fox fiddle

1. These peaches are as sweet as honey

2. The twins are alike as peas in a pod

3. This material is as smooth as silk

4. The thief is no doubt as crafty as a fox

5. After his stay in hospital Mike is now as fit as a  fidle 

6. These friends are as thick as theives

7. During the fire he stayed as cool as a cucumber

8. After it was washed my shirt was as clean as a whistle

9. The new boy is as strong as an ox

10. The postie comes as regular as clockwork

11. After it was run over it was as flat as a pancake

12. The old tree is now as dead as a doornail

B. Choose a word from the below to complete each simile.

ice   bell coal   mule gold swan   kitten eel snail   rain leather toast

1. As warm as toast

2. As tough as leather

3. As right as rain

4. As black as coal

5. As playful as a kitten

6. As sound as a bell

7. As graceful as a swan

8. As good as gold

9. As stubborn as a mule 

10. As slow as a snail

11. As cold as ice 

12. As slippery as an eel

C. Make up your own similes. Simply compare a person you know or any object to something else that has certain qualities. Remember to use like, as or such.

Simile One : As slow as a sloth

Simile Two : As fast as a cheetah

Simile Three : As tired as a tiger

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Metaphors  are used to make prose or poetry more colourful. We form metaphors by saying (or comparing) something is something else, 

e.g. "The grass was a carpet of green."

Here is a famous example:

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees

 The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy Seas, 

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, 

And the highwayman came riding -- 

Riding -- riding -- 

And the Highwayman came riding up to the old inn door.

In this verse the poet has used four metaphors. He compares the wind to a torrent of darkness; the moon to a ghostly galleon; the road to a ribbon of moonlight; the clouds to a rough sea. 

Here are some more metaphors: 

When he left he broke my heart.

My blood curdled when I heard the noise.

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A. Underline the metaphor in each sentence. The first one has been done for you. You’re welcome :) 

1.  I like Sally because she is always full of beans.

2. Tom is a wet blanket all the time. 

3. The coal-black night was quiet. 

4. My blood boiled when I heard the results. 

5. At football Sam was a giant. 

6. Tom is a big fish in a little pond. 

7. Mike can be hard hearted. 

8. After my win, I was light headed. 

9. She came home walking on air. 

10. Matthew is down in the dumps. (Continue on with the next page, please.)

B. Create a metaphor or a simile to add interest to these sentences. The first example is done for you. 

1. Sam is crazy. He is as mad as a hatter. 

2. Tam is always happy. She is a pig in mud

3. My dog runs quickly. It is a lightning bolt

4. Sally feels lonely. She is a small fish in a big pond

C. Write metaphors saying what each of these things are. Use vivid descriptions.

1. Stars are freflies in the night sky.

2. Clock are n

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Special FXs in Creative Writing: Personification, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration

Most of our favourite films and videos have Special FX

eg Star Wars, Jurassic Park, The Matrix.

Did you know that there are Special FX you can use in your writing??

1.  Visual Special FX

A special way of helping a reader to imagine an unfamiliar scene, or to see a familiar scene through your eyes, is to use comparisons

(a) A simile

a comparison of two things usually using "like" or "as".

eg He ate the chocolate like a pig eating scraps.

(b) Metaphor

a comparison of two things where one is said to be the other.

eg He made a pig of himself with the chocolate.

Another powerful visual special effect is:

(c) Personification 

the giving of human qualities to nonhuman things.

eg The sun was angry.

Revision exercises

Exercise 1

Complete these sentences with examples of personification to make them interesting for readers. 

1. The waves were calm 
2. Clouds are gray
3. The train is being personified
4. Fear is a nightmare
5. The bulldozer is a beast
6. Bells are ringing

2.  Sound Special FX

(a) Onomatopoeia 

words which sound like what they mean.

eg He slurped his tea from the saucer.

(b) Alliteration

the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of different words close together.

eg Bonzo builds bouncing babies.

Compare these two paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: The hunter fired, and the three deer bolted into the bush. He cursed, and ran after them.

Paragraph 2: Crack! The sound of the rifle echoed through the valley. At once the three deer bolted for the bush. "Blast," muttered the hunter, and crashed off through the trees after them.

• Both of these paragraphs are telling the same story. 
• The difference between the two is that the second one gets greater impact by using simple sound effects eg the use of such sound words (crack, muttered, crashed) is an easy way to add life and zip to your writing.

Revision exercises

Exercise 2

Come up with a sound affect word for each of these

eg a racquet hitting a tennis ball = pock

1 an arrow hitting a target = plonk

2 cold water hitting a hot piece of metal = sizzle

3 a startled noise made by a bird = chirp

4 the sound made by an unhappy puppy = whimpering

5 a piece of paper being screwed up = scrunch

6 a juicy, ripe tomato hitting the floor after being dropped = plop

7 big waves hitting rocks = swoosh

8 tyres on a wet road = screech

Exercise 3

Sports reports often use alliteration in their headlines for impact. 

Write four sports headlines for a newspaper. Use alliteration to give an impact.

Sport	Headline
Rugby	The Tired player Tackled and Tripped
Hockey	Intramural hockey is a Strenuous, Simulating, Satisfying sport.
Soccer	The Stupendous Skilled Soccer player scored a Spectacular goal.
Golf	The Golf Game was Going quite badly.