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ELA 4: Complete Sentences
775 Views

In this lesson we'll subject you to some verbs and predicates. Each one is a necessary part of a complete breakfas—er...sentence.

ELA 4: Word Choice
222 Views

Choosing words carefully is important. You may end up vexing the assemblage of citizens you're conversing with...or you might even just plain bore...

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ELA 4: Details 12 Views


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Description:

Like we always say, don't sweat the details...they're super easy to learn about when you've got a Shmoop video to teach you about them. And really, you should probably only sweat sweat. 

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

They say that God is in the details, but after studied a bit of mythology, we're not confident

00:18

as to which god they're talking about.

00:20

For examples we can never get Poseidon to be specific about what he wants for dinner.

00:25

So, we'll just say that details are really important. [Group of people together and Poseidon appears]

00:27

when it comes to good writing, details are the key.

00:31

If you want to paint a picture with your words and really tell a story so that your reader

00:35

can visualize exactly what you're talking about, you need details of the whazzoo.. [Boy stood with a painting]

00:40

Think of it this way:

00:41

If you're telling a story about a man and you don't include any details, well then that's

00:45

all he is to the reader: just a man. No matter who or what you're imagining in your head, if you

00:50

don't use details to describe it, the reader won't be able to picture it. [Woman reading a book]

00:54

However, once you start adding those precious details, then that man stops just being any

00:59

old man.

00:59

He becomes overweight. [Man transforms into overweight man]

01:01

And bald.

01:02

And dressed in a bright pink tuxedo. And without details, a woman is just a woman.

01:07

But when you include details she becomes blonde...

01:09

And happy.

01:10

And a police officer. with an unhealthy appetite for cotton candy... [Woman police officer with cotton candy]

01:14

Details turn a house into a

01:16

Into a cliffside castle with an outdoor swimming pool complete with a waterfall and giant waterslide. [Castle with a waterfall and giant waterslides]

01:22

In order to be the best writer you can be, you need to learn to include details in your

01:26

writing whenever possible. [Man reading book of adjectives]

01:28

Every time your story takes place in a specific setting, don't just say what the setting is,

01:33

describe the details of the setting.

01:34

Instead of saying “a farm,” you could say, “a farmhouse sat atop a grassy hill

01:39

that was littered with a horde of grazing cows."

01:42

And if there's a farmer, describing that farmer as more than just any old farmer will [Girl thinking about a farmer]

01:47

be sure to improve your story.

01:48

Because a farmer is one thing. But a farmer wearing an oversized cowboy hat and neon

01:53

pink leggings..That's just gold! [Farmer wearing pink leggings and cowboy hat]

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