#adverbs of time exercises

[mylanguageclasses]

Adverbs of Time in English Grammar

Introduction Adverbs of time are an essential part of English grammar, as they help describe when an action takes place. They provide clarity to sentences by indicating past, present, or future time and are commonly used in both spoken and written English. Understanding adverbs of time is crucial for effective communication, as they allow speakers and writers to express when an event happens,…

[adastra-sf]

Stephen King’s Top 20 Writing Tips

King is one of the most successful speculative fiction authors of all time, and among other honors won the National Book Award in 2003.

His memoir / writing manual, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, offers a wonderful look inside his writing process. Here are 20 rules for writing success gleaned from the book:

1. First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience. “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story. Your stuff starts out being just for you, but then it goes out.”

2. Don’t use passive voice. “Timid writers like passive verbs for the same reason that timid people like passive partners. The passive voice is safe. The timid fellow writes, 'The meeting will be held at seven o’clock,' because that somehow says to them, ‘Put it this way and people will believe you really know.' Purge this quisling thought! Throw back your shoulders, stick out your chin, and put that meeting in charge! Write, ‘The meeting’s at seven.’ There, don’t you feel better?” [note: something like "We meet at seven" is even more active.]

3. Avoid adverbs. “The adverb is not your friend. Consider the sentence, 'He closed the door firmly.' It’s by no means a terrible sentence, but ask yourself if ‘firmly’ really has to be there. What about context? What about all the enlightening (not to say emotionally moving) prose which came before ‘He closed the door firmly’? Shouldn’t this tell us how he closed the door? And if the foregoing prose does tell us, then isn’t ‘firmly’ an extra word? Isn’t it redundant?”

4. Avoid adverbs, especially after “he said” and “she said.” “While to write adverbs is human, to write ‘he said’ or ‘she said’ is divine.”

5. But don’t obsess over perfect grammar. “Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story… to make them forget, whenever possible, that they are reading a story at all."

6. The magic is in you. “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t need the feather; the magic was in him.”

7. Read, read, read. “You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

8. Don’t worry about making other people happy. “Reading at meals is considered rude in polite society, but if you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second to least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

9. Turn off the TV. “Most exercise facilities are now equipped with TVs, but TV—while working out or anywhere else—really is about the last thing an aspiring writer needs. If you feel you must have the news analyst blowhard on while you exercise, or the stock market blowhards, or the sports blowhards, it’s time for you to question how serious you really are about becoming a writer. You must be prepared to do some serious turning inward toward the life of the imagination, and that means, I’m afraid, that [the talking heads] must go. Reading takes time, and the glass teat takes too much of it.”

10. You have three months. “The first draft of a book—even a long one—should take no more than three months, the length of a season.”

11. There are two secrets to success. “When I’m asked for ‘the secret of my success’ (an absurd idea, that, but impossible to get away from), I sometimes say there are two: I stayed physically healthy, and I stayed married. It’s a good answer because it makes the question go away, and because there is an element of truth in it. The combination of a healthy body and a stable relationship with a self reliant woman who takes zero shit from me or anyone else has made the continuity of my working life possible. And I believe the converse is also true: that my writing and the pleasure I take in it has contributed to the stability of my health and my home life.”

12. Write one word at a time. “A radio talk-show host asked me how I wrote. My reply—’One word at a time’—seemingly left him without a reply. I think he was trying to decide whether or not I was joking. I wasn’t. In the end, it’s always that simple. Whether it’s a vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like The Lord Of The Rings, the work is always accomplished one word at a time.”

13. Eliminate distraction. “There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with.”

14. Stick to your own style. “One cannot imitate a writer’s approach to a particular genre, no matter how simple what the writer is doing may seem. You can’t aim a book like a cruise missile, in other words. People who decide to make a fortune writing like John Grisham or Tom Clancy produce nothing but pale imitations, by and large, because vocabulary is not the same thing as feeling and plot is light years from the truth as it is understood by the mind and the heart.”

15. Dig. “When, during the course of an interview for The New Yorker, I told the interviewer that I believed stories are found things, like fossils in the ground, he said that he didn’t believe me. I replied that that was fine, as long as he believed that I believe it. And I do. Stories aren’t souvenir T-shirts or Game Boys. Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered, pre-existing world. The writer’s job is to use the tools in their toolbox to get as much of each one out of the ground intact as possible. Sometimes the fossil you uncover is small, a seashell. Sometimes it’s enormous, a Tyrannosaurus Rex with all the gigantic ribs and grinning teeth. Either way, short story or thousand page whopper of a novel, the techniques of excavation remain basically the same.”

16. Take a break. “If you’ve never done it before, you’ll find reading your book over after a six-week layoff to be a strange, often exhilarating experience. It’s yours, you’ll recognize it as yours, even be able to remember what tune was on the stereo when you wrote certain lines, and yet it will also be like reading the work of someone else, a soul-twin, perhaps. This is the way it should be, the reason you waited. It’s always easier to kill someone else’s darlings that it is to kill your own.”

17. Leave out the boring parts and kill your darlings. “Mostly when I think of pacing, I go back to Elmore Leonard, who explained it so perfectly by saying he just left out the boring parts. This suggests cutting to speed the pace, and that’s what most of us end up having to do (kill your darlings, even when it breaks your ecgocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.)”

18. The research shouldn’t overshadow the story. “If you do need to do research because parts of your story deal with things about which you know little or nothing, remember that word back. That’s where research belongs: as far in the background and the back story as you can get it. You may be entranced with what you’re learning about the flesh-eating bacteria, the sewer system of New York, or the I.Q. potential of collie pups, but your readers are probably going to care a lot more about your characters and your story.”

19. You become a writer simply by reading and writing. “You don’t need writing classes or degrees any more than you need this or any other book on writing. Faulkner learned his trade while working in the Oxford, Mississippi post office. Other writers have learned the basics while serving in the Navy, working in steel mills or doing time in America’s finer crossbar hotels. I learned the most valuable (and commercial) part of my life’s work while washing motel sheets and restaurant tablecloths at the New Franklin Laundry in Bangor. You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”

20. Writing is about getting happy. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”

[wolfsbanesparks]

Oh, give us your writing tips! I'd love to hear the ones you always follow, the ones you never follow, AND the ones you sometimes follow and sometimes don't!

Gladly!

So writing tips i actually follow:

Skip Ahead - whenever I'm stuck on a scene I put it to the side and jump to the next part I know i want to write/have inspiration for. Sometimes it's easier to transition from point A to point B if you've already written it. It keeps your writing momentum going and keeps you engaged in the story. Often I find there's less in between stuff than I originally thought.

Take breaks - when writing starts to feel difficult or tedious, take time off. Watch a movie, read something, eat food, take a nap. Recharge your brain and let the story sit for a bit.

Avoid the temptation to edit as you go - i have trouble with this one but I try to implement it whenever I can. Basically editing as you go slows down your writing momentum and getting stuck on word choice or a grammar issue can grind your writing to a halt. Just get the story out first and you can worry about everything else later.

Break the rules - once you know the rules of grammar and have heard every writing tip out there (classics like "said is dead" and "don't use adverbs") you can break those rules with intention. I love starting sentences with And or But for impact! Run on sentences work great for rapid spiraling thoughts! There's a million little things we're told not to do as writers but doing them with a purpose can really elevate your writing.

Writing tips i never follow but ive heard can help:

Outline - I'm such a pantser, I rarely plan more than a couple chapters ahead. Even when I do it's never in depth. I'm in awe of people who can do it but I can't stick to an outline for the life of me

Writing exercises - some people doing writing warm ups or free write sessions to get in the groove of writing before jumping in. I've never really been in the habit of that but I can see how it can help get you through writers block or lack of inspiration

The it depends writing tips:

Writing buddies - i don't often write with other people but when I do it can be really motivating. I've done sprints with other writers and I write more in 5 minutes than I would have in 30 on my own. But also having someone to sound board ideas off of can be a great way to work through writers block. Beta readers can fall under this category too though I rarely use one myself

Set aside time to write every day - i try and fail at this often. Usually it ends up as I pick a day to be a writing day and anything else throughout the week is a bonus. Consistency helps me a lot but keeping it up can be tricky.

[melodytaylorauthor]

Valancing and specificity

I'm gonna geek out about The Story Grid here again, because I have ADHD and specific and granular instructions make my brain go, and The Story Grid is especially good at that and avoiding all the woo-woo "you just have to feel it" bullshit. Okay? Okay.

All right. The latest Story Grid focus has been on descriptions. The book itself is more about plotting and editing, one of the classes they offer now is focused on scene writing, but lately language and description has been on their radar in their emails and Youtube. I dig.

So thing number one has been what they call "valanced language." This is simple. Squeeze descriptors into your nouns and verbs. If the right verb doesn't exist, use an adverb. Don't be scared, they have their place.

For example: "The woman ran down the hall."

Let's start with the first noun. Who was the woman? A secretary? A superhero? A dog groomer? See how each of those examples fills your brain with a distinct idea about why she might be running down a hall? You just fill in all sort of blanks on your own; how she's dressed, what it sounds like as she runs, what she might have in her hands, her expression.

Nice, how about "ran?" How is this woman running, exactly? Is she in a hurry? Is she worried? Is she angry? Does she scurry, or clatter, or jog, or race? If it's a secretary clattering down the hall, that's quite different from a superhero jogging down a hall, or a dog groomer racing down a hall. There are all sorts of implications that come with each, and your brain just fills them all in when the different words are used.

Okay, last, the hall. What kind of hall is it? Is it in a school, a business, a convent, a government building? A secretary clattering down a high school hall has a very different vibe than a hall of the White House. The same with a superhero, or a dog groomer. (Is it just me, or does "The dog groomer raced down the White House hall" scream rom-com? No?)

None of this is to say you have to say "the superhero" every time you refer to your superhero character; if it's established that she's a superhero, you can call her "the woman" or "Agnes." This exercise is to point out what Mark Twain has said: "The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug." It's so much easier to see it with this concrete example.

Now, number two, besides valanced language, the latest Story Grid emails and Youtube vids have been talking a lot about description. About how too much will kill your story, and not like, "You killed it!" but like, "It's dead." They point out that every time you pause the action to describe something, you take a chance that the reader won't put the book down. Readers read for action. They want to know what happens next, not what that tree looks like.

The solution? A few things. Use valanced language; fold your descriptions into the action, don't pause to describe something, note it while you're having the character doing something; and last and most deliciously, use specificity instead of vagueness.

I say "most deliciously" because to me, it is delicious. I love Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History, it's such a good braingasm. On one episode I listened to last year, he talked about how country music differs from rock in its ability to pull at people's heartstrings. The main point he gave was specificity -- the lyricist uses very particular imagery to put the listener in the shoes of the singer. I remember thinking that was really interesting, even though I don't like country music myself.

Then Tim Grahl brought up specificity in storytelling. He used this example: "I wanted to show an apartment in disarray, so I was picturing dirty dishes piled in the sink. But rather than just say there were dirty dishes piled in the sink, I have my character wanting to make coffee and finding the French press still caked with yesterday's grounds." That's just beautiful to my mind. It calls up everything you need to see about a place that hasn't been tidied in a while, it gets brought up while the character is doing something, and it has a vibe attached to it. Perfect.

So when you are writing a description, dial down into something particular about the thing you're describing. Traffic sounds? What about a car alarm going off that no one's paying attention to? A crowded cat room at a rescue? What about a calico kitten careening off the other cats after a stuffed mouse? Or cats tucking their paws in to avoid the careening kitten with a stuffed mouse? A boring day at work? How about if the co-worker is flicking paper clips into an empty cup at his desk?

I love stealing from my own life for this kind of thing. It lends some authenticity, I feel. Notice things around you in your life, then when you're writing, think of how to invoke the mood by pulling up one small, particular detail. Then weave that into the narrative, don't stop the action to deliver the picture. Keep the character moving and on-screen, have the description baked into the action somehow. And if it just won't bake in, cut it. Trust your reader to see your world through your character moving through it. Always trust your reader! If they're too dense to get it, you probably don't want them reading your book in the first place.

Anyhow, I am re-editing my first novel (because I want to, and I'm indie so I can), as well as editing my latest novel, and I just cut a couple paragraphs of description from each. In both cases, I dug down and got one particular detail about the descriptions, wove them into the action, and cut the rest. I can definitely see that that scenes are stronger for it, and the visualization of the setting is actually better with fewer but more specific words.

I fucking love what I do.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Dialogue v. Tags v. full sentences

A (mind numbing) fight on the internet, particularlly twitter goes something like this:

"Absolutely no tags on any of your dialogue." (or it's bad writing)

"Tag every line of dialogue." (or it's bad writing.)

"Superlatives on every line of dialogue." (Or it's bad writing)

"I absolutely will not change the way my characters speak so full sentences everywhere before the dialogue." (or it's bad writing.)

Can we do a face drag here? If you did all of these to the extreme like they suggest, yes, they are all bad writing.

!@#$ Twitter makes it hard to read the entire argument. So, I'm going to go over the origin of the advice for each of these in a fit of, WTF is with the extremists missing the point?

And please, advice isn't an either/or, often it's a yes and, and try it for yourself. Also, this is why you should give credit to your sources. I originally improved my dialogue from an old back isue of Writer's Digest who went over part of this. I like story theory over hardcore rules.

"Absolutely no tags on your dialogue."

This was originally posted by me into Nanowrimo in order to DIAGNOSE Dialogue. The point wasn't to get rid of stage directions, which was a Brandon Sanderson thing as part of an exercise he did for writing excuses, but from the original article in Writer's Digest it was to ask the following questions:

If you leave the writing alone for a week, without tags, can you tell who said what in the dialogue? This doesn't have to apply all of the time, but it should apply about 80-95% of the time.

To check the flow and pacing of the dialogue.

To check the emotionality of the dialogue.

THEN, you put back the tags, then check if the tags are necessary still. This is a good way to get rid of adverbs on tags.

So instead of:

"I was waiting a long time," he said angrily through clenched teeth.

You can rewrite the dialogue to:

"Unbelievable. I've been waiting over an hour," he said.

See, the difference? The second one has more punch and personality.

Also, it can help with checking the flow and pacing of the dialogue.

Sometimes dialogue sounds jerky, and you don't know why, so dropping tags helps, figure out if you need a pause, or if you need to change up the mood. So slow, fast, snappy, snarky, etc.

After you finish diagnosing, then you can cut down on the tags.

"Tag every line of your dialogue."

No, this is bad writing in this extreme.

This is a crutch and makes you do things like post, "he said, storming across the room." instead of using dialogue and the tags to support each other.

Who wants to read every line of dialogue with a he said, she said, they said?

C'mon? Who invented this idea? I didn't post it anywhere. This both makes the dialogue weaker and the tags weaker.

YES, you absolutely need some tags, sometimes as a lazy way FOR THE READER so they don't have to spend 20 minutes figuring it out, but once you have it established, NO, you don't have to tag every line. Sometimes objectively, it's easy to figure it out and you will still need to tag the dialogue anyway. And if you go over a page, it's a good idea about every page to add a dialogue tag. (This comes from Brandon Sanderson.) (~250 words)

But adding it to EVERY Line. No, your reader isn't that dumb. Sometimes it's better to edit the dialogue itself.

"I went to the park yesterday," she said.

"Oh, was it fun?" he asked.

"No, it was terrible," she said.

"Oh. I'm so sorry," he said.

"Yeah, a wild bear got loose," she said.

Why are you tagging every line? After the first she said he asked, you can cut it, unless there are more than one person in the conversation. Then you better make sure the way the character speaks is clear as day.

Superlatives on every line.

Face drag again. No. Improve what's inside of the dialogue unless it is overly short. Try to make shorter dialogue pack a punch.

"Hello," he whispered.

Probably would work.

But if you're writing something like,

"Hello," he said to his long time acquaintance otherwise not quite his friend, but teacher.

REVISE PLEASE unless you're making fun of bad dialogue or purposefully being pedantic. You're better served by writing, "Hey, Mr. Jerico."

See, contrast. You can probably figure out from one line of dialogue the type of relationship it is and it's much shorter.

If you're at the point where you have to explain the relationship to that much detail, replace it with dialogue.

"I was not at the movies with that girl," he shouted.

You could probably rewrite this to something like:

"I saw you cheating on me with that girl," Mark said.

"That girl was my friend."

"Kissing? If you were polyamorous, you should have told me."

See... more punch.

I absolutely will not change the way my character speaks so full sentences before and after the dialogue without any tags anywhere.

Cue me eye rolling again. WTH is with this idea. Do you know how terrible this would be to read?

Let's take the scenario up above and do this.

Mark paced the room. "I saw you cheating on me with that girl."

Patrice growled significantly. It was not true in the slightest that Patrice had cheated on Mark. "That girl was my friend."

Mark turned towards Patrice and stared. "Kissing? If you were polyamorous, you should have told me."

TT It ruined the pacing. Every single line with this. NO. Please. God, no. The snappiness of the dialogue is gone. and the feel of an argument has been diluted a ton. It's pedantic to read.

This was originally suppose to tell you if no matter what you are doing to the dialogue, it's not working, and you can't do anything about it. BACK UP, read from earlier and swell the emotion from an earlier point.

(Yeah, not conflict, but yes, emotion.)

So if your character has to say something with a long supporting tag like...

"I was at the mansion earlier to find the study where I found the clue in the second drawer." Juan said very self-satisfied with himself. He saluted to his chief.

But it's in the middle of the book, either you need to write that scene and establish Juan better, earlier, or you need to completely reassess the new scene.

"Was it where we said it was?"

"Yep," Juan said.

See... if you established the previous information, the dialogue becomes shorter and snappier.

If you're writing between two characters who know each other, such as a mother and daughter,

"As your mother, I hope you have completed your homework and completed your chores before you leave to school today."

It sounds unbelivably stilted, and ABSOLUTELY you should change what's in the dialogue and how your character is speaking instead of thinking that what's in the quotes is super precious. What mother really speaks like that?

It would sound more natural to say, "Did you finish your math homework? Don't forget breakfast. And finish the dishes when you get home from school."

Then you don't even have to add the mother bit at all. What the hell is that dialogue. No, the point of editing dialogue at all is to make sure the character SOUNDS UNIQUE and SOUNDS like them, in relation to other people in the scene and works in the setting. The character should not be speaking to someone they have an in-joke system with the same way they are speaking to a janitor they barely know.

If you think the way your character speaks is too precious that you need to add huge swaths of explanation afterwords in full sentences, you really need to work on your dialogue so you can occasionally not put full sentences afterwards.

Conclusion

Use all of these techniques and whatever else you need to get the scene to work.

[reflectionsofthesea]

Hiii I’m back! It's been a pretty stressful and busy time at work, so I'm less online than usual, but still learning finnish daily! It's actually being my saving grace: getting to detach myself from work,routine and stress and just putting my head into something completely different that I enjoy doing. Putting a read more because I wrote a lot here:

I've been progressing with my exercise book, and learned how to express the need to do something 'i have to...' and also the imperative tense. Really useful stuff. I also finally finished trascribing all puhekieli 'basic rules' on my notebook!

Some new stuff in my daily learning routine:

I started listening to podcasts and short stories! I was a bit intimidated at first, but now I've been enjoying doing it every day when I am cooking, cleaning the house or even when drawing/working. I'm listening to a beginner's podcast and can basically understand a good 80% of it, which is making me feel so proud and motivated hahaha. The crazy thing is that even if I don't understand a couple of new words, I can follow the conversation and the topic and I always know what the host is talking about, it's crazy. I'll definitely continue listening to podcasts and stories daily because I think it's helping A LOT and truly making me feel like I'm making huge progress and my brain is enlarging lol.

I started using LingQ! The importing videos/podcasts feature is super useful, and I imported some videos in finnish from youtubers I found and having LingQ generate subtitles in finnish for me and translation in english, so I can study them is so useful. That way I can exercise listening to more puhekieli and expand my vocabulary. It helps that the videos are super fun and entertaining themselves, so I genuinely want to know what's happening hahaha. (one was a Sims4 house building video, another one a travelling vlog)

I tried writing some 'stories' for the first time, this is also an advice I heard from a video, that helps with getting your brain used to constructing sentences and phrases. I already did this in a smaller way, writing very short sentences practicing different grammar rules to commit them to memory, but this exercise really makes you put more effort into building longer and slightly more articulated sentences, like phrases you'd say to someone when having a chat, or thinking out loud. I decided to pick some random themes and just write what I can about them! The pink underlined words/verbs/adverbs are things I had to look up because I didn't know how to say yet. I think this is a pretty fun and creative exercise to do though, and I can see how it can make your brain faster at producing sentences on the long run :) It will be fun to keep doing this when my vocabulary grows and I can say more stuff! (I saw a writing exercise idea on tumblr that was describing your Dnd characters and something about their personality/stories, and I really want to do that!)

Overall, I'm feeling really good and motivated. I remember feeling a bit stuck a month ago, and now that feeling is gone, and I feel like I improved a lot. I really think implementing new exercises like the written stories exercise and especially listening a lot has been so useful and important into me feeling like I'm growing more in this language. I'm really glad I fought my inner doubt and saboteur and just did it. I also gander at posts written in finnish here on tumblr and realized I understand a good 70/80% of what's written in there. Sometimes more or less, depending on how long the post is or how specific the words used are. But that's pretty crazy to me and really satisfying!

Also, if you need some inspiration for your language learning journey or some good tips (like the listening to podcasts and writing stories I'm currently doing), please watch this video! It really inspired me to keep going in my journey :)

[blorb-el]

trick or treat (your pick of fic)!

another lil writing exercise wip form the fic graveyard! clark has been whammied with some sort of... magically infused fear toxin? iirc? and has locked himself away about it :) i'd have to check the kryptahniuo here, wrote it a long time ago partially to practice using the language.

gen, 530ish words, no particular warnings, trinity

---

The earthquakes had been mild. They’d begun thirty-six hours after the dosing, and had tapered off five hours after that. The scientific community was still mystified at the small scale of the earthquakes and their origination point deep in the Arctic, far from usual tectonic plate activity.

Bruce enters the main hall, eyes darting around. There, between the states of Jor-El and Lara, lies Clark’s cape. It’s crumpled small, alone on the floor, brilliant splash of red against the serenity of blue and glowing white.

“Clark,” he calls out. No answer.

“Fortress. Show me where Kal-El is.”

The ever-shifting low chimes turn down in volume for a moment, then return, and a soft glow blooms under the floor leading to the main body of the building. Not Clark’s quarters.

He follows the path. Under the globe of Krypton, through the man rows of mostly-empty animal habitat. To the main laboratory, and there’s another arched doorway at the end that Bruce has never been through, that’s never been open while he’s been here. It’s closed now, and the cool refracted light plays across the door, then slowly fades like starlight.

Bruce knocks, mouth dry.

“Please hold,” the cool Fortress voice says. “Announcing your arrival.” And then the cool tones shift into the lilt of Kryptonian.

Bruce has, sometimes, in moments between stakeouts and shareholder meetings and chemical analysis, thought about learning Kryptonian. He’d been on his way to take over monitor duty from Diana, and she and Superman had been speaking. Clark had been leaning back, arms crossed behind his head. As he’d entered Diana had ventured a phrase and Clark had chuckled, low and, Bruce thinks, happy.

“.Ehrosh :bem khaehtiv :bysh,” he corrects. “m-bysh, with the stress on the back, just like khaehtiv.” He’d looked up then, smiled at seeing Bruce. Diana looks up as well, and smiles, and he nods at the two of them. “There, try it on Batman.”

“.Ehrosh mbem khaehtiv mbysh,” Diana says, a little slowly.

Bruce pauses for a moment, then echoes back. “.Ehrosh… mbem?,” He sees Clark’s lips part just a tiny bit in surprise before they curl up. “What’s the second part?”

“My friend,” Clark answers. After a half second he adds, almost tentatively. “But for you and I, we’d use the masculine - .khahtiv :bysh.”

Bruce forms the syllables in his mouth, cautious. “…khahtiv mbysh,” he says. And the little smile of Clark’s reaches to the corners of his eyes, something unnameable but warm there.

Around him the Fortress is murmuring words beyond what he can make out, but it repeats .nahn rrutiv :bysh .nahn rraop zhachahvymahehd .nahn rrutiv :bysh .nahn rraop suzehdh

It falls silent for a moment, and Bruce strains his ears though there’s nothing to hear. Moments pass, nothing but the soft shimmer of the crystals around him. Then, softer still, the Fortress AI speaks again.

.kaoshahrodh kahl-ehl

Shahr. Shahrrehth. He knows that word; the world knows the word, blazoned as its ideograph is in red and yellow across Clark’s chest. Bruce pockets the Kryptonite, lays his hand on the door. “Clark. Kal. I’m here to help you.”

And the door holds a moment longer, and then sinks into the floor.

---

rough translations...

.ehrosh :bem khahtiv :bysh - hello, my friend .nahn rrutiv :bysh - he is your friend .nahn rraop zhachahvymahehd - you are not alone .nahn rraop suzehdh - you belong here/you are at home .kaoshahrodh - you must continue to hope

(I think the possessives are off, i'm missing some particles, and i'm not sure -ehd is the right suffix to change chahvymah from an adverb to an adjective. but yeah. rough drafts!! fun fact i kind of want to get a tattoo of the symbols for the word kaoshahrodh.........)

[fizzingwizard]

I'd guess 90% of issues people have with writing advice is they don't know what advice is. It isn't rules. It's suggestions of techniques that have likely proved useful to the suggester.

Same with creative writing exercises with strict limits. It's an exercise. It doesn't mean this is the way you must write for the rest of your life or you're doing it wrong.

Very often, the point of the exercise is similar to the point of the advice: to get you to try something you might not even realize you're not doing. Writing is like fitness. You've got to stretch your muscles and get them accustomed to doing things they're not used to.

I have multiple writing "sins" and the truth is most of them are things I'm constantly trying to knock out. Like relying on adjectives/adverbs. They are not evil! But I find the advice to use them sparingly useful. Because "he said happily" comes to mind more easily than "he said with a grin like a Christmas tree twinkling with ultra-modern Bluetooth-enabled bulbs." It's more creative, it provokes more emotion, and most importantly to me, it tells you more about the character. (You'll have to imagine what sort of person could be described as "Bluetooth-enabled" yourself tho. xp)

But guess fucking what! Now, instead of overusing adjectives/adverbs, I sometimes use too many wordy, specific phrases. No matter how interesting a book is, you'd get tired of reading it if every time a descriptor was called for you had to read a simile or some other pithy comment. And if everyone started writing like that, the most heard advice would become "Don't overuse similes!" or "Don't underestimate the power of the simple adjective!" And then everyone would start practicing only writing with adjectives and...

So yeah advice is like. Not gospel. It's just advice. Personally, though I've read several books on writing and taken several creative writing classes in high school and college, and got a shit ton of advice from all of them, I never heard "you must do this or you're a bad writer." I'm sure some people have and I happen to be a lucky one that got mostly good teachers (except that one prof who shall remain nameless...). If someone told you "You have to write like this," they were wrong. But is it possible that what they actually said was, "You have to write like this in order to grow as a writer," and you only heard the first half?

[darethshirl]

For the fic writing asks! ✅ and 🦉?

✅ list one or two favorite lines you’ve written and explain why they’re your favorite

oh god not me suddenly blanking on everything I've ever written in my entire life 🙈 I guess I'm gonna go with my jinx/sevika fic since it's the most recent and fresh in my head:

The world goes still. A second passes, two—then Sevika lurches to her feet, throws Jinx on the floor and aims a vicious kick to her ribs. Jinx evades and scrambles up, offers her own quick punches. She’s fast, mean as a viper. But Sevika’s had enough fucking around; her anger blazes up all over her skin, stabbing behind her eyeballs. This time when she slaps Jinx it’s a full-bodied backhand, a perfect strike of red-hot violence, leaving Jinx staggered and clutching Silco’s desk for support.

imo action scenes are super hard to pull off but ultimately very rewarding when you do, and this one just felt so VISCERAL 👌 I could see the entire sequence in my mind's eye (in arcane's style of course lol) and it made my heart pump when I was writing it! and I just love the "a perfect strike of red-hot violence" line. I can't even explain why, the cadence just tickles my brain. oh and I also love the "sevika's had enough fucking around" part cause it's just plain fun ahahaha

🦉 give yourself a piece of writing advice

OOOF thats so hard actually akjsdhk. okay I'm gonna remind myself what I learned by doing Ursula LeGuin's exercise where you write a passage using ZERO adjectives and adverbs: remember to be deliberate with your usage, only add these words when they actually Make An Impact, and also maybe stop adding ten gazzillion fancy adjectives on every sentence lmao. I know it's fun but like. you don't have to add THAT many. also writing a short sentence every now and then won't kill you, I promise!!

[fic writing ask game!]

[abidethetempest]

Updated Eliksni Syntax!

I fleshed out my syntax! Yayyyyyy, look at me go. Major props to Artifexian for this video on word order, it helped me out a lot.

Primary order: VSO 

Secondary order: SOV

Prepositions 

Noun-demonstrative

Noun-possessive

Adjective-noun

Noun-genitive

Noun-relative clause

Adverb-adjective

Adverbs are flexible when modifying verbs

Modal + Negation + (affix)Verb(affix)

Adpositional phrases: place manner time

Complimentizer-clause

This all is still pretty rough. I have just begun to get into syntax testing exercises, so it remains to be seen if any of the above will change as I put the conlang into practice!

Date: 7-21-23

[mylanguageclasses]

Adverbs of Place in English Grammar

Introduction Adverbs of Place are essential components of English grammar. They describe where an action happens and provide more clarity in sentences. Understanding these adverbs can significantly improve communication skills. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore their definition, rules, usage, examples, and important considerations. Common Expressions Using Adverbs of Place Here are…

[lorcblog]

My amateur-hour lessons learned about writing (as opposed to designing) RPGs

Having now released a whopping two (2) RPGs out into the wild I’ve zero authority to say what’s good practice. But I kept a big list of lessons learned. It’s something I find helpful to refer back to. There’s a few traps I find myself repeatedly falling into and this reminds me of them and how to avoid them.​

I’ll never create anything good if I’m not willing to create something bad first.

Even if nobody else reads or plays this, I’m creating for my own entertainment and self-improvement.

Every idea is perfect in my head. Pin them down in writing to examine them more critically.

Talk about what’s cool about this game, not how it’s unlike other games.

Directly stating what the thing is is clearer and quicker than saying what the thing isn’t. 

Write for the benefit of people who’d enjoy the game, not to persuade those who won’t.

At all times consider what the reader wants to know and what it’s helpful for them to be told. 

Say the thing without preamble. Saying I’m going to say a thing is a waste of space.

That means not beginning a section by restating the header either.

In rules, say clearly what to do before getting hung up listing all the things not to.

Avoid game voice – “and yet-”, “their very-”, “the utter-” etc. Just write normally.

Don’t be allergic to contractions. Sentences get stilted without them.

Make it fun to read – address the reader directly and let a little personality show through. 

Starting a sentence with a conjunction is fine as a little treat.

Mostly. Tend. Usually. Qualifying all my statements is weak writing. Let exceptions prove the rule.

It’s fine to write things not intended to go in the final doc. Sometimes it’s helpful for me to write it, even knowing it’s destined for the cutting room floor.

Writing lists is fun and easy but it’s not real writing. (Oh hey!)

Coming up with the perfect name is a problem for later – placeholder names are fine.

Designer notes are useful but indulgent. Exercise restraint.

If a big designer note is really that important, it should be part of the text. 

For each section consider whether I’m addressing the player or the GM. Be deliberate and consistent. 

Adjectives, adverbs and repetition are a great way to pad a paragraph out into unreadable fluff. Delete ruthlessly.

No editing partway through a section. I can’t judge information priority and flow until I’ve gotten to the end.

If I’ve finished a bit, move right on to the next bit instead of getting bogged down in re-writes. There’s no prizes for most deleted drafts.

When a section of the draft’s good enough, mark it in a different colour so I can track my progress and know what to leave alone.

Do I really need other people’s feedback? Or am I just avoiding writing by talking about it instead? 

Write what I can, when I can. If I can’t write one part right now, write a different part. If all I can write at the moment is a list of what I want to write, then write that. Try to get some momentum going.

It’s too much to hope that I keep my notes organised, but for all that’s holy keep them in one place.

A proper draft needs at least some sense of how it's going to be laid out or there will be very nasty surprises.

Nevertheless, no draft survives contact with layout.

The best part of the process is when I realise that I've already written all the other bits I need and can just slot them in.​

[schooldekho91]

Master Prepositions: Exercises and Answers for Fluent English Usage

Introduction to Prepositions

In the realm of English grammar, prepositions play a crucial role in connecting words and phrases, thereby indicating relationships such as time, place, direction, and more. Mastering prepositions is not just about memorization but understanding their contextual usage. This comprehensive guide aims to equip learners with practical exercises and answers to enhance their proficiency in using prepositions effectively.

Understanding Prepositions

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They provide crucial information about the relationship between elements in context.

Types of Prepositions

1. Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions are single words like in, on, at, to, by, for, with, and about.

2. Compound Prepositions

Compound prepositions consist of two or more words, functioning as a single unit to denote relationships. Examples include because of, in front of, and in spite of.

3. Phrase Prepositions

Phrase prepositions are groups of words that function as single prepositions, such as in addition to, on behalf of, and according to.

4. Participle Prepositions

Participle prepositions end in -ing and often describe how something happens or is done, like during, concerning, and excluding.

Usage of Prepositions

Time

Prepositions such as at, on, in, and during indicate when something happens. For instance, "She arrived at noon."

Place

Prepositions like in, on, at, and under specify where something is located. For example, "The book is on the shelf."

Direction

Prepositions of direction like to, towards, into, and through denote movement towards or away from a place. E.g., "He walked to the park."

Agent/Instrument

Prepositions such as by and with describe how something is done or the means used. For example, "The letter was written by John."

Common Errors with Prepositions

Understanding and avoiding common mistakes is crucial for mastering prepositions:

Misplacement: Incorrect use of prepositions can lead to misunderstandings, such as saying "interested for" instead of "interested in".

Overuse: Using prepositions unnecessarily can clutter sentences and confuse the reader.

Incorrect Choice: Choosing the wrong preposition can alter the meaning of a sentence, e.g., using "on" instead of "at" in time-related contexts.

Preposition Exercises with Answers

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

She is sitting _ the chair.

The cat is hiding _ the bed.

Answers:

on

under

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice Questions

She is going _ the store.

a) to

b) in

c) on

The keys are _ the table.

a) in

b) on

c) at

Answers:

a) to

b) on

Exercise 3: Match the Prepositions

Match the following phrases with suitable prepositions:

_ the morning

_ the car

Answers:

in

in

Advanced Usage and Tips

Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions involving prepositions add depth and nuance to language. Examples include at a loss, in the nick of time, and on the verge of.

Phrasal Verbs

Understanding phrasal verbs, which combine verbs with prepositions or adverbs, enhances fluency. Examples include look up to, break down, and run out of.

Tips for Improving Preposition Usage

Read Regularly: Expose yourself to varied texts to observe prepositions in context.

Practice Daily: Incorporate preposition exercises into your daily study routine.

Use Visual Aids: Create flashcards or diagrams to reinforce preposition usage.

Enhance your grammar skills with our Preposition Exercise with Answers for Students. These exercises are designed to help students understand and use prepositions correctly through practical examples and fill-in-the-blank sentences. With included answers, students can easily check their work and focus on areas needing improvement. This resource is perfect for both classroom learning and self-study, making mastering prepositions easy and effective.

Conclusion

Mastering prepositions is pivotal for achieving fluency and accuracy in English. By familiarizing yourself with their types, usages, and common errors, you can navigate language more effectively. Practicing with exercises and understanding nuanced applications will further strengthen your command of prepositions.

Check our other Blogs :-

Master Prepositions: Exercises with Answers for Students

Boost Learning with Engaging GK Questions in Morning Assemblies

Effective Preposition Exercises for Students: Practice with Answers

[brella]

hiiiii ✄ what’s your editing process?

HELLO!!!

fic ask game

my editing process is still evolving into something consistent, i think, and i feel like different stories need different approaches to it. i definitely edit as i go rather than writing one complete rough draft and revising it afterwards—if i spend too much time with an unedited structure i get lost in it real fast. i feel like i need to know that things will make sense before i can commit to them.

for very long pieces, i use an approach that i learned from an instructor that involves highlighting parts in a series of different colors: one color for sections that advance the plot, one color for sections that advance character, one color for sections that advance the worldbuilding, and so on. i then zoom out on the pages and see if there are any colors that are lacking or are disproportionately large.

i also like to use ursula k. le guin's exercise of removing all adjectives and adverbs and seeing if the story still retains its essence and can still be felt. this is more something i use when i want to edit for style rather than structure. it's a great way to reset my brain if i've been rereading and revising a piece too much and don't know up from down anymore.

in general though, i'm a line-by-line editor, haha. i go back through scenes and, if i see an opportunity to insert more detail, or reword something, i'll do it. or if i see a line that i think is unnecessary i'll remove it. i keep a separate document with every line or section i delete, just so i don't get too precious about what i'm taking out, and then i go ham. i like to see just how much i can shave away, just how little i can leave behind, while still keeping the story intact. i've found that very freeing!

[cin-cant-donate-blood]

Ok but this is something that's been bothering me for a while, actually. For some reason, a lot of online communities centred on writing prompts just become communities about 💫exciting premises💫 which is not what writing prompts are for! Writing prompts are supposed to be writing exercises, not a summary of the first 5 pages of a thriller novel. If they even are that, I feel like a lot of writing prompts are actually a genre of microfiction where you're supposed to come up with an absurd premise and a twist ending: a majority of them seem like this. They close doors rather than open them. In fact, I feel like a great many writing prompts are clearly not intended to have anything written in response to them at all.

In my opinion, a good writing prompt is not a prompt that decides the twist for you, but rather one that encourages you to write in a way you wouldn't normally. If the prompt is more than one sentence long, you're probably already doing it wrong.

The gold standard for good writing prompts is, in my opinion, the tiny and defunct reddit community r/thedailyprompt, which has 250 writing prompts that are actually for the most part interesting. Notably, only a few of them deal with premises, and graciously none of those premises are the intro to the dumbest YA novel of the decade. Instead, a considerable majority deal with style, character, perspective, and more, and are explicitly intended to force you to approach writing itself in a new way. I'll give you some examples:

Craft a story without utilizing that most common symbol (write a story without the letter E).

Write a story using as many adverbs as possible, and tell, don't show.

Write a story from the perspective of someone who hates the protagonist.

Write a story about a holiday that is only celebrated by the main character.

The key thing that these prompts get right is that a writing prompt is a type of exercise, not a premise for someone without any ideas. The first one is a very fundamental restriction: a kind of "tying one hand behind your back" situation that is purely intended to force you to think very carefully about the words you choose. The second explicitly forces you to abandon two of the most common pieces of writing advice, perhaps as a challenge to make it good anyway, but perhaps also just to more clearly illustrate to you why these rules exist in the first place. The third is interesting in how it forces you to think about what makes a protagonist at all. After all, the protagonist is almost always the perspective character, so this opens up many problems: why will this hater be someone who even knows what the protagonist is doing? And how do we inform the audience that the person being derisively described is actually the main character?

The final example is the only actual premise prompt, but again, it is far broader than the bizarre prompts you usually see, while also being more specific. It lets you answer many fundamental questions: why is only one person celebrating it? Is it a dying tradition? Or just a small ritual this person made up? In either case, why? At the same time, it also suggests a very specific tone. No matter how you interpret it, it sounds like it ought to be a slightly melancholic or bittersweet story, but then again, you don't have to make it that. Notice also that the prompt lets the writer rather than the prompter be the one to shine. Whatever the writer comes up with will very much be a unique idea, and not just them finishing somebody else's story.

Anyway that's what I think of writing prompts.

why are all prompts from those shitty writing prompt blogs always the same. its always some shit like “every person is born with the taco bell logo tattooed on their forehead. the logo changes colors like the tumblr logo during pride month when the person who is going to t-bone you in a 4 way intersection is nearby. one day your taco bell logo starts flipping its shit when you wake up next to the love of your life. you feel betrayed.”

[cambridgeacademy01]

5 Most Effective Ways to Master English Language

Mastering the English language can be a game-changer in today’s interconnected world. Whether you’re advancing your career, traveling to new destinations, or simply connecting with others, being proficient in English opens countless doors. Yet, for many learners, it can feel like an uphill battle. The good news? With dedication and the right strategies, anyone can become fluent.

Imagine having conversations that flow effortlessly or reading books without constantly reaching for a dictionary. Mastery comes from a blend of methods tailored to fit your lifestyle and learning style. Ready to elevate your English skills? Let’s explore five effective ways to make this journey not only achievable but enjoyable too!

The importance of mastering English language

Mastering the English language is more than just a skill; it’s a gateway to opportunities. With over 1.5 billion speakers worldwide, English serves as a global lingua franca that connects diverse cultures and communities.

In academic settings, fluency can enhance learning experiences and open doors to prestigious institutions. Many educational resources are available exclusively in English, making proficiency essential for those seeking higher education.

In the professional world, being adept in English can boost career prospects significantly. Employers often prioritize candidates who communicate effectively across international teams or with clients from different backgrounds.

Furthermore, understanding cultural nuances embedded in the language enriches social interactions. Whether you’re traveling or meeting new people at home, strong communication skills foster connections and build bridges between individuals from varying walks of life.

Immersion: Living and breathing the language

Immersion is one of the most effective methods to master English. It means surrounding yourself with the language in every possible way.

Imagine waking up and hearing English music playing, or flipping on a series in English while you sip your morning coffee. The sounds become familiar, turning strange words into everyday phrases.

Engage with native speakers whenever you can. Join local meetups or online forums where conversations flow naturally. Don’t worry about making mistakes; that’s part of the learning process.

Even small changes like labeling household items in English can help reinforce what you’ve learned. Each time you see “fridge” or “door,” it strengthens your memory.

Traveling to an English-speaking country can elevate this experience even more. You’re not just learning the language; you’re experiencing its culture firsthand, which adds depth to your understanding and appreciation of it.

Practice, practice, practice: Utilizing daily activities to improve language skills

To truly master English, consistency is key. Integrating the language into your daily life can make a significant difference.

Start by labeling items around your home with their English names. This simple step helps reinforce vocabulary effortlessly as you go about your day.

Next, try narrating your actions in English. For instance, describe what you’re cooking or planning to do during the day out loud. It may feel strange at first, but it enhances fluency and confidence.

Listening plays an equally important role. Tune into English podcasts or audiobooks while commuting or exercising; this exposure aids in understanding different accents and contexts.

Keep a language diary. Jot down thoughts and experiences in English each day to practice writing skills without pressure. Embrace these small changes — they will compound over time and lead to noticeable improvements!

Start with the basics: Learning grammar and sentence structure

Starting with the basics is crucial in language learning. Understanding grammar and sentence structure lays a solid foundation for fluency.

Focus on the parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Each plays a vital role in forming meaningful sentences. Get comfortable identifying them in everyday writing or conversation.

Next comes sentence structure. Learn how to build simple sentences before moving onto complex ones. This progression will enhance your confidence as you communicate.

Don’t shy away from practicing through writing exercises. Create short paragraphs about daily experiences or thoughts using varied structures.

Resources like online grammar guides can be incredibly helpful too. They provide clear explanations and examples that reinforce what you’ve learned.

As you grasp these fundamentals, you’ll find it easier to express yourself clearly and effectively in English.

Expand your vocabulary: Reading and listening to English media

Expanding your vocabulary is crucial for mastering English. One of the best ways to do this is through reading and listening to various forms of media. Books, articles, podcasts, and songs expose you to new words in context.

When you read fiction or non-fiction, notice how authors use language creatively. This can inspire you and introduce unfamiliar terms that enhance your expression.

Listening to podcasts or radio shows allows you to hear conversational English in real-time. You’ll catch slang, idioms, and pronunciation nuances that are often overlooked in textbooks.

Don’t shy away from challenging materials either! Subtitles on videos can help bridge the gap between spoken and written language while enriching your vocabulary further.

Set a goal: learn five new words each week from what you read or listen to. It’s a manageable way to grow steadily without feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the language.

Conversation partners and tutors: Utilizing resources for speaking practice

Finding conversation partners or tutors can be a game-changer in your English learning journey. Engaging with others enhances speaking skills and boosts confidence.

Consider online platforms where you can connect with native speakers. Many offer language exchange opportunities, allowing you to practice while helping someone learn your language. This mutual benefit creates a comfortable atmosphere for both parties.

Hiring a tutor is another effective option. A skilled tutor tailors lessons to fit your needs, focusing on areas where you want improvement — be it pronunciation, vocabulary, or fluency.

Don’t overlook local community centers or language clubs either; they often host events that encourage conversation among learners and fluent speakers alike. These interactions mimic real-world scenarios and teach practical usage of the language.

Regular practice through these channels will not only improve your conversational skills but also help build lasting friendships along the way.

Conclusion

Mastering the English language opens doors to countless opportunities. It enhances personal growth, boosts career prospects, and enriches cultural experiences. The journey may seem daunting at times, but with dedication and the right strategies, anyone can become proficient.

Embrace immersion by surrounding yourself with English in your daily life. Practice consistently through everyday activities to reinforce what you learn. Start from the basics to build a solid foundation in grammar and sentence structure before expanding your vocabulary through engaging media.

Don’t underestimate the value of conversation partners or tutors who can provide essential speaking practice. They help bridge gaps in understanding and offer real-time feedback that is crucial for improvement.

Taking these steps will not only improve your language skills but also deepen your connection with an ever-evolving global community. With persistence and passion, mastering English is well within reach for anyone willing to put in the effort.

Read Also our Article —

Best English Speaking Institute in Laxmi Nagar