How to Arrange Prepositional Phrases

How to Arrange Prepositional Phrases Prepositional phrases act like adjectives and adverbs to add meaning to nouns and verbs. They can also be arranged to be more effective, or condensed or eliminated to cut the clutter. Heres how: Arranging Prepositional Phrases A prepositional phrase often appears after the word it modifies: A spaceship from Venus landed in my back yard. However, like adverbs, prepositional phrases that modify verbs can also be found at the very beginning or very end of a sentence: In the morning, the Venusians mowed my lawn.The Venusians mowed my lawn in the morning. In both versions, the prepositional phrase in the morning modifies the verb mowed. Rearranging Prepositional Phrases Not all phrases are this flexible, and so we need to be careful not to confuse our readers by misplacing a prepositional phrase: The Venusians swam for two hours after lunch in my pool. This arrangement gives the idea that the visitors from Venus enjoyed lunch in the pool. If this is not the case, try moving one of the phrases: After lunch, the Venusians swam for two hours in my pool. The best arrangement is one thats both clear and uncluttered. Unpacking Prepositional Phrases Although several prepositional phrases may appear in the same sentence, avoid packing in so many phrases that you confuse the reader. The sentence below, for example, is cluttered and awkward: On a rickety stool in one corner of the crowded honky tonk, the folk singer sits playing lonesome songs on his battered old guitar about warm beer, cold women, and long nights on the road. In this case, the best way to break up the string of phrases is to make two sentences: On a rickety stool in one corner of the crowded honky tonk, the folk singer sits hunched over his battered old guitar. He plays lonesome songs about warm beer, cold women, and long nights on the road. Keep in mind that a  long sentence isnt necessarily an effective sentence. PRACTICE: Rearranging Prepositional PhrasesBreak up the long string of phrases in the sentence below by creating two sentences. Be sure to include all of the details contained in the original sentence. Up and down the coast the line of the forest is drawn sharp and clean in the brilliant colors of a wet blue morning in spring on the edge of a seascape of surf and sky and rocks. Eliminating Needless Modifiers We can improve our writing by using adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases that add to the meaning of sentences. We can also improve our writing by eliminating modifiers that add nothing to the meaning. A good writer doesnt waste words, so lets cut the clutter. The following sentence is wordy because some of the modifiers are repetitious or insignificant: Wordy: The steward was really a very friendly and agreeable man, quite round, rotund, and sleek, with a very costly set of dimples around his terribly pleasant smile. We can make this sentence more concise (and thus more effective) by cutting out the repetitious and overworked modifiers: Revised: The steward was an agreeable man, rotund, and sleek, with a costly set of dimples around his smile.(Lawrence Durrell, Bitter Lemons) PRACTICE: Cutting the ClutterMake this sentence more concise by eliminating needless modifiers: It was a rainy morning, dull, wet, and gray, in the early part of the month of December. Common Prepositions about behind except outside above below for over across beneath from past after beside in through against between inside to along beyond into under among by near until around despite of up at down off with before during on without

Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect

An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l... Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect Free Essays on An Examination Of Southern Dialect An Examination of Southern Dialect as Seen in the Works of William Faulkner In the writings of William Faulkner, the reader may sense that the author has created an entire world, which directly reflects his own personal experience. Faulkner writes about the area in and around Mississippi, where he is from, during the post-Civil War period. It is most frequently Northern Mississippi that Faulkner uses for his literary territory, changing Oxford to â€Å"Jefferson† and Lafayette County to â€Å"Yoknapatawpha County,† because it is here that he lived most of his life and wrote of the people he knew. Faulkner’s stories focus on the Southeastern United States at a time period when old traditions began to clash with new ideals. This is an era in American history with which most people can quickly identify, whether they are Southern or not. The South in Faulkner’s works are complete with all the expected features: an agricultural society, Southern belles and gentlemen, racial tensions, and especially the common characteristics of Southern speech. Faulkner strays from the normal customs of Northern literature to present a realistic portrait of the South that he grew up in. In doing so, he comes up with an excellent sample of the Southern language, including linguistic qualities of both black and white speech. Faulkner establishes a unique literary voice which is recognizable due to variances from standard English in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical form, while juxtaposing speech elements foreign to anyone not familiar with Southern heritage. The works of William Faulkner succeed in creating a literary dialect which is relatively consistent throughout all of his stories. A literary dialect is best defined as an â€Å"author’s attempt to represent in writing a speech that is restricted regionally, socially, or both† (Ives 146). In Faulkner’s writing, this can be described by such traits as an intentional misspelling, l...

How does new technology help the Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How does new technology help the Arts - Essay Example A number of basic digital hardware and software are within the financial reach of many artists, stimulating more interest, creativity and positive inspiration. The Arts are a vast subdivision of culturally stimulating and creative outlets, in which the artist expresses himself, or his perspective toward one or more aspects. There are various branches of the Arts: Visual Arts are art forms that are essentially visual in nature such as Drawing, Painting, Sculpting, Photography, Filmmaking, Computer Art, Plastic Art and Applied Arts. Literary Art involves expression through the art of written words. It is creative writing based on historical or factual information, or just original imagination, such as poetry, essays, prose, drama and autobiography. Performing Arts are art forms in which artists use their physical presence, body or voice to convey artistic expressions. These art forms include dance, music, opera, theatre, spoken word, circus arts and musical theatre. Fine Arts are art f orms developed mainly for aesthetics and/or concept. Commonly included are the  visual art  and  performing art  forms, such as painting, sculpting, collage, decollage, assemblage, installation, calligraphy, music, dance, theatre, architecture, film, photography, conceptual art and printmaking. Technology, if used positively, is a massive transition from reality to creative stimulation in the Arts. It is evolving in major focus of the Arts, mainly in terms of Marketing and Public Relations. Arts Marketing Marketing is defined as a sound, effective technique for influencing behavior and creating successful exchanges (Bernstein, 2007). It involves finding new areas for improvement, new areas where an organization can develop its approach to customers in the long-term benefits of each party. Arts, in relation to Marketing, involves reflecting vision and commitment in relevance to the relationships of the customers and the organization, enhancing the artistic mission of an arts organization, building a long-standing exchange with customers and exhibiting arts as a form of creativity and passion to a specific or vast audience (Elizabeth Hill, 2003). Arts Organizations are non-profit organizations usually in the form of an association or foundation. These are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the work of artists in various visual and performing art forms such as film, sculpting, dance, painting, multimedia and poetry. Such organizations are mainly museums, theatres, concert, and opera halls. Although these platforms have existed for centuries as a form of artists’ retreats, the development of government organizations such as the Arts Council of Great Britain, The Canada Council, The New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, have helped, as all of these organizations award grants to help promote the growth of art and culture. Arts Marketing seeks to capture an audience and advance the artistic abilitie s of art organizations accordingly. It aims to create inspirations for creativity and exhibit it where it is appreciated. In terms of Performing Arts, various theatres and concert halls advertise for publicity and artistic appreciation. This exhibition of creativity also helps the performing artists gain incentive to improve their skills and develop interactive abilities. As newer technologies evolve, customers have grown to expect more customized experiences of the Arts. High technology has made possible and common for people to exhibit their own art, place orders at any time of day and find virtually any kind of information they seek. The Arts organizations that use modern technologies to exhibit various forms of art (visual,