Chapter 53: Memorable Prose
CHAPTER 53CONNECT: How can you use strong verbs to make a presentation memorable? 17b, 53b
CREATE: Choose a paragraph from a piece of your writing that you want to present to a listening audience, and revise it to replace every use of be, do, or have with a more vivid word. Ask a friend or classmate to listen to both paragraphs and provide feedback.
REFLECT: Record the revised paragraph along with your comments on how the changes affected the response to your writing.
GREAT WRITERS MAY HAVE A GENIUS for choosing the perfect words, but with practice, anyone can learn to write more memorable prose. When you notice a piece of writing that you admire—whether it’s an advertisement, a magazine article, dialogue from a film, or a friend’s Facebook status update—reflect on what the writing does well and try to understand how it achieves its goals.