Sentence Composing # 4- Opening Adjective- Practice One and Two

An adjective at the opening of a sentence. An adjective is any descriptive word that can fit into the this blank. Sam is a (blank) student.

Here are a few possibilities to describe the student: happy, sad, angry, glad, smart, sneaky, polite, disruptive, etc..

An opening adjective may be a single word or the first word in an adjective phrase. An adjective phrase being with a n adjective and then continues the description. Here are examples: happy to graduate, sad because her pet died, angry at not getting the job, glad about winning the spelling bee, smart as Einstein, sneaky at times, polite with elders and children, disruptive because he was beside his best friend, etc. A comma following an opening adjective where a single word or phrase.

Sentences can contain single or multiple opening adjectives.

Single opening adjective: Powerless, we witnessed the sack of our launch.
--Pierre Boulee, Planet of the Apes

Multiple opening adjectives: Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring among themselves during the last century.
--Armstrong Sperry, Call It Courage

Opening adjective phrases: Numb of all feeling, empty as a shell, still he clung to life, and the hours droned by.
--J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Practice 1: Matching

Directions: Match opening adjectives with the sentences. Write out each sentence inserting the opening adjectives

Opening Adjectives

A. Alive

B. Hot and justy and over-wearied

C. Lonesome

D. Able to move now

E. Frantic, never turning my head-- because the water buffalo had started his charged

Sentences

1. ^, I wanted to run away and be gone from his strange place.
--Keith Donahue, The Stolen Child

2. ^, I felt behind me, my hand pleading with the rifle
--Theodore Waldeck, "Certain, Sudden Death"

3. ^, the elephant was worth at least a hundred pounds, but dead, we would only be worth the value of his tusks, five pounds, possibly
--George Orwell "Shooting an Elephant:

4. ^, he rocked his own body back and forth, breath deeply to release the remembered pain.
--Lois Lowry, The Giver

5. ^, he came to our door and eases his heavy pack and asked for refreshment, and Devola brought him a pail of water from our spring.
--Bill and Vera Cleaver, Where the Lilies Bloom

Practice Two: Unscrambling to Imitate

Directions: In the model and the scrambled list, A. identify the opening adjective. B. Next, unscramble and write out the sentence part to imitate the model. C. Finally, write your own imitation of the model and identify the opening adjective.

Model: Speechless, Bryson scanned the small living room, frantically.
--Robert Ludium, The Prometheus Deception

a. hopefully

b. spotted the soft inviting sofa

c. Kendra

d. uncomfortable