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10. Work with your teacher to draft an ending to your narrative that reflects on the significance of the story. The ending should follow from the events of the narrative, and may also link back to the story’s beginning. Sometimes the writer makes the significance of the event explicit, directly stating what was learned. Other writers choose to imply the significance, suggesting rather than stating what was learned. Still others leave the significance ambiguous or unclear. What approach makes the most sense for this story, and why?
Check Your Understanding
11. Now that you have drafted the class narrative, refer to the Scoring Guide
to help determine how well the narrative meets the expectations.
a. Underline three vivid descriptions used to capture the setting, characters, or events in the narrative.
b. Highlight sentences or phrases that present the narrator’s reactions to the events and the experience.
c. With a different color, highlight a sentence or two that reflect on what was meaningful about or learned from this experience.
Revising for Language and Writer’s Craft
Verbals are verbs that work as other parts of speech. In your writing, you typically use verbs to describe actions. (I rode a bike.) But with a little tweaking, you can use a verb as a different part of speech, such as a noun or adjective. There are three different kinds of verbals.
• Gerunds are verbals that work as a noun. Gerunds always end in –ing. They can work as the subject of a sentence: Jogging is a great way to get exercise. Gerunds can also be the object of the sentence, as in this sentence from “Getting to Zero G:” I just wanted the floating.
• Participles are verbals that work as an adjective to describe a noun. Some participles end in –ing: The chirping birds woke Angela. Participles can also end in –ed: Seth smiled at the finished painting.
• Infinitives are verbals that combine the word “to” with a verb, such as “to sing” or “to write.”
An infinitive can work as a noun: To try this hard and fail is very frustrating. It can also work as a noun in a phrase, such as this sentence from “Getting to Zero G:” A lot of kids wanted to become astronauts.
Also, an infinitive can work as an adjective: I have a song to practice. Finally, an infinitive can work as an adverb, modifying a verb: You must try to relax.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Verbals are verbs that can serve as different parts
of speech, such as nouns or adjectives. Gerunds, participles, and infinitives are the three different kinds of verbals.
Writing Workshop 7
• Narrative Nonfiction 7
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