Strategy:
Ready to turn your sentences into linguistic pretzels? Welcome to the wild world of subject twisting! A good solid sentence starts with a subject. But we can also bend and twist sentences like never before. You'll discover how shifting your subject can transform a mundane statement into a captivating piece of prose (or not.) So, let's grab our pens and pretzelfy a sentence.
Instructions:
Straightforward Stance: Begin with a simple sentence about a character or creature performing a basic action. Place your subject front and center in the first words.
Transitional Tumble: Rewrite your sentence, but this time, start with a transitional phrase using words or phrases like "after," "because," "on the other hand," or "in the first place."
Midsentence Metamorphosis: Now, hide your subject in the middle of the sentence. It's the literary equivalent of a magician's misdirection – your readers won't know what hit them!
Grand Finale: Rewrite the sentence once more, but save your subject for the very end. Build suspense and let your subject make a dramatic entrance in the stress position.
Subject Swap: Take your original sentence and perform a daring feat – make a different object the new subject.
Verbal Vault: For your final twist, transform a verb or clause into the subject of your sentence and put it at the front.
Tags: sentence structure, subject placement, reader expectations, grammar
Category: Manuscript Revision > Revise Language
Example:
Straightforward Stance: Captain Blackbeard cried out fiercely as he swung across the deck from a rope.
Transitional Tumble: After a fierce battle cry, Captain Blackbeard swung across the deck with a rope.
Midsentence Metamorphosis: Across the deck with a rope swung Captain Blackbeard who cried out fiercely and dropped into the ocean, never to be seen again.
Grand Finale: With a fierce cry and a strong rope, across the deck swung Captain Blackbeard.
Subject Swap: The rope swung across the deck, gripped tightly by Captain Blackbeard who cried fiercely.
Verbal Vault: Swinging across the deck was Captain Blackbeard’s daring move.