Archive for the ‘Writing And Speaking’ Category
Friday, February 5th, 2010
In this Spanish lesson we will learn the Past Participle and its different uses. Although this lesson is actually briefer than past lessons, the Past Participle is very important if you want to learn how to speak Spanish. Its formation is quite simple. As in English, the Past Participle in Spanish is a central element in most topics of discussion.
In general, the Past Participle is best understood as having 4 distinct uses that include past and present actions, and adjectives. Although this range in usage seems broad, understanding each particular use can be learned and applied rather easily with practice.
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The Past Participle is rather simple to form. For -ar verbs, an -ado is added to the verb’s stem.
For example:
The stem of the verb hablar (to speak) is habl. With this in mind, an -ado is added to habl to form the Past Participle for hablar: hablado.
The formation of the Past Participle for -er and -ir verbs parallel this pattern. However, an -ido is added to the er or ir verb’s stem.
For example:
In the case of the verb beber (to drink), its stem is beb. An -ido is then added to beb to form its Past Participle: bebido.
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Similarly, to form the Past Participle for salir (to go out) an -ido is added to its stem, sal. Its Past Participle is: salido.
With the Past Participle’s basic format in mind, what follows are examples of it for both regular and irregular verbs:
Examples of the Regular Past Participle:
Infinitive Past Participle
estar (to be) estado
bailar (to dance) bailado
cenar (to eat supper) cenado
almorzar (to eat lunch) almorzado
desayunar (to eat breakfast) desayunado
limpiar (to clean) limpiado
dar (to give) dado
llorar (to cry) llorado
lloviznar (to drizzle) lloviznado
tener (to have) tenido
creer (to believe) creido
leer (to read) leido
querer (to want, to love) querido
partir (to leave) partido
ir (to go) ido
vivir (to live) vivido
dormir (to sleep) dormido
Examples of the Irregular Past Participle:
Infinitive Past Participle
poner (to put) puesto
ver (to see) visto
volver (to return) vuelto
resolver (to resolve) resuelto
escribir (to write) escrito
abrir (to open) abierto
hacer (to make) hecho
satisfacer (to satisfy) satisfecho
morir (to die) muerto
decir (to say) dicho
cubrir (to cover) cubierto
The 4 main uses of the Past Participle are as follows:
1. The Past Participle is often used in compound tenses with the auxiliary verb haber (to have). We have seen this use in the Lesson on the Present Perfect Tense. In the Present Perfect Tense the past participle of the sentence’s main verb is added to haber to express a past action that has not completely elapsed.
Let’s briefly review this use:
Juana ha estado en su cuarto todo el día.
(Juana has been in her room all day)
He querido ir a California.
(I have wanted to go to California.)
Mario ha vivido en Bogotá.
(Mario has lived in Bogotá.)
2. The Past Participle is used for the passive voice and usually follows the verbs ser or estar (to be). When the Past Participle reflects the passive voice, it must agree with the subject’s gender and number.
For example:
El papá de Diego está herido.
(Diego’s father is hurt.)
La hermana de Rogelio está cansada.
(Rogelio’s sister is tired.)
3. At times, the verbs llevar and tener are used instead of the verb haber in compound tenses (as in the Present Perfect Tense). When this occurs, the Past Participle must agree with the attribute’s gender and number. Although this use may seem awkward, think of it as forming an alternative expression for indefinite past actions.
For example:
Tengo hecha la comida.
(I have made the food.)
Juan lleva pagada la cuenta.
(Juan has paid the check.)
4. The Past Participle can also be used as an adjective. Keep in mind that for this use, the Past Participle acts as an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the noun.
For example:
Un vestido hecho a mano
(A dress made by hand)
Un hombre educado
(An educated man)
Un bebé mimado
(A spoiled baby)
Now let’s try a few exercises. Translate the following into Spanish. The answers follow the exercise.
1. An opened door
2. A cleaned room
3. We have spoken.
4. Juan has cooked.
5. A cooked chicken
6. Roberta’s brother is tired.
7. Juana’s mother is educated.
8. Marcos has made the dessert.
9. She has opened the door.
10. Have you seen Milagros?
1. Una puerta abierta
2. Un cuarto limpiado
3. Hemos hablado.
4. Juan ha cocinado.
5. Un pollo cocinado
6. El hermano de Roberta está cansado.
7. La madre de Juana es educada.
8. Marcos tiene hecho el postre.
9. Ella ha abierto la puerta.
10. Has visto a Milagros?
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Sunday, November 29th, 2009
During a career spanning twenty-five years of novel, film, and television work, there are two major tools most valuable: the yogic “chakras” for characterization, and Joseph Campbell’s model of the Hero’s Journey for plot structure.
These are not random choices, nor were they selected because of the many intelligent and thoughtful essays on their relationship to successful film or world myth.
Rather, they are important because they create a connection between the inner world of the writer, and the external world of the finished work—and the reader.
A plot structure is nothing more than a tool for organizing events in temporal sequence. While there are more such structures than there are professional writers, few of them meet what thousands of students consider a critical test: are they actually easy to use and apply?
A simple tool, however limited, can be of greater use than a complicated tool that requires years to master. Remember: you will achieve real quality in your writing only by mastering your basics.
The Hero’s Journey, extracted from thousands of years of world mythology, has the advantage of actually mimicking the path of life itself. The “three act structure” does not. After all…life isn’t divided into three, or five, or eight acts.
Such divisions can be useful tools, but they should never be mistaken for some kind of “truth” about existence. In comparison, note this interpretation (there are others) of the steps of the Hero’s Journey, and to explain them, we’ll look at the first Star Wars movie, “Episode IV, A New Hope”:
1) Hero Confronted With A Challenge. “Come with me, Luke, learn the ways of the Force.” This is pretty clear, right? There has to be a challenge, or a beckoning, or the character won’t begin to change—and all great writing is about change.
2) Hero Initially rejects the challenge, :I promised Uncle Owen I’d work on the moisture evaporators.” A real challenge, one that can provoke real change, will be frightening and exciting. A character will usually have some reservations.
3) Hero accepts the challenge. Luke’s aunt and uncle are killed, freeing him from his oath. If your character doesn’t accept the challenge, there is no story—unless the story is about the consequences of not accepting responsibility.
4) The Road of trials. Traveling to the desert town and cantina, getting on Han Solo’s spaceship, traveling to other planets, etc. This is the section where locations and sequence interact. The character travels, learns, commits actions that force inter-action with the environment, and the environment responds positively or negatively, with greater and greater stakes as the story proceeds.
5) Gaining Allies and Powers. Luke meets Han Solo, and Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan, and Princess Leia. He learns of the Force, and the use of Light Sabers, and how to fly and fight and rescue princesses. If your character doesn’t have to grow in order to resolve the problem, you may have chosen the wrong problem or character!
6) Initial Confrontation with Evil, and defeat. Obi-Wan’s death. Or possibly the disastrous attack on the Death Star. One is private and emotional, the other spectacular and physical.
7) Dark Night of the Soul. The moment of greatest weakness. Luke begins to believe he cannot win, and everything he loves will die.
Leap of Faith. “Trust your Feelings, Luke.” The leap of Faith is always faith in one of three things: faith in self, faith in your companions, or faith in a higher power. In “Star Wars” it is all three! This may be the only time in the history of cinema that this was true, and helps to explain why George Lucas is a billionaire.
9) Confront Evil—victorious. The Death Star blows up.
10) Student Becomes the Teacher. Luke is presented with medals, which establish him as a role model.
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The above ten steps are not some cookie-cutter pattern. They are the combined world wisdom about the path of life itself, the process we go through in achieving any worthwhile goal.
There will be fear. There will be defeat. We will need to gain new skills and friends and partners. We must be clear on our acceptance of goals and responsibility. We must have faith. And ultimately, if we have struggled, and learned, and sacrificed, and moved through our fear…we learn and grow and succeed.
And then we teach others. This is the pattern of life, and any time you organize information and events into a pattern even vaguely reminiscent of this, the human nervous system, worldwide, will recognize it as story.
It is NOT some kind of cure-all for bad story tellers. What these ten steps are is something analogous to the eighty-eight keys of a piano. Understand the emotional and life significance of each step, and then “play them” as your developed instincts dictate.
Make your own kind of music. The pattern has worked for about thirty thousand years. It will work for you, too.
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Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Maybe you’re one of those lucky writers whose head is bursting with ideas.
Or perhaps you have one idea that’s been nagging you for weeks, always at the edge of your thoughts. Either way, you’re itching to begin writing.
That’s good.
But before you rush headlong into your story, stop and ask yourself one question: Is this just an idea, or is it a book?
Ideas, of course, are the seeds of any work of fiction or nonfiction. But until an idea is fully developed, until you can envision its beginning, middle and end, that one idea might not be enough.
The experience of writing for pages about an idea and ultimately getting nowhere (or getting a pile of rejections) has taught many writers to outline their books before they begin. But if the thought of an outline sends shivers up your spine, at least thinking your idea through and making sure it merits months of writing can save you future frustration.
Ideas for Fiction
A lot of writers, especially when they’re beginners, get ideas for fiction from their own lives. This can be useful for several reasons: you’re emotionally invested in the topic, you can relate directly to the main character, and if the situation actually happened to you, you’re less likely to be unconsciously basing the story on a book you’ve read.
But remember, just because you find this thing that happened to you or your child fascinating, it doesn’t mean it will be fascinating to thousands of potential readers. Very often, a real-life event is just that–an event. It’s a vivid scene you recall with pleasure, or a family joke that’s repeated over and over. It evokes strong emotions when you remember it, perhaps you even look back on an event as a turning point in your life. But only rarely does reality provide a plot.
When writers stick too closely to what really happened they fail to develop the elements necessary for a good story: a believable main character who is faced with a problem or conflict, mounting tension as that character tries to solve her problem and experiences setbacks, and a tension- filled climax followed by a resolution that’s satisfying to the character and the reader.
If your main character is really your son, you might not want to get him in trouble or throw rocks in his path. But you have to. It’s the only way you’ll create a story that will keep readers hooked and wondering how it will end.
Speaking of endings, if the resolution of your story comes too easily, it’s probably obvious and predictable. Try mixing up real life and have the situation evolve in a different direction. Surprise yourself, and you’ll surprise an editor.
However you get your idea, focus first on whether it’s a plot or a theme. Many times, an initial idea is really the underlying meaning of the story, what the author wants to convey to the reader. Themes should be universal in their appeal– such as friendship, appreciating one’s own strengths, not judging others too quickly.
Then play around with the sequence of events until you develop a plot (what actually happens in the book) that makes this theme clear to the reader. And remember; if you’re using a childhood incident as the foundation of your story, tell it from your childhood viewpoint, not how it feels to you now as an adult.
Ideas for Nonfiction
Your nonfiction book should be based on something you’re truly interested in and passionate about. After all, you’ll be living with this idea for many months. The key to successful nonfiction is to take your idea and approach it in a way that no one else has ever done before.
This means doing most of your research before you begin to write. Don’t settle for the most easily-found information on your topic–your readers have probably read the same information. Keep digging until you find an aspect to your subject that strikes you as unique. Then search through the library and book stores to make sure no one else has already beat you to it.
For a nonfiction idea to become a book, you need enough information to fill the number of pages necessary, depending on the age group for which you plan to write.
Younger children need a foundation of basic facts, but you can also get fairly detailed within the scope of the approach you’ve chosen as long as you explain concepts in a simple and straightforward manner (how animals hibernate, why insects are different colors).
Older readers can draw on a broader foundation of knowledge, and infer connections between your topic and related subjects. A detailed outline of any nonfiction book is essential to help you see if your idea has enough substance and originality, or if you need further research before you begin writing.
Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, your idea should mean something to you, but also have the potential to mean a lot to your readers. Think it through, add to it, take the nonessential elements away, and make sure it has a beginning, middle and end. Only then will your “idea” turn into “an idea for a book.”
––
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Monday, November 16th, 2009
Want to become a storyteller? Questions you can ask yourself!
. Who am I and why would someone hire me?
· Can I work a crowd?
· Can I work in any weather environment?
· What do I have to offer a festival or event?
· Can I be flexible enough to fit the needs of the audience?
· Can I be a team player? Will I be our partner to the producer?
· Will I promote the festival or event?
· Do I have any “non negotiable” points?
· Am I fun and enjoyable to be around?
· Am I comfortable around kids, animals, the elderly, etc.?
· Am you available for picture taking with audience? Autographs?
· Above all, can I be at the festival or event on time!!!?
Asking yourself these 12 simple questions can help you to decide if you want to perform at certain events or if you are what someone is looking for.
To make these questions work, first answer them in writing.
Don’t worry about the way it is laid out, just put the words down. Most of them are simple yes or no answers.
Sure there will be some that you need to explain for example: Can you work in any weather environment? You might answer no with an explanation; I’ m allergic to the sun. I can only do indoor or shaded events.
Some of the questions can be hard to answer. Am I fun and enjoyable to be around? Some folks might answer that one differently than you would! Be honest and once you’ve answered these questions you will be able to offer a quality program.
Remember if you don’t ask yourself these questions event producers will!
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“Want to know what your future has in store for you? Get your FREE insightful Destiny Reports! ”
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Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
If you want to know how to write poetry, the first thing you have to do is write some. It doesn’t matter how it turns out. Your own mistakes will become your teachers. Your own writing will motivate you to greater creativity.
Now, once you start the process, how do you improve it?
Here are 3 tips.
1. Use nouns and verbs more than adjectives. Which is stronger: “She was as beautiful as a flower…” or “Roses wilted in shame as she passed by…”? “He looked at the depressing clouds…” or “He watched as dark clouds moved in, covering his sky…”?
2. Don’t tell the reader how to feel. Let the words elicit the emotions directly, without explaining. “The tragedy touched them all,” is more touching to the reader as “Men and women, doctor and workman… thirteen people looked upon the scene… with tears in their eyes.”
3. Use dramatic and emotional words. Not all words are equal in their ability to “grab” a reader or elicit emotion. “Fell,” “take,” and “love,” will probably be weaker than “plunged,” “siezed,” and “worship.”
Look at the following lines, written two ways. The second way applies the three rules above. (From the poem “Gratitude.”)
1.
The mountains and lakes were beautiful
I looked at them, heard them and smelled them
And I felt in awe
2.
Mountains stand against the sky
My little lake at their feet
And in the middle of this creation
Which I see with my eyes
Hear with my ears
Smell and taste…
Words fail, as they should
I hope you agree that the second version is better.
Again, if you want to know how to write poetry, you have to start writing. Use these and other rules to help you, but remember that all rules in poetry need to be broken at times. Read your poems aloud to yourself and others as a final “test.”
––
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Sunday, September 13th, 2009
RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
It amazes me how some speakers will show up for a speaking engagement and really not know anything about the audience they are speaking to.
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Many speakers just get lazy and feel that their message is so important that anyone would want to hear it. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Your core message may be about the same for everyone, but knowing your audience will allow you to slant the information so that the audience feels it was prepared just for them.
They will relate much better to the information and think much more highly of you for creating something specifically for them. Of course, in many cases you were only slanting your information, but I won’t tell if you won’t.
PRACTICE
The only way to look polished while speaking is to practice. This is one skill you cannot delegate to anyone else.
It is you that is on stage with the microphone and it is you who will look either great or terrible. You are sadly mistaken and egotistical if you think the PowerPoint slides that either you or someone else created will make you a dynamic speaker.
There are specific techniques used to practice that don’t take much time and make you look extremely polished. One of these techniques is called bits. You practice a short piece of material over and over again.
You don’t practice it word for word, but just talk your way through it. This way you won’t blank out when a distraction happens while you are on stage.
TAKE CARE OF HECKLERS
The following is a famous asterisk technique; I use it to make sure hecklers don’t interrupt my presentation. I get people in the group to identify potential troublemakers BEFORE I get to the event. I phone these people and interview them to give them the attention they are craving.
I then mention their names during the speech. This virtually eliminates the chance they will give me a hard time because I am praising one of their opinions. This works really well but don’t mention their names exclusively or the rest of the audience that knows these people are trouble may think that you are just as bad.
Mention a wide variety of people in the audience. Just make sure the bad ones are included which normally keeps them at bay.
USE EMOTIONAL LANGUAGE
Boring old facts rarely move people to action. Learning to use words that evoke emotions in people will make a much greater impact when you speak. There are many emotions you can trigger in the audience just by your choice of words. Happiness, anger, sadness, nostalgia are just a few.
Knowing your purpose for being in front of the group helps you to pick which emotions you want to tap. When your purpose is known, choosing words to get the desired emotional response is much easier.
For instance, if you wanted to take someone back to a childhood experience you might say, “Do you remember when someone did something bad at school and the teacher smacked the yardstick on her desk?” The word Phrase “smacked the yardstick” would evoke an emotional response that many adults can relate to.
A younger group may not relate to this phrase since corporal punishment has all but disappeared from schools. You must pick the words that would mean something to your audience.
REVEAL YOURSELF
Often people have trouble implementing this idea because they like to remain aloof and private. This will hurt their chances of making a good connection with people in the audience.
You certainly don’t have to reveal your deepest darkest secrets when on stage, but you certainly could tell someone how much you like horses, or how you love to cook . . .anything that will give them a glimpse into the real you will give you a better chance of connecting with them and getting them to listen to you.
USE PROPS
A prop is worth a thousand words. People can really anchor a thought in their minds when it is connected to an object that relates to the point you are trying to make. You could use large, small, funny or serious props.
Always relate the prop to the point you are trying to make and make sure the audience can see it. Sometimes you’ll want to hide the prop so people don’t wonder what it is until you are ready to present it.
USE HUMOR
Even Shakespeare used humor in the middle of the tragedies he wrote. Humor is a powerful and effective tool that gives the audience’s mind a chance to breath in the face of heavy material. It also makes you more likable and fun to listen to.
Humor is also much more likely to make your information more memorable. You don’t have to be a stand up comedian to use humor in speeches and presentations, and you don’t have to tell jokes either.
There are many ways to add humor that don’t require any skill at all. You can show funny visuals, tell stories, or read from books or periodicals. Just like with props, make sue your humor relates to the point you are trying to make and you will be much more successful.
MOVE ‘EM TO ACTION
If you are going to bother taking up people’s time to speak to them, don’t you think it would be a good idea to get them to do something positive because of your presentation?
Even if they do something negative, it’s still better than doing nothing because they will at least get a chance to learn something from their mistake. Regardless of the size of your ego, the reality is that you are there for them, not the other way around.
I’m all for you building up your reputation, but if you go into your speech thinking it’s all for you, it will show and you probably won’t do as well as you would have had you concentrated on the needs of the audience more.
BRING SOLUTIONS
One of the best ways to make sure the audience loves you is to bring solutions to their problems. If you have done a thorough job of researching your audience, you already know what their problems are. It’s your job to bring ideas for them to try.
In modern day thinking this is what motivational speaking is all about. No longer is it good enough to get people all fired up where they are bouncing off the walls without a clue as to what they will do with this new found excitement and motivation. Modern professional motivational speakers bring solutions and a plan of action to achieve them. Now those are motivating.
PAY ATTENTION TO LOGISTICS
The best preparation, practice, and audience research could be ruined if you forget to pay attention to all the details surrounding a presentation. You want to know what is happening before you speak, and what is happening after you speak: How are the people seated?
Are they at round tables where half of them are facing away from you, or are there no tables at all? What kind of microphone is appropriate? How big is the screen in the room? Will the people be drinking alcohol? What is the lighting like?
All these items and many more affect the overall effectiveness of a presentation. The same exact words delivered with significantly different logistics could be received in entirely different ways.
You could even go from a fantastic evaluation to a bomb just because of the way people are seated. It’s up to you to know the differences and how they affect a presentation.
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“How to deal with loneliness!”
“How to save a Relationship! (PROVEN methods for both men and women!)”
“How to attract your Mrs Right or Mr Right!”
“Find out your Biorhythms online!”
“Have a pressing question? Ask the I Ching for advice!”
“What’s the best decision to make? Get your FREE rune reading!”
“Learn tarot readings online! Know what your future has in store for you!”
“Which lover is the best one for you? Check your love compatibility!”
“Want to know what your future has in store for you? Get your FREE insightful Destiny Reports! ”
“Give a gift of inspiration to all your friends, family members and lover!”
“Learn cartoon and caricature drawing!”
“Send inspiring and beautiful e-cards to all your friends, family members and loved ones again!”
“Play Free Online Games NOW!”
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