On Becoming A Wordsmith
A wordsmith is someone skilled at using words to build pictures in people’s minds. Just like a goldsmith and silversmiths create aesthetic objects from precious metals and blacksmiths from wrought iron, a wordsmith takes their vocabulary and makes it beautiful, capturing imaginations and taking people on a journey. Fruition Tuition English tutors can assist with the development of writing skills.
Vocabulary begins with listening and speaking, as from infancy, we hear the sounds of our mother tongue. We gain control of our mouth and tongue muscles long before our arms and fingers. Once that development occurs, there is still more time to work out the pincer grip and fine motor movement to wield a writing implement in the form our mind sees. Early attempts at writing are scribble, usually in crayon, chalk, or paint, and often in places not designed for it. While it is a nightmare for interior design, it is necessary to develop pathways between the imagination, eye, and hand. It is wise to provide plenty of appropriate space and materials for those early attempts at making a recognizable mark. By pre-school, you can expect them to accurately draw a circle, a cross, a box, and perhaps a stick figure. A child who is not drawing anything needs assessment. Talk with their pre-school teacher and book a needs analysis at one of our local, affordable Fruition Tuition centers.
Writing the English language intensifies in Primary School. Vocabulary consists of four main types of words, nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. Let’s start with the ones that tell us what something is, nouns. Writing development begins with common nouns like hat, cat, bat, rat, all of which are part of the ‘at’ family of words. These don’t need capital letters at the beginning because they are common everyday objects. They often form either the subject or object of a sentence, meaning they either are doing or having something done to them.
On the other hand, proper nouns are specific and need capital letters to help them stand out. Examples include place names –tutoring Melbourne, personal names – Sandreen, or titles – the Premier Mr. X. It is best to use the appropriate case, as the UPPER case looks like you are shouting at someone, and lower case is generally the best when learning. Our English teachers are experts at sorting out how to work out nouns.
Following on from nouns comes verbs, the action part of a sentence. Apart from the verb to be, which can be a bit tricky, most verbs are apparent. Most sentences follow the pattern of subject-verb-object. For example, Meg walks her dog. If the time was in the past, it becomes, Meg walked her dog. English verbs have many tenses, so do not be discouraged if you find them confusing. Call one of our local tuition centers, and an English tutor will help you out.
Finally, we come to adjectives and adverbs, those magnificent words that bring color, life, and energy to the page. Details help the reader see what the writer means and help the reader’s imagination with clues. Adjectives put perspective, color, and emphasis on a noun. Adverbs bring pace, direction, and quantity to both nouns and verbs. Therefore, Meg walks her dog, may become, Meg slowly walks her large, brown, fluffy dog. Fruition Tuition English tutors know how to have fun with words and help your student develop a phenomenal vocabulary.