Without adjectives, the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater would be a rather nondescript monster.

In 1958, "The Purple People Eater" topped the music charts for six weeks. It's a silly song, but it's a lot of fun. Why? The description of that creature is memorable. But without adjectives, what would it be?

How Do Adjectives Function?

"Car" refers to any car; "the blue car" and "the wrecked car" refer to particular kinds of cars. "Three cars" tells how many cars. You get the idea.

Show Me the Adjectives

INSTRUCTIONS: Click-and-drag over the invisible words below to reveal the poet's words. The invisible words are adjectives. Think of what adjectives you would use, then reveal the poet's choices. Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherised upon a table; The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells: Streets that follow like a tedious argument Of insidious intent To lead you to an overwhelming question... Oh, do not ask, "What is it?" Let us go and make our visit.

Poet, playwright, and critic T. S. Eliot was adept with adjectives.

Adjectives can inspire a reader's imagination. When T.S. Eliot says, "Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets," he doesn't want the reader to visualize Broadway in New York City during rush hour. He wants the reader to focus his or her imagination on a specific kind of street — where a person feels lonely, vulnerable, and thoughtful.

His use of "insidious" is pointed, too. He doesn't just mean dangerous. The adjective he uses conveys a subtle distinction and helps create the overall effect of the poem. It gets under your skin because of the adjectives.

Cut It Out

Instead of using a noun and an adjective, try using a more specific noun. Why say "enormous man" when you can say "giant"?

Let nouns and verbs do the bulk of the work. Use an adjective when the meaning that adjective conveys cannot be conveyed by a specific noun alone. For example, if "giant" will work, why say "enormous man"? How would you revise these common expressions?

• personal opinion

• close proximity

• advance planning

• definite decision

• usual custom

Using strong nouns and evocative adjectives, write a poem based on a photograph or memory.

Prewriting

Select an evocative photograph (or a clear memory). Think about the objects you see in it. On your paper, list the objects one per line, in the middle of each line. When you have listed all of them, select an adjective to describe each object.

Drafting

Now turn each adjective-noun pair into a sentence occurring in the present. Conclude with a line or two (that may or may not have words from your object list) that comments on the scene in your picture or memory.

Revising

Don't worry about maintaining your original phrases in the final poem. Consider changing the word order for variety, even if that means changing parts of speech. Read the piece aloud to yourself. It should feel as though it's accelerating toward the conclusion. Create a title to establish the tone and the location.

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