Student Examples

Knees bent, body leaning forward, arms loose, eyes following the ball as it went from person to person, she made her move.

The drivers wait for the lights to turn green, hearts pounding, right foot twitching, palms sweating.

This side is equipped with chrome tuning keys, all six of them lined in a single file.

Here is a complete writing exercise four, using absolutes. Note especially this student's explanation of how and why he used them.

Jason Kinninger

Writing Exercise Four

Awakening to the loud rings of my alarm clock was a real disappointment. In the back of my mind I knew I had to get up, but the rest of my body wanted to hit the snooze button. After debating for quite some time, reality set in and I had to get out of bed. Shutting of the alarm clock was an easy task once I was up and at 'em. Body trembling, teeth chattering I walked towards the dresser, my thoughts drifted to the warm fuzzy blankets I had just escaped. Slowly, I gathered my outfit for the day as I wiped the sleep from my eye. Knowing that time was elapsing, I grabbed a towel and headed for the shower. After getting dressed and gathering my books for class, I walked in to the kitchen. With stomach growling, I raided the cupboards only to find nothing but my old stand by, Little Debbie cakes. Chewing the last bite of my snack cake I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door to start my truck.

Leaving footprints in the snow behind me, as I walked to the truck, I noticed salt trucks cleaning the road. After unlocking, then starting my truck I began to chisel the snow and ice from my windshield. Realizing that Jack Frost had taken a toll on my red, wind chapped hands I headed inside the house to apply much needed lotion & gather my books. With the end of my morning routing at the house drawing near I dreaded leaving the warmth of home. Book bag in hand I headed out into the cold again, closing the door behind me. Luckily, my truck was warm now and off to school I headed. The road to school was clear and finding a parking spot was the only real challenge of the morning. I finally found a place to park my truck, although the space wasn't intended for parking. Worrying to myself, I ran to class with only five minutes remaining. Trembling fingers, teeth chattering from the frigid outside air I was almost to my classroom.

This writing assignment was the hardest one for me, so far. Not knowing anything about absolutes made it difficult to utilize them in a writing exercise. Although, after completing this exercise I see how they can make a difference in my writing. When I wrote, "Body trembling, teeth chattering I walked towards the dresser," I could visualize myself in that sentence. Absolutes, I believe, are used to allow the readers to visualize what the reader is seeing or feeling.

With all these colors mixed together, it reminds me of fire; it is as though the mountain sides are on fire with color.

He was the skinniest man I've even seen. He was also the kindest, most generous person I've ever known.

Following the directions we were given, we saw the motel a short distance off the interstate. Taking the exit, we soon found ourselves in the parking lot of what was to be our home for one night. Dad entered the door marked "Office" to obtain our room key, not knowing we were about to unlock a nightmlare.

[End of paragraph] In fact, we had some Lysol and sprayed the room thoroughly to extinguish the odor.

[End of paragraph] I knew immediately that my camping tent offered better accommodations than this room.

The placement of the blanket was essential; my favorite blanket had to be closest to me, or I just would not sleep right.

Realizing that I could not sleep on the bed without any sheets, I went to the washroom and pulled out a fresh set.

Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? In today's times more and more people seem to be doing this and deciding to lose weight.

People think golf is a physical sport, but it is really a mental sport. If the average golf swing takes a second and a half, then a score of 80 means two minutes were spent on the physical act of swinging.

[Note: by specifying that there are 92 steps, not just a lot or a bunch or about 100, the reader knows that the writer really dreads the walk, having counted the steps on previous tiring climbs.]