And now, a return to Voice Lessons.
Consider the following quote:
The man sighed hugely.
- E. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News
1. What does it mean to sigh hugely?
2. How would the meaning of the sentence change is we rewrote it as
The man sighed loudly.
3. Fill in the blank below with an adverb:
The man coughed _____________________.
Your adverb should make the cough express an attitude. For example, the cough could express contempt, desperation, or propriety*. Do not state the attitude. Instead, let the adverb imply it.
propriety - the state of conforming to acceptable rules of behavior.
___________________________________________________
from Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Maupin House. Gainesville FL, 2000.
