In today’s exercise, the author of Writer’s Lexicon asks us to replace all iterations of the word “bring.” Look no farther, she indicates, than the dictionary definition: “to carry, convey, conduct, or cause . . .” The definition provides your synonyms.
The solution requires that we pay attention to the activity. For example, instead of “Bring me the stick, boy!” A dog owner would say, “Fetch me the stick, boy!”
Here are the exercises:
1. “I’ll never bring Bertram to another company picnic,” said Mary. “He ate all the chili then started a farting contest with everyone in Accounting.” “That’s no so bad,” Danielle answered. “My date sat on the lasagna I brought. Then he peeled it off his butt and ate it!”
“I’ll never invite Bertram to another company picnic!” cried Mary. “He scarfed down all the chili then started a farting contest with everyone in Accounting.” “That ain’t so bad,” answered Danielle. “My date sat on my lasagna on the drive over. Then he peeled it off his butt with the spatula and ate it right in front of me!”
2. Three times every solar year, Venture IV brought a fresh supply of honey-garlic barbecue sauce to Asteroid Anastasia. The Vortonese couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Their alien biology converted the sauce into excrement of pure saffinirium, the most efficient power source in the galaxy.
Thee times every solar year, Venture IV shipped a fresh supply of honey-garlic barbecue sauce to Asteroid Anastasia. The Vortonese gobbled it down every time. Their alien bodies converted the stuff into excrement of pure saffinirium, the most efficient power source in the galaxy.
3. Leon scuffed up dust as he searched the roadside for bottles. Every night he brought a sackful to the recycle depot and collected his paltry take.
But today wasn’t like every other day. A glimmer in the ditch caught his attention. He stooped to scrape the gravel off what turned out to be a coin with strange glyphs circling the silhouette of a unicorn.
He brought it close to his wondering eyes for a thorough inspection, and rubbed it to a soft shine. A dust devil swirled around him. The trees disintegrated, reforming into jagged shapes that jutted into a green-tinged sky with triple moons.
His eyes bulged. “What the–“
Leon scuffed up dust as he searched the roadside for glass bottles. Every night he lugged a sackful to the recycle depot and collected his paltry pittance.
But today wasn’t like every other day. A glimmer in the ditch by the nuclear power plant caught his bionic eye. He stopped to scrap the gravel off what turned out to be a coin with strange glyphs circling the silhouette of a unicorn.
Zooming in on the object, he rubbed it with his thumb to a soft shine.
Suddenly a dust devil swirled around. The trees disintegrated, too, reforming into splintered shaps that jutted up towards the green sky with triple moons.
Going blind, he cried, “What the–” right before it all went dark.
