Turn the world's calamities into valuable resource for colourful words and phrases that have full impact. Think 2001' s World Trade Centre Bombings, 2004's Tsunami, Florida's Katrina, Australia's Bushfires, even Malaysia's flash floods and highway accidents present countless new words and are treasure trove of stylised language peculiar to that particular disaster. For e.g. you will get words like "lava flow", "cloud dust" and "seismic scale" for an earthquake or volcanic eruption.
Disasters are aplenty nowadays and accidents, bombings, crime sprees a dime a dozen. Take the latest : "Train Wreck" in Indian (Sun page 10, July 20, 2010)
here
speeding express train
rammed leaving 165 injured, many in critical condition
slammed in its rear
force of the impact
lifted one wagon clear off its track
left it mounted on an overhead passenger bridge
bodies were pulled from
crumpled mass of steel
rule out possiblity of sabotage
no evidence of foul play
negligence on part of railway administration
writhing in pain on the floor of emergency room unattended
cheapest area of train
tightly packed
section of the track deliberately removed
blamed Maoists rebels active in the state
You can see from these phrases that they are full of force...even if you do not get to read the entire story or see its accompanying picture, you can already envisage the scene in your mind.
Cut out such stories.
Underline the words.
Commit them to memory.
conjure them up when the need arises and USE them!
You will have a beautiful essay!!!!
Mrs Tay
21 July 2010
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