Saturday, March 21, 2020

The Raging Storm Essay Example

The Raging Storm Essay Example The Raging Storm Essay The Raging Storm Essay Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear. The rage of the storm moves closer, destroying everything in its path like a savage beast, relentless it moves closer to its target. The skies empty, as flocks of birds swiftly take refuge from the incoming terror. The wildlife escapes from the forthcoming violence with lightening speed, the sense of danger burning in their minds. Humans still oblivious to the danger continue with their work without the knowledge it will all be taken away from them in a fit of rage. An eerie silence hangs over the town, the calm before the storm, conning the inhabitants of our planet with the deadliest of consequences.  With a single flash of lightening the storm looms down on the small, unsuspecting town, like a general giving the signal for his troops to go into battle it marches past the weak defences of the Earth. With the force of ten thousand horses it rips its way through the countryside, cutting its way through power lines and trees like a knife through butter, effortlessly destroying the terrain. The rain begins to attack the ground as the storm descends. Within seconds, it engulfs the small community with devastating force. The torrential rain beats against the rickety window of a fragile house, trying to find a way into the fading security of a childs bedroom. Merciless the storm picks up, every minute its ferocity doubles, the disaster growing with the strength of the storm. Frightened onlookers gaze in awe as the storm tears through their once peaceful village, it seems like time stands still as a deafening explosion rocks the trembling Earth. A new weapon in the storms armament is used against the exposed inhabitants of the town, fire. The mighty force of the gale spreads the inferno faster than the escaping creatures can run. The storm that a small gust of wind has evolved into swallows the fleeing animals, they let out screams of pain that you can almost feel as they are thrown up into the gloomy sky. The code is cracked to get into the houses, what remains of the devastated community is finally worn down and reduced to piles of rubble. The terrified families flee into the ancient shelters, built by their ancestors after last time nature vented her fury. The rotting wooden door is torn apart by the malicious wind, slowly giving in to the onslaught from above. Inside the refuge the prisoners sit anxiously waiting for the storm to pass, every crack of thunder echoes around the room, reminding them of the danger lurking outside. The storm knocks against the door of the shelter, waiting patiently for the right opportunity to break in. Unsuccessful it moves on to the next target, undeterred by the resolute survivors of the tragedy. With the same flash of lightening that signalled the start of the storm it disappears, leaving behind a scene from a war zone. Houses demolished, trees uprooted, burnt-out cars and several bemused survivors helping the injured and trying to work out what just happened. A strange silence hangs over the town, sometimes interrupted by the screaming sirens of the emergency services. No dogs can be heard barking in the evening air, the sky is empty of all birds whose songs used to serenade the residents of the town, no children playing in the summers day, just the occasional call for help from the mountains of rubble. The calm after the storm, reflecting the tension in the air before the storm. Rescuers still wary of the Earth, now darkening with night fall, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Strange, it is a huge nothing that we fear.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Punctuating Subordinate Clauses

Punctuating Subordinate Clauses Punctuating Subordinate Clauses Punctuating Subordinate Clauses By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, omission of a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause muddles the meaning. Discussion after each example describes the complication, and a revision demonstrates how to eliminate ambiguity. 1. The candidate’s supporters and protesters championing his rival violently confronted each other in the city’s downtown district leading to multiple arrests. The district did not lead to multiple arrests; the confrontation did. Separating the subordinate clause â€Å"leading to multiple arrests† from the main clause with a comma clarifies the relationship between cause and effect: â€Å"The candidate’s supporters and protesters championing his rival violently confronted each other in the city’s downtown district, leading to multiple arrests.† 2. The event did not turn violent as some media reports indicated. â€Å"As some media reports indicated† is a subordinate clause to â€Å"The event did not turn violent,† so punctuation between the two segments of the sentence is required: â€Å"The event did not turn violent, as some media reports indicated.† (Without it, the sentence might be misread â€Å"The event did not turn as violent as some media reports indicated.†) 3. Who will work in the transition management office charged with executing the transition? This sentence reads as if the transition management is one of two or more such departments, one of which has the stated task. But â€Å"charged with executing the transition† is a subordinate clause referring to the who of the subject, and inserting â€Å"which is† at the head of that clause makes the transition smoother: â€Å"Who will work in the transition management office, which is charged with executing the transition?† 4. The company has been our consulting partner of choice for the last four years having supported numerous projects during that time. The phrase that begins with having is a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses must be set off from main clauses with a comma: â€Å"The company has been our consulting partner of choice for the last four years, having supported numerous projects during that time.† The following revision alters the emphasis somewhat but reads more smoothly: â€Å"The company, which has been our consulting partner of choice for the last four years, has supported numerous projects during that time.† Another option is â€Å"The company has been our consulting partner of choice for the last four years, and it has supported numerous projects during that time.† 5. They steal diamonds and bags of cash only to send them raining down from the sky. Many writers refrain from inserting punctuation before a subordinate clause beginning with only, but this omission invites ambiguity- did they steal diamonds and bags of cash only, and not anything else?- so, for clarity, include it: â€Å"They steal diamonds and bags of cash, only to send them raining down from the sky.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business Letter7 Patterns of Sentence StructureWord Count and Book Length