Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Tips for creating logos

http://blog.digitaltutors.com/stuff-need-know-designing-successful-logo/?inf_contact_key=58b7946c2cc3919c4847c516097f5d129e0ab3ea9788f4090817066b8455866c

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

How to Create a 3D Leaf from a Texture Photograph – Screencast

http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials/3d/how-to-create-a-3d-leaf-from-a-texture-photograph-screencast/

on Jul 27th 2009


In this beginners level tutorial, you will learn how to create a vibrant 3D leaf compilation from a single 2D photograph. You will be able to manipulate the object however you prefer. Let’s have fun with this display of greenery.!

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $19/month. You can view the final image preview below. You can view the large version here.

Video Tutorial

Our video editor Gavin Steele has created this video tutorial to compliment this text + image tutorial.
http://blip.tv/psdtuts/how-to-create-a-3d-leaf-from-a-texture-photograph-2417246

Step 1

To begin, you’ll need to find a photograph texture of a leaf. I have chosen this one from lostandtaken.com by a a photographer named Caleb Kimbrough.

Step 2

Load your new found texture into a new project. With the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) selected, Right-click on your layer in the artboard and select Free Transform. Once you have done that right-click on the texture again and select Warp. I have labeled each corner respectively as we will be moving them around quite a bit.

Step 3

Now that you have your layer in Warp mode, click and drag the corner (a) down 1/3 of your grid.

Step 4

Now click and drag the corner (point c) up 1/3 of your grid. Already our leaf is beginning to take on it’s natural form.

Step 5

Each corner has 2 arms that you can move in order to manipulate your layer even further. Pull the corner’s (point a) left arm down as shown below.

Step 6

You should give a sharper edge to your leaf. Something like this. Press Enter to finalize the Warp.

Step 7

You should have a sharp point on your leaf after the last several steps. However, your point may be a bit bent due to the Warp Tool curling. Fix this by using the Polygonal Laso Tool (L), selecting the excess curl and pressing the Delete key.

Step 8

Now lets focus on the other end of the leaf. Use the Warp Tool again (see Step 2) and drag point d as shown in the picture below. You’ll want to get both of the arms of point d to be parallel.

Step 9

Now do the same with the top-right corner (point b). Also, if you want you can tweak the leaf into whatever position you require by holding your mouse down and dragging the inner grid, as well as the other points.

Step 10

To add a bit of additional perspective Right-click on your leaf and select Free Transform. Now hold Alt + Shift and drag the top-right corner, then move it left a bit. This will give the leaf a bit of distance perspective.

Step 11

If you want to make the leaf drop at its point, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and select only the left half of the leaf. Then proceed to Free Transform > Warp. This will allow you to move that half of the leaf without warping the right half. Make sure not to move the points that are in contact with the leaf that is not selected as this will cause a tear between the two pieces.

Step 12

Next, duplicate the layer with your leaf on it, drag that layer below your original leaf layer. Warp it a little to show some discrepancy. Repeat this process as many times as your desire. Play with it and have fun.

Step 13

On each layer you can add a simple drop shadow by double-clicking on the layer and checking the box labelled Drop Shadow. To give leaves even more depth, make sure you adjust the Distance, Size, and Opacity accordingly. The larger leaf has an Opacity of 63%, a Distance of 299px, and a Size of 84px (this is on an artboard sized at 2590px by 1943px at 72px per inch). If you have a leaf that is directly on top of another, you will want to have the distance significantly lower, as well as the size. It should be more sharp and distinct.

Step 14

Next I added a quick and easy Bevel and Emboss. It is often frowned upon to use this but it gets the job done quick. You can paint the sunlight hitting the leaf if you desire, but this is only an intermediate tutorial.
Double-click on the desired layer and check the box Bevel and Emboss. Change your Depth to 100%, Size to 65px, and Soften to 0px. Also you may want to lower the Opacity of the Highlight Mode as well as the Shadow Mode.

Step 15

You may want to add some depth of field. To do this I recommend you use a simple Gaussian Blur. Select the leaf that is below the rest of them. Right-click on the layer in the Layer Window and select Convert to Smart Object. Now select Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set it to 2.6 pixels.
A Smart Object will allow you to change the settings of your applied filters non-destructively. If you are really thoughtful, you could do this with the Drop Shadow and the Bevel and Emboss on the leaves…repeat this process with the other leaves, but lower the blur as the leaves get closer to the largest leaf. We want that to be the focus.
You can also use the paint brush to mask the Smart Filter on the Smart Object. If you select the Smart Filter on your Smart Object layer, select the color black and paint on the artboard with the Paintbrush Tool. You will find that it removes the Gaussian Blur (or any other filter you applied to your Smart Object) in the area that you paint black. I did this with the largest leaf and left only the edges slightly blurred.

Final Image

There you have it. A quick and easy display of greenery. You can really play around with this and do a lot of different types of leaves and positioning. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial. Half the fun is just messing around with the Warp tool. The final image is below. You can view it larger here.

Other Uses

This technique can be used in so many different projects. I have used it specifically in the Audio Jungle wallpaper contest several times and it increased the traffic to my Flickr site significantly.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

4 Principles of creative Diversity

#1 All peaple are creative.
#2 Creativity is diverse.
#3 Creativity Diversity has four keys variables.
   1) Creative level;
   2) Creative Style;
   3) Motive;
   4) Opportunity.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

7 Steps ProblemsSsolving

1. Definition
2. Data Collection (what)
3. Cause Analysis (why)
4. Solution Planning and Implementation
5. Evalution of the effects
6. Standardization
7. Evaluation of the process

Friday, August 2, 2013

Gamifification design framework

D6

1. Define business objectives
2. Delineate target behaviors
3. Describe your players
4. Devise activity loops
5. Don't forget the fun
6. Deploy the appropriate tools

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade by Lorrie Ross, Lawrence (Larry) Barkley, Ted Blake

https://class.coursera.org/basicwriting-001/wiki/view?page=Week2Reading

The Parts of Speech

   
   

In Unit 2 you will learn the eight main parts of speech and how they function in English. Understanding the basic building blocks of an English sentence will allow you not only to compose English sentences logically and correctly but also to edit your writing confidently.
Parts of Speech
  1. Nouns
  2. Pronouns
    1. Subject
    2. Object
    3. Indefinite
    4. Relative
    5. Demonstrative
    6. Possessive
    7. Interrogative
    8. Reflexive
    9. Intensive
  3. Adjectives
    1. Articles
  4. Verbs
    1. Action
    2. Linking
    3. Helping
  5. Adverbs
  6. Conjunctions
  7. Prepositions
  8. Interjections
In this unit you will learn the eight basic parts of speech and how they function in English. To become a better writer and editor of your writing, you should know the fundamentals of English prose and how they work in a sentence because once you understand the components of a sentence, you can begin to examine your writing critically to identify problems and make corrections rather than just guessing at why something is wrong.
Learning the foundations of grammar is similar to building a house. One of the first activities you must perform in building a house is to lay the foundation and frame your house. The foundation and frame will support the rest of the house, the drywall, the flooring, the wiring, etc. A good frame will help ensure a solid, well-built home. The parts of speech are similar. Your writing is based on the categories of words that comprise the eight parts of speech. The better your understanding of the eight parts of speech the better foundation and frame you will have when you write and edit.
For this module, the eight parts of speech are broken into three sections: (1) Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives, (2) Verbs and Adverbs, and (3) Prepositions, Conjunctions, and Interjections. After each section there will be an exercise that will allow you to practice what you have learned. After the exercises, you will have the opportunity to take a quiz to see how well you understand the different parts of speech.

  • Nouns are a part of speech typically denoting a person, place, thing, animal or idea.
  • Pronouns are words that stand in for or replace nouns.
  • Adjectives are words you use to modify a noun or a pronoun.
  • Verbs show what the subject of a sentence does.
  • Adverbs modify and describe verbs, adjective, and other adverbs.
  •  
  • Prepositions are words that connect nouns and pronouns to other words and show the relationship between the words.
  • Conjunctions are words that link other words in a sentence and indicate the relationship between those words.
  • Interjections express surprise, emotion, or demand attention.

NOUNS

Nouns can be grouped into five categories: (1) persons, (2) places, (3) things, (4) living creatures, and (5) ideas/concepts. Below are some examples for each category.
  1. Persons includes a sister, a grandmother, John, the teacher, fire fighter, Aunt May, a neighbor, the friend, Hoon, a boss, the colleague, a peer, the individual, and Nelson Mandela.
  2. Places can be a school, Texas, a home, a store, Japan, a room, a stadium, the desert, a cave, Australia, a state, Veracruz, and a drawer.
  3. Things can comprise the Statue of Liberty, a car, a computer, a cup, the Great Sphinx, a stapler, a pen or pencil, a fence, a cell phone, and the Oxford English Dictionary.
  4. Living creatures are a lion, a Bengal tiger, a dog, a pig, a Siamese cat, a horse, a dolphin, a caterpillar, a Monarch butterfly, a vole, an American Robin, and a yak.
  5. Ideas and concepts include Buddhism, love, freedom, money, time, the Declaration of Independence, marriage, religion, and Hinduism.
In reading through the lists of nouns, you noticed that some of the nouns are capitalized and others are not. In addition of being a person, place, thing, living creature, or concept, nouns can be common and proper. Common nouns are not capitalized. Proper nouns are capitalized.
So while the nouns adult, country, pastry, dog, and disease are common nouns, the nouns Mother Teresa, Latvia, Buche de Noel, Basenji, and Ebola are all proper nouns.

PRONOUNS

Pronouns are words that stand in for or replace nouns. There are nine categories of pronouns:
  1. Subject Pronouns
  2. Objective Pronouns
  3. Indefinite Pronouns
  4. Relative Pronouns
  5. Demonstrative Pronouns
  6. Possessive Pronouns
  7. Interrogative Pronouns
  8. Reflexive Pronouns
  9. Intensive Pronouns

Subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. As their name implies, subject pronouns always function as subjects of a sentence.
Number Person Case (subjective)
Singular 1st I
2nd You
3rd She
He
It
Plural 1st We
2nd You
3rd They

This category of subject pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the pronouns listed are the complete set. No changes or additions exist.
Below are sentences that use each of the subject pronouns as subjects.
Singular
  • I ate the last piece of pizza.
  • You are a very fast runner.
  • She left a book in my car.
  • He bought a hamburger.
  • It had begun to rain.
Plural
  • We always work together.
  • You get bonuses every month.
  • They joined the choir.

Objective pronouns include me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Objective pronouns always function as objects in a sentence, for example, the direct object, the indirect object, or the object of a preposition.
Number Person Case (subjective)
Singular 1st Me
2nd You
3rd Him
Her
It
Plural 1st Us
2nd You
3rd Them

This category of object pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the pronouns listed are the complete set. No changes or additions occur.
Below are sentences that use each of the object pronouns as different types of objects.
Singular
  • She gave the award to me. (indirect object)
  • I baked that batch of cookie sitting near you. (object of the preposition near)
  • Mr. Jones met him for lunch. (direct object)
  • He picked out flowers especially for her. (indirect object)
  • Open the door and walk through it. (object of the preposition)
Plural
  • The usher led us to our seats (direct object)
  • The company sent the merchandise directly to you (indirect object)
  • The teacher gave them more time to finish the quiz (indirect object)

Indefinite pronouns can function as either subjects or objects. Also, they can be singular or plural or both (depending on the context in which they are used). The reason this is most important is because the number of the pronoun determines the number of the verb to be used, which you will study in the next unit. Singular indefinite pronouns use singular verbs. Plural indefinite pronouns use plural verbs.
  • Indefinite pronouns that end in –one are always singular. These words include anyone, everyone, someone, and one.
  • Indefinite pronouns that end in –body are always singular. These words include anybody, somebody, and nobody.
  • Indefinite pronouns like both, many, others, and several are always plural.
  • Indefinite pronouns like any, more, most, and some can be singular or plural, depending on how they are used.
Singular
Indefinite
Plural
Indefinite
Singular or
Plural
another
anyone
each
everyone
everybody
everything
much
nobody
nothing
other
someone
anybody
anything
either
little
neither
no one
somebody
something
both
few
many
others
several
all
any
more
most
none
some
This category of indefinite pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the pronouns listed are the complete set. No changes or additions exist.
Below are several examples of the indefinite pronouns as both subjects and objects.
  • Everyone seems to have a social media account. (subject)
  • Cheryl gave the tomato seed packages to everyone who attended. (object)
  • Somebody needs to dust the furniture and mop the floor. (subject)
  • We gave the boxes to somebody at the shop. (object)
Below are sentence examples of singular and plural indefinite pronouns.
  • Most of the pie has been eaten. (Singular)
  • Most of the pies have been eaten (Plural)
  • None of the light enters the bedroom. (Singular)
  • None of the lights seem to be working. (Plural)
  • Both of the men run quickly out of the room. (Plural)
  • Several of the children play hop-scotch during recess. (Plural)

Relative pronouns include, most commonly, that, which, who, whom, whoever, whomever, and where. Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which you will study in Week 4.

Demonstrative pronouns include This, That, These, and Those and can function as subjects, objects, and adjectives.
Number Near in Distance or Time Far in Distance or Time
Singular This That
Plural These Those

This category of demonstrative pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. No changes or additions occur.
Below are several examples of sentences using demonstrative pronouns as subjects.
  • This is the best place to park.
  • These are the strawberries that are on sale.
  • That really got to me.
  • Those fell off the truck.
The following sentences use demonstrative pronouns as objects.
  • “Get as close as you can to that,” he stated, pointing to the loading dock.
  • “I want a handful of these,” she laughed picking up the strawberries.
Below are two sentences that use demonstrative pronouns as adjectives.
  • I need a picture of those flowers.
  • This phone is the one I truly want.

Possessive pronouns are pronouns used to refer to subjects in sentences that are specific person/people or thing/things belonging to a person/people [and sometimes to an animal(s) or thing(s)]. Possessive pronouns function as subjects, objects, and adjectives.
Number Person Possessive
Pronoun
Singular 1st My/Mine
2nd Your/Yours
3rd His
Her/Hers
Its
Plural 1st Our/Ours
2nd Your/Yours
3rd Their/Theirs

This category of possessive pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. No changes or additions exist.
Following are sentences that use possessive pronouns as subjects.
Singular
  • Mine is the last cake on the table.
  • Yours was left in the car.
  • Hers came with the card attached.
  • His was a mighty blow.
Plural
  • Ours describe ways others might interpret art.
  • Yours were the last to arrive.
  • Theirs won first place.
Sentence examples using possessive pronouns as objects include.
  • That backpack looks like mine.
  • The restaurant’s bouillabaisse tastes similar to ours.
The following examples use possessive pronouns as adjectives.
  • That is my seat in which you are sitting.
  • Your seat is at the end of the row.

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. These pronouns represent the thing that isn’t known (what the question is asking about). Interrogative pronouns can stand in for subjects.
If the Subject is a ... Use this pronoun...
Person Who
Thing What
Person/thing Which
Person Whose
This category of interrogative pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. There will be no changes or additions.
The sentences below use interrogative pronouns as subjects.
  • Who borrowed my pencil?
  • What is the name of the café’?
  • Which should I use?
  • Whose is the red blanket?

Reflexive and Intensive pronouns each use the same forms.
Number Person Reflexive
Pronoun
Intensive
Pronoun
Singular 1st Myself Myself
2nd Yourself Yourself
3rd Himself
Herself
Itself
Himself
Herself
Itself
Plural 1st Ourselves Ourselves
2nd Yourselves Yourselves
3rd Themselves Themselves
This category of reflexive and intensive pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. There will be no changes or additions.
Reflexive pronouns function as objects in a sentence; they refer back to a noun or pronoun.
Below are two sentences using reflexive pronouns as objects.
  • He enjoyed painting the shed himself.
  • Chandra and Wallace wanted to prepare the meal themselves.
Intensive pronouns emphasize another noun or pronoun. See the following examples.
  • You yourself will be responsible for the delivery.
  • Raul and I ourselves seem to be the only people who want to hike the gorge.

ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are words you use to modify a noun or a pronoun. In this section you will learn about three categories of adjectives: (1) descriptive adjectives, (2) proper adjectives, and (3) predicate adjectives.

A descriptive adjective describes a quality of the noun the adjective modifies.
  • large house
  • frigid night
  • wide gorge
  • purple plum
  • green truck
  • blissful sleep

A proper adjective is formed by using a proper noun.
  • French pastry
  • Shakespearian play
  • Jeffersonian democracy
  • African dance

Predicate adjectives follow the noun and are connected to the noun by a linking verb, which you will learn about in the next module. In the following examples, the predicate adjective follows the highlighted linking verb (linking verbs are discussed in the next segment):
  • She seems brave.
  • The bread is stale.
  • He looks bored.
  • The trash smells unpleasant.
The three article in English, a, an, and the (sometimes referred to as determiners) always function as adjectives in a sentence.

VERBS

A verb shows what the subject of a sentence does. You can group verbs into three general categories:
  1. Action Verbs
  2. Linking or State of Being Verbs
  3. Helping or Auxiliary Verbs

Action verbs, which make up the majority of verbs, show/demonstrate an action.
  • The phone rang loudly.
  • They dance well together.
  • The little girl laughed joyfully.
  • The team plays aggressively.

Linking or state of being verbs do not show an action. These verbs explain the condition someone or something is in.
  • The teacher is ill.
  • I am tall and beautiful.
  • The sister became class president.
  • The cat seems agitated by the attention.

Helping or auxiliary verbs help describe the main verb. There are nine helping verbs that are always helping verbs; they are never the main verb. These helping verbs are:
  1. May
  2. Might
  3. Must
  4. Could
  5. Would
  6. Should
  7. Can
  8. Will
  9. Shall
Study the following sentences. The helping verb is in bold and the main verb is highlighted. Helping verbs add degrees of difference to the main verb allowing you to make subtle distinctions.
  • The bowl should hold all the ingredients.
  • The bowl might hold all the ingredients.
  • The bowl must hold all the ingredients.
  • The bowl will hold all the ingredients.
  • The bowl can hold all the ingredients.
Together, the helping verb and the main verb are called the complete verb.
There are three verbs, be, do, and have, that can be either main verbs or helping verbs depending upon their usage. The forms of these three verbs that can be either main or helping verbs are:
Be Do Have
Is
Are
Was
Were
Being
Been
Does
Did
Has
Had

Again, study the sentences below. In the first three, a form of be, do, and have is used as a main verb. In the second three sentences, the same form of be, do, and have is used as a helping verb.
Main verb
  • She was a fearsome giant.
  • He does the dishes immediately after dinner.
  • They have a llama for a pet.
Helping verb
  • The child was fed by his sister.
  • She does call whenever necessary.
  • They have danced for fourteen hours straight.

ADVERBS

Adverbs modify and describe verbs, adjective, and other adverbs.
  • They walked quickly to the store.
    (quickly modifies the verb walked)
  • The child played happily at the beach.
    (happily modifies the verb played)
  • The child sat nervously outside the principal’s office.
    (nervously modifies the verb sat)
  • A largely green parrot flew up into the tree.
    (largely modifies the adjective green)
  • The snow fell very heavily.
    (very modifies the adverb heavily)

While most all adverbs end with the suffix –ly, some adverbs do not. Below are some common adverbs that do not end in –ly. And some adjectives end in –ly. Here are some common –ly ending adjectives.
Quite
So
Not
Never
Often
Well
Soon
Always
Less
Very
Often
Also
Lovely
Lonely
Friendly
Ugly
Womanly
Manly
Deadly
Neighborly


PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are words that connect nouns and pronouns to other words and show the relationship between the words. While there are hundreds of prepositions, some of the more common prepositions are:

about
along
behind
beyond
during
inside
off
over
to
up
above
among
below
but
except
into
on
since
toward
upon
across
around
beneath
by
for
like
onto
through
under
with
after
at
beside
despite
from
near
out
throughout
underneath
within
against
before
between
down
in
of
outside
till
until
without

Even though knowing individual prepositions is important, you will use prepositional phrases far more frequently. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun and includes any words that come in between the two. Study the examples below.
  • in the village
  • despite the extensive remodeling project
  • underneath the grey blanket
  • near him
  • between you and me
  • with her
Note how each phrase above begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun. You will learn more about prepositional phrases as well as other phrases in Week 4.

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions are words that link other words in a sentence and indicate the relationship between those words. There are four types of conjunctions:
  1. coordinating conjunctions
  2. correlative conjunctions
  3. adverbial conjunctions
  4. subordinating conjunctions
You will study conjunctions again in Week 4 when you study the different types of clauses. But for now, learn the four types of conjunctions as subcategories of one of the eight parts of speech.

Coordinating conjunctions join words or word groups of equal importance.
There are only seven coordinating conjunctions:
*Use the memory word FANBOYS to help you remember all seven coordinating conjunctions.
  1. For
  2. And
  3. Nor
  4. But
  5. Or
  6. Yet
  7. So
Examples
  • The child was crying, for he had fallen and scraped both knees.
  • The man and the woman walked hand and hand down the street.
  • The Tan’s did not wish to visit Alaska, nor did they wish to visit Tierra del Fuego.
  • She likes tea but not coffee.
  • The student could play or study, but not both.
  • The young man ate breakfast, yet he was still hungry.
  • The game ended, so the team left the field.

Correlative conjunctions are word pairs that join words or words groups of equal importance.
Common correlative conjunctions include:
  • not only . . . but also
  • whether . . . or
  • both . . . and
  • not . . . but
  • either . . . or
  • as . . . as
  • neither . . . nor
Examples
  • They want to travel not only to Europe but also to Asia.
  • I want either the red dress or the black shoes.
  • I want both the red dress and the black shoes.
  • Whether you clean your room or vacuum the house is up to you.

Unlike coordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions that link words and word groups, adverbial conjunctions join independent clauses, which you will study in Week 4.
Adverbial conjunctions tell the reader the relationship between the two main clauses. Below are common adverbial conjunctions organized by the relationship they specify.

Addition Emphasis Comparison
or Contrast
Cause or
Effect
Time
in addition
furthermore
moreover
further
in fact
indeed
however
nevertheless
nonetheless
otherwise
in contrast
in comparison
as a result
consequently
hence
therefore
thus
finally
meanwhile
next

Subordinating conjunctions are a word or group of words that introduces a subordinate clause, which you will study in Week 4.
Below are common subordinating conjunctions organized by the relationship they specify.

Cause or
Effect
Concession Condition Comparison
or Contrast
Purpose Space or Time
as
because
since
though
although
even though
even if
if
since
unless
when
whenever
while
as
rather than
in order that
so that
before
since
once
after
while
when
until

Study these charts, for you will be referring to them throughout the course. You should become familiar with these words and the corresponding organizational relationship. They will help you to improve your thought and sentences as you write.

INTERJECTIONS

Interjections, the last part of speech, express surprise, emotion, or demand attention.
  • Amen!
  • Wow!
  • Hey!
  • Absolutely!
  • Bless you!
  • Ouch!
  • Damn!
You should avoid using interjections in formal academic prose. Insert interjections in more informal writing or when you are writing dialogue.

PARTS OF SPEECH AT WORK

Before you begin reading this section, take a few moments to copy down or print this list of symbols that will be used to identify parts of speech in sentences we will be working with throughout this unit.
Part of Speech/Sentence Symbol
Subject S
Verb V
Noun N
Pronoun P
Adjective/determiner ADJ
Adverb ADV
Prepositional Phrase Prep P
Conjunction C
Interjection INT

The sentences that you will learn to write in this course will contain many words from the eight parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives/determiners, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections). What is even more important is that the words categorized as the eight parts of speech can do many different “jobs” in the sentences you create. The box below illustrates some of the work these elements can do for you.
Parts of Speech Jobs They Perform in Sentences
Nouns, pronouns Subjects (the actor/who/what) and Objects (receive the action of the actor)
Verbs Verbs (describe the action of the actor)
Adjectives, adverbs, prepositions Modifiers (add details and description)
Conjunctions Conjunctions (link sentences, words)
Interjections Interjections (exclamations)
Each part of speech, as you can see, corresponds to one or more of the writing jobs it can do. They are all really hard workers when it comes to creating sentences.
There is one more significant thing to know about the relationship between the eight parts of speech and sentences. Just as the parts of speech can do various jobs in sentences, words that make up the eight parts of speech can also multitask. In fact, many of the words in the English language can be more than one part of speech, as you already know, and can do a variety of jobs in sentences. Look at the following examples.
Word Part of Speech Sentences
bubbles Noun The bubbles floated up and away.
verb Water bubbles when it begins to boil.
up(s) adverb He climbed up to the top of the ladder.
preposition They went up the stairs.
adjective The up elevator is on the left.
noun She has had more ups than downs lately.
well interjection Well! I don’t believe it!
adverb The teacher spoke well of the student.
adjective My friend is well.
daily noun The daily arrives at 3:00 pm.
adjective Daily attendance is a requirement.
adverb He called her cell phone daily.

And these examples are just four of tens of thousands of words that multitask in this way. Learning the parts of speech and how they function will help you be a better writer and editor.
But, rest assured, once you have a firm grasp of English based on the descriptions of it you find here, you will better understand that this ability words have to do so many things helps to make the English language very rich and very flexible and very descriptive.
Now that you can see all of the roles English words can play in sentence structures, creating sentences for writing will become much easier for you.
For example, the noun and verb Seals performed create a complete sentence.
Now add the adjective the:
The seals performed.
ADJ N V

Add another adjective that describes the color of the seals:
The black seals performed.
ADJ ADJ N V

The verb, performed, doesn’t really describe the actions of the seals. Try a verb that better describes the seals’ actions:
The black seals leaped
ADJ ADJ N V

Leaped better describes the seals' action. Writing and reading would be rather dull if there weren’t verbs that described action. In fact, sentences sometimes contain multiple descriptive verbs. Look at the following sentence.
The black seals leaped, slid, and barked
ADJ ADJ N V V C V

Look at how this sentence gains energy and vitality when action verbs are added. (Do note that adding additional verbs also means adding commas and the conjunction and.)
There is one more thing you can do to make this sentence even more dynamic. Add adverbs and prepositional phrases to give additional details about the verbs.
The black seals leaped eagerly out of the water, slid quickly upon the deck, and barked noisily at the spectators.
ADJ ADJ N V ADV ADV Prep P V ADV Prep P C V ADV Prep P

By adding adverbs (words and phrases that modify verbs) to the sentence, you create a sentence that is even more specific and visual.
Now, add several adjectives. Remember adjectives are words used to add descriptive details to nouns and can be inserted in prepositional phrases.
The sleek black seals in the pool leaped eagerly out of the shimmering water, slid quickly upon the wooden deck around the pool, and barked noisily at the stunned spectators in the half-empty bleachers.
ADJ ADJ ADJ N Prep P V ADV ADV Prep P V ADV Prep P C V ADV Prep P Prep P

Remember, this sentence began as Seals performed.
A sprinkling of action verbs and their attending adverbs, as well as a few adjectives and prepositional phrases turned this sentence into an event. As you begin to experiment with expanding sentences in this way, your writing will become word pictures that readers will be able to visualize.






Thursday, May 23, 2013

Gamification: 4.2 4.3 Pyramid of Elements and PBL

Dynamics: big picture aspects,  "gramar
1. Constraints
2. Emotions
3. Narrative
4. Progression
5. Relationships

Mechanics: process that drive action forward; "verbs"
1. Challanges
2. Chances
3. Competition
4. Cooperation
5. Feedback
6. Resource Acquisition
7. Rewards
8. Transactions
9. Turns
10. Win states

Components: specific stantiations of mechanics and dynamics; "nouns"
1. Achievements
2. Avatars
3. Badges
4. Boss fights
5. Collections
6. Combat
7. Content Unlocking
8. Gifting
9. Leaderboards
10. Levels
11. Points
12. Quests
13. Social graph
14. Teams
15. Virtual goods


PBL triad, frequently components: points, badges and leaderboards.



Monday, May 20, 2013

Gamification. 3.5 Anatomy of fun

Nicole Lazzaro's 4 keys

1. Easy fun
2. Hard fun
3. People fun
4. Seriuos fun

Marc LeBlanc's 8 Kinds of Fun

Sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discorvery, expression, submission.

Fun can (or should) be designed.
Fun can be challenging
Appeal to different kinds of fun

Gamification. 3.4 Tappng the Emotions

What things are fun?

Winning
Problem-solving
Exploring
Chilling
Teamwork
Recognition
Triumphing
Colleting
Surprise
Imagination
Sharing
Role playing
Customization
Goofing off