Every time you make a declarative statement,
you choose one of only 9 sentence structures.
You have been doing this unconsciously for as long as you have been able to speak and write. Today I am going to teach you how to do it consciously.
Ten minutes from now, you will be able to speak and write with greater impact.
You must first choose a perspective.
First person perspective is when you are speaking for yourself, or as the spokesperson for a group:
(I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours)
Second person perspective describes the experience of your reader, listener, or viewer individually or collectively:
(you, your, yours, yourself, yourselves)
Third person perspective is then you are speaking not of yourself, or of your audience, but of some other individual or group:
(he, she, him, her, they, them,)
After you have chosen a perspective,
you must choose a verb tense that frames the action of your sentence
in the past (was), the present (am), or the future (will be.)
That much has been known and taught for decades if not centuries.
This next part is astoundingly useful and absolutely new, so if you quote it or teach it to someone else, be sure to spell my name right, okay? “Roy H. Williams”
The Wizard of Ads® is now going to teach you:
(A) the specific voice of each of the 9 declarative sentences,
(B) how the addition of a status, a mood, or an emotion allows you to
determine the intention and the impact of your sentence before it has even been created.
First person, past tense, is the voice of personal MEMORY.
“I was standing in the snow…”
First person, present tense, is the voice of ANNOUNCEMENT.
“I am standing in the snow…”
First person, future tense, is the voice of PREDICTION.
“I will be standing in the snow…”
Second person, past tense, is the voice of WITNESS.
“You were standing in the snow…”
Second person, present tense, is the voice of reader/listener/viewer INVOLVEMENT or ENGAGEMENT.
“You are standing in the snow…”
Second person, future tense, is the voice of FORESEEING. (Fortune telling)
“You will be standing in the snow.”
Third person, past tense, is the voice of HISTORY.
“They were standing in the snow…”
Third person, present tense, is the voice of NEWS REPORTING.
“They are standing in the snow…”
Third person, future tense, is the voice of PROPHECY.
“They will be standing in the snow.”
REVIEW
- First person, past tense, is the voice of personal MEMORY.
- First person, present tense, is the voice of ANNOUNCEMENT.
- First person, future tense, is the voice of PREDICTION.
The addition of a status, a mood, or an emotion allows you to
determine the intention and the impact of your sentence before it has even been created.
First person, past tense = MEMORY + humility = confession
“I was hoping to be finished in one hour, but I wasn’t able.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + humility = vulnerability
“I am self-aware enough to know that I am more lucky...
