Step 3: Punctuation and Logic

Exercise 1: Put capitals, hyphens, full stops and commas as needed in the following extracts; the number of sentences is indicated in brackets. In each extract, identify and single out with the quotation marks quotes or bits with a transferred meaning.

Thomas gainsborough

(1727-88)

thomas gainsborough was one of the greatest english portrait and landscape painters he was also regarded as one of the greatest technicians and colorists in the history of western painting gainsborough's portrait of the honourable mrs graham was exhibited in 1777 (3)

gainsborough enjoyed ex­perimenting with new techniques as well as new subject matter he did not often try to imitate other artists as did some english painters of his time (2)

he was born at sudbury in suffolk as a boy he was very good at drawing and according to one story he made such a good portrait from memory of a thief who he had seen robbing an orchard that the man was identified by it (2)

gainsboroughs father sent him as an appren­tice to a french painter and engraver gravelot in london where he learned the art of etching on copper plates during the time he was in london he also studied the paintings of the dutch landscape artists of the 17th century (2)

in 1745 he went home to sudbury hoping to do landscape painting but few people were willing to buy paintings of their country houses and gardens so he painted portraits to earn his living among his early portraits is the remarkable mr and mrs andrews (1748-49) which is in the national gallery london the background to the portrait is a beautiful landscape (2)

in 1759 philip thicknesse who later wrote his life story persuaded him to move to bath the center of the social life of the time and arranged for him to be introduced to rich and important visitors gainsborough quickly established himself as a fashionable portrait painter one masterpiece of his bath period is the blue boy (1770) which is in the huntington library and art gallery at san marino california in the united states in 1768 he was one of the first members of the newly founded royal academy (3)

gainsborough moved to london in 1774 there he painted many famous people including king george III richard brinsley sheridan the playwright dr Samuel John-son the writer, Mrs. Siddons the great actress, and the statesmen william pitt and edmund burke (2)

yet it was as a landscape painter that gainsborough had a lasting influence on later generations of english artists his influence on english portrait painters was rather small compared with that of his rival sir joshua reynolds (2)

Exercise 2: Here are some groups of sentences. Re-write these sentences to produce a coherent paragraph. Mind your punctuation!

Example

The Age of Enlightenment began around 1715.

The Age of Enlightenment was characterized by debate and thought about the issues of equality, freedom, and individual rights.

The Age of Enlightenment inspired America’s Declaration of Independence.

The Age of Enlightenment, which began around 1715, was characterized by debate and thought about the issues of equality, freedom, and individual rights. It was the age that inspired America’s Declaration of Independence.

Composers wrote in the Enlightenment and the Romantic periods.

Composers are now called Classical.

Composers’ work often reflected the beliefs of both eras.

Composers Haydn, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven reflected the Enlightenment in elegant, carefully constructed, logical symphonies.

Composers Haydn, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven produced breathtaking emotional effects.

Enlightenment artists and architects were inspired by the ideas of humanism.

Enlightenment artists and architects were inspired by mathematical reason.

Enlightenment artists and architects were inspired by the patterns of nature.

Enlightenment artists and architects were inspired by the innocence of nature.

This is evident in the drawings of common people.

The drawings were poignant.

The drawings were heroic.

This is evident in the drawings

This is evident in the layout of the Versailles gardens.

This is evident in the peaceful landscape paintings.

The peaceful landscape paintings were produced at this time.

Exercise 3: Build up effective sentences to name the main characteristic features of the Enlightenment artistic style. Arrange the statements in the order of their significance. (Learn the information in Reference Section).

Exercise 4: Compile a stretch of text of your own: dwell upon a characteristic feature or two of the art of the Enlightenment as different from similar aspects in the period of the Baroque. Support your statements with bits of description and opinions of experts.