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.
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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 than good.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + humility = management of expectations
“I will be concise to the best of my ability.”
First person, past tense = MEMORY + authority = declaration
“I was the highest scoring basketball player in Texas every year from 8th through 12th grade.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + authority = proclamation (manifesto)
“I look across the landscape and see a nation that hungers to be united.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + authority = imperative command
“I expect your vote because you know I can do what needs to be done.”
First person, past tense = MEMORY + joy = reminiscing
“I have known the wonder of discovery and felt the electricity of success.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + joy = celebration
“I dance on my housetop because the way is clear, and the work begins.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + joy = anticipation/invitation
“I will be pleased to announce the results of this race when it is over.”
First person, past tense = MEMORY + anger = rage or regret
“I have been exposed to things that cannot be unseen.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + anger = a threat
“We are coming for you.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + anger = a curse
“We will celebrate your death by dancing around your tombstone.”
First person, past tense = MEMORY + desire = craving/mourning
“Our people were hungry for hope to appear.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + desire = hope
“We look toward the sky for that first ray of light.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + desire = fantasy
“When it appears, we will see a rainbow of hope glitter across the earth.”
First person, past tense = MEMORY + disdain = nightmare
“We were lied to, and we believed it.”
First person, present tense = ANNOUNCEMENT + disdain = contempt
“We hear your words, and we hate them.”
First person, future tense = PREDICTION + disdain = dismissal
“We will see you walk over the horizon and vanish forever.”
REVIEW
- Second person, past tense, is the voice of WITNESS.
- Second person, present tense, is the voice of ENGAGEMENT.
- Second person, future tense, is the voice of FORESEEING (fortune telling)
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.
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + humility = recall
“You were the prettiest girl in our school.”
2nd person, present tense ENGAGEMENT + humility = truthspeaking
“You walk into a room, and everyone sees you.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + humility = advising/cautioning
“You will find it hard to separate those who love you from those who merely want you.”
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + authority = compliment/reprimand
“You have done what I have never seen done before.”
2nd person, present tense = ENGAGEMENT + authority = instruction
“Your fingers on the clay are a little too anxious.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + authority = command
“You will practice and become a great potter.”
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + joy = reminding/reframing
“You have been a student unlike any other.”
2nd person, present tense = ENGAGEMENT + joy = praise
“You are a wonder to behold.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + joy = encouragement
“You will create things that have never been imagined.”
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + anger = denouncement
“You came among us with false intentions.”
2nd person, present tense = ENGAGEMENT + anger = rebuke
“You tell us lies, take our money, and smile.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + anger = denunciation
“You will be spoken of as the killer of dreams for 100 generations.”
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + desire = admiration
“You have always been stunning.”
2nd person, present tense = ENGAGEMENT + desire = captivation
“You appear and I can see nothing else.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + desire = visualization
“You will fall in love with me, and we will both be happy.”
2nd person, past tense = WITNESS + disdain = reprimand
“You were lazy and refused to do the work.”
2nd person, present tense = ENGAGEMENT + disdain = rejection
“You are a waste of my time.”
2nd person, future tense = FORESEEING + disdain = mockery
“You will spend your life pretending you are an unrecognized genius, but you and I both know better.”
REVIEW
- Third person, past tense, is the voice of HISTORY.
- Third person, present tense, is the voice of NEWS REPORTING.
- Third person, future tense, is the voice of group PROPHECY.
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.
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + humility = information
“They landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, fifteen years after Cervantes wrote Don Quixote.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + humility = hesitation
“Their arrival is not so important as we once believed.”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + humility = anticipation
“They will continue to find evidence of settlers who came to North America 1,000 years before the Mayflower arrived.”
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + authority = documentation
“They have written in the journal Nature of a new kind of radiocarbon calibration based on spikes in solar radiation that has proven a Viking ship landed in America between 990 and 1050 A.D.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + authority = evaluation
“He, Neil Price, writing for National Georgraphic, speaks of hard evidence indicating the time of the Viking arrival.”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + authority = detailed prediction
“Their archeological discoveries will continue to diminish the historical importance of the arrival of the Mayflower.”
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + joy = description of glory days
“They sailed with courage and resourcefulness toward lands unknown.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + joy = acceleration
“They are an inspiration to entrepreneurs around the world.”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + joy = elevation
“They will forever be remembered for their vision and their courage.”
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + anger = criticism
“Those politicians have minimized the discovery of Vikings in America to protect the cultural myth of the importance of the Mayflower Compact.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + anger = condemnation
“They fraudulently argue that the Mayflower Compact is proof of America being founded as a Christian nation because it says, “Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country…”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + anger = judgment
“They will replace my words with the traditions of men and refuse to believe I meant it when I said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.'”
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + desire = wanting yesterday
“He looked behind him and saw the past and hungered for it.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + desire = wishful thinking
“He sees the signs of the times and eagerly awaits the future.”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + desire = statement of hope
“He will see the future unfold and celebrate its arrival.”
Third person, past tense = HISTORY + disdain = judgement of wrongdoing
“She remembered and felt her anger burn.”
Third person, present tense = NEWS REPORTING + disdain = disgust
“She watches and feels her heart sink as the bile rises in her throat.”
Third person, future tense = PROPHECY + disdain = sentencing the criminal
“She will see the day when he pays the price and the sun shines bright again.”
Each of the 9 declarative sentence structures has a voice that whispers a single idea, 9 ideas in all. 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.
I think of this as the algebra of language, and I am fascinated by it.
Knowing these things will allow you to more easily create sentences that communicate what is in your heart and on your mind.
Roy H. Williams
For the past 30 years, Fredrick Dudek – also known as “Freddy D.” – has been studying companies that have enthusiastic fans, the kinds we normally associate with sports teams. Interestingly, these companies always seem to have employees that like to win. Listen and learn as “Freddy D.” shares tips from his time-tested business playbook with roving reporter Rotbart. The game is about to begin at MondayMorningRadio.com.