I like Tom Swifties. Here's a short page that I found on the Discovery Education site that talks about the concept:
A Tom Swifty is a sentence ending in an adverb that both tells how or when Tom said something and applies to the meaning of his statement. Here’s an example:
“Don't sit in the back of the boat,” said Tom sternly.
Sternly describes Tom’s tone of voice. In addition, stern is another word for “back of the boat.” So sternly is a particularly appropriate word for ending the sentence. Make a Tom Swifty out of each of the following sentences. The first letter of each adverb appears as a hint.
1. “Does anyone have a hammer?” asked Tom s_________.
2. “I hope you like the gift I brought,” said Tom p__________.
3. “This poison ivy is making me itch!” exclaimed Tom r__________.
4. “I got first prize,” reported Tom w__________.
5. “I wish I had written down the things I need at the store,” said Tom l________.
A
1. strikingly
2. presently
3. rashly
4. winningly
5. listlessly
They're groaners, aren't they? For a while, I was really into them; now, the only one that I can recall is this one:
"That convicted felon is going down the stairs!" Tom observed condescendingly.
and I can't actually remember if I read it or made it up. But hey, anyone can do it -- "That Venus DeMilo statue seems unbalanced", Tom said disarmingly -- so who knows?
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