Beginner:

"Dragging his feet across the carpet and massaging the bags under his eyes, Sam crossed the hall toward the bedroom."

"Armed with sunscreen, shades, a jumbo umbrella, and a hat the size of Saturn, Nana marched down the beach, scanning for little faces to plaster with lotion."

Intermediate:

"A jungle of books, parchment, ink stains, and ruined quills barred their passage."

"When he saw the mass of fur, slobber, and putrid breath galumphing across the lawn, Gary scurried back out the gate and slammed it shut."

"Clouds hugged the hills, as the wind whistled in the trees, and lightning fingered the horizon."

Advanced:

"Before common sense drowned the impulse, Tom plopped into his desk chair, flipped open his HP, and opened a blank document. The cursor blinked on the blank page, and Tom's fingers froze over the keyboard. He shook his head and twiddled his fingers. His eyes wandered across the receipts and memos cluttering the desk. He tested a few words on his tongue like they did in the movies and clicked a few keys. Shaking his head at the results, Tom slammed the laptop shut and spun in his chair. Running his hands through his thinning hair, Tom groaned to the ceiling, 'Maybe I'm not cut out for this jig.'"

"Living near a high school, you hear some pretty weird sounds. A rasping feminine voice screaming, 'Help, police!' did not evoke more than an eye flutter. The windows rattling from Anna's stud-shaking beagle bay kicked me out of bed. After shouting at the dog, I pressed my nose into the window, feeling the glass vibrating, as I peered down the dimly lit street, and Anna voiced her opinion to our neighbors."

Susanna Chediak

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