Let’s Get Personal(ity)!

   There are a lot of different personality tests floating about on the Internet these days. I have even taken a few, intrigued by the notion of what I might learn about myself. I usually test as an INFJ. The problem is, I can never seem to remember what an INFJ actually is! In Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, Andrew Pudewa presents an interesting and fun method to discover a part of your own personality. He describes three different personality types: verb people, noun people, and adjective people. These categories are drawn from the types of key words students generally prefer to use when creating key word outlines. Verb people, according to Andrew, are typically the first to speak in a group and are very verbal. Boys are frequently verb people. Andrew himself identifies as a verb person. Additionally, he asserts that verb people tend to be rather hyperactive and have high energy thresholds. By contrast, noun people are precise, detail-oriented people. They tend to be neat and have a spot for everything with everything in its spot. These are the people who might get frustrated when forming their key word outlines because there are more than three nouns to select from in the sentence. The final group of people are what Andrew terms â€Å"adjective people.† Adjective people are intuitive and usually prefer to sit towards the back of the room. They are quiet and seldom choose to speak. Adjective people are artistic types and visual learners. I fit within this category. My key word outline never feels complete without at least one descriptive adjective on it to visually recreate the scene in my mind. What do you think? Are you a verb, noun, or adjective person? If you had to write a key word outline for a paragraph describing your personality, what would it say?    Jennifer Mauser  has always loved reading and writing and received a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas in 1991. Once she and her husband had children, they decided to homeschool, and she put all her training to use in the home. In addition to homeschooling her children, Jennifer teaches IEW classes out of her home, coaches budding writers via  email,  and tutors students who struggle with dyslexia.