Eng101BC

Active vs. passive verbs

Ending in prepositions
Shifts
Newsletter intro

What is a verb?
Word that shows action or state of being
Run, swim, jump, be, appear, seem, feel
There are numerous verb tenses:
Present tense, past tense, future tense,
present perfect tense, past perfect tense,
future perfect tense, present progressive,
past progressive, future progressive,
present perfect progressive, past perfect
progressive, future perfect progressive,
emphatic

When should you use present tense?

Present action
I want to eat pizza right now.

Action that happens over and over

I eat pizza almost every day.

Scientific facts and other things that

are always true (literature included)
Eating twenty-five pizzas a day is not
good for you.

Passive voice

Less dynamic
Downplays or ignores doer of
action

The ball was hit and a run was

scored. The score was kept and
eventually the game was won.
Strong emotions were felt by the
fans and much applause was
heard.

It is okay to be passive when...

The doer of action is unimportant
or unknown
School is canceled today! (Who
cares who canceled it?)

You want to be polite or avoid

sounding bossy
Your application was rejected.

It is okay to be passive when...

You want to emphasize that thing
youre talking about more than the
person performing the action
This big blue ribbon will be given to
the winner.

You are writing in an impersonal,

scientific manner
The mice were separated into two
groups.

Newsletter

As a chiropractor I constantly
remind people that a good nights
rest is one of the most important
and often overlooked aspects of
health.
As a chiropractor I constantly
remind people that a good nights
rest is one of the most important
and often overlooked aspects of
health.

Newsletter

As a chiropractor I constantly
remind people that a good nights
rest provides one of the most
important and often overlooked
aspects of health.
As a chiropractor I constantly
remind people of the importance
of a good nights rest as an
overlooked aspect of health.

What is a preposition?

Word used to show a relationship

between noun/pronoun and another
word in the sentence
Tell us something about where

something is, when something happens,

shows some other type of relationship
between two things

About, above, after, around, at, before,

beneath, between, by, down, for,
from, in inside, of, off, on, opposite,
since, through, throughout, to,
underneath, up, with, without

Is it good writing to end a sentence in

a preposition?

Change words to not end in

preposition...if it sounds
normal...if not, rewrite the
sentence completely
A senator is someone most people
look up to.
A senator is someone to whom most
people upwardly look.
Most people look up to a senator.

Try it...
Notice the ease Harley hits the ball
with.
Notice the ease with which Hartley
hits the ball.

Shifts

Eliminate distracting shifts

These distract or confuse readers
Point of view
Verb tense
Mood or voice
Indirect to direct
questions/quotations

Make the POV consistent in person

& number

First person emphasizes writer

Good for informal letters and writing
based on personal experience
Second person emphasizes reader
Good for giving advice or explaining
how to do something
Third person emphasizes subject
Best for formal academic and
professional writing

Make the POV consistent in person

& number
One week, our class met in a junkyard to
practice rescuing a victim trapped in a
wrecked car. We learned to dismantle the car
with the essential tools. You were graded on
your speed and your skill in extricating the
victim.
One week, our class met in a junkyard to
practice rescuing a victim trapped in a
wrecked car. We learned to dismantle the car
with the essential tools. You were graded on
your speed and your skill in extricating the
victim.

Make the POV consistent in person

& number
One week, our class met in a junkyard to
practice rescuing a victim trapped in a
wrecked car. We learned to dismantle the
car with the essential tools. You were
graded on your speed and your skill in
extricating the victim.
One week, the class met in a junkyard to
practice rescuing a victim trapped in a
wrecked car. They learned to dismantle
the car with the essential tools. They
were graded on their speed and their
skill in extricating the victim.

Maintain consistent verb tenses

Consistent verb tenses clearly establish
time of the actions being described
Which sentence is incorrect?
A. She caught the ball and then throws it
to the catcher for the out.
B. She caught the ball and then threw it
to the catcher for the out
C. She catches the ball and then throws it
to the catcher for the out.
A. She caught the ball and then throws it
to the catcher for the out.

Maintain consistent verb tenses

When writing about literature or
current research, use present tense
Which sentence is correct?
A. Research showed that the Great
Pyramids were built before wooly
mammoths became extinct.
B. Research shows that the Great
Pyramids were built before wooly
mammoths became extinct.
B.

Make verbs consistent in mood &

voice
Three moods in English
Indicative is used for facts, opinions, questions
Imperative is used for orders or advice
Subjunctive is used to express wishes or conditions
contrary to fact
Which sentence is correct?
A. The officers advised us against allowing anyone into our
homes without proper identification. They also
suggested that we alert neighbors to our vacation
schedules.
B. The officers advised us against allowing anyone into our
homes without proper identification. Also, alert
neighbors to our vacation schedules.
A.

Avoid sudden shifts from indirect or

direct questions or quotations
Which sentence is correct?
A. Mother said that she would be late for
dinner and asked me not to leave for
choir practice until Dad came home.
B. Mother said that she would be late for
dinner and please do not leave for choir
practice until Dad comes home.
A. Mother said that she would be late for
dinner and (she) asked me not to leave
for choir practice until Dad came home.

Avoid sudden shifts from indirect or

direct questions or quotations

B. Mother said that she would be late

for dinner and please do not leave for
choir practice until Dad comes home.
Mother said that she would be late for
dinner uses the indicative
mood/voice.
Please do not leave for choir practice
until Dad gets home uses the
subjunctive mood/voice.

Avoid sudden shifts from indirect or

direct questions or statements

Indirect question: Alex asked whether

the potatoes were ready and whether
he could cut them for the salad.
Direct question: Are the potatoes ready
and can I cut them for the salad?

Avoid sudden shifts from indirect or

direct questions or statements
Which of the following is incorrect?
A. My instructor asked whether I was prepared
for the course and have I bought myself a
laptop.
B. My instructor asked whether I was prepared
for the course and whether I had bought
myself a laptop
C. My instructor asked, Are you prepared for
the course, and have you bought yourself a
laptop?
A. My instructor asked whether I was prepared
for the course and have I bought myself a
laptop.

Newsletter Revising

Underline subjects to look for POV

shifts
Circle all verbs to ensure that
none of the verbs shift. Make sure
there arent too many Be verbs.
Ensure that there arent any shifts
from a statement to a question or
vice versa
Look at the word before each end
punctuation (period, question
mark, exclamation point) to

Newsletter Revising
2. Turn down the heat when are you more
likely to wake up at night when you are hot
or cold? The body prefers to be in a colder
milder climate to sleep. Experts recommend
bedroom temperatures to be 65 70
degrees.

3. Exercise every day This will greatly

improve your ability to sleep at night.
However be careful not to exercise too close
to bed time as it can have a negative effect
on sleep.

Newsletter Revision
Practice
2. Turn down the heat when are you more
likely to wake up at night when you are hot
or cold? The body prefers to be in a colder
milder climate to sleep. Experts recommend
bedroom temperatures to be 65 70
degrees.

3. Exercise every day This will greatly

improve your ability to sleep at night.
However be careful not to exercise too close
to bed time as it can have a negative effect
on sleep.

Newsletter Revision
Practice
2. People should turn down the heat.
People are more likely to wake up at
night when they are hot. The body
prefers (to be in) a colder milder climate
to sleep. Experts recommend bedroom
temperatures to be 65 70 degrees.

3. People should exercise every day. This

will greatly improve an individuals
ability to sleep (at night). However one
must be careful not to exercise too
closely to bed time as it can have a
negative effect on sleep.

For Wednesday/Thursday...

Read Chapter 8 Narration (pgs. 141157)