Download I. Voice of Verbs: Active vs. Passive Voice The voice of a verb

I. Voice of Verbs: Active vs. Passive Voice
The voice of a verb indicates whether the subject performs the action or is acted upon. An action verb is in the active voice when the verb’s subject
performs the action. An action verb is in the passive voice when its action is performed on the subject.
Active Voice: Derek took the pictures.
Passive Voice: The pictures were taken by Derek.
You form the passive voice by using a form of the verb be (is, are, was, were, be, been, have, has) with the past participle of a verb. The active
voice is a stronger way of expressing what you want to say. Use the passive voice, however, if you do not want to call attention to the performer of
the action of if you do not know the performer.
Ex. The eyeglasses were broken. [It may not matter who broke them.]
Ex. The flag has been raised. [You may not know who raised it.]
II. Subject-Verb Agreement: Finding the True Subject
A verb must agree with the true subject of a sentence. Sometimes a phrase comes between the subject and the verb. Be sure to make the verb
agree with the subject, not the noun closest to the verb.
Ex. The bushel of peaches was all over the street.
Sometimes the true subject of the sentence comes after the verb. This happens when a question is asked or when a sentence is inverted or begins
with Here or There. Note that Here or There is never the subject of a sentence.
Ex. Why are stop signs always red?
Ex. There is sure to be a solution.
III. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
All pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine, masculine, or neutral).
Rules:
1. Use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular antecedent.
Ex. Babe Ruth slugged his home run to the spot in the stands to which he had pointed.
2. Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents that are joined by or or nor.
Ex. Did President Harding or President Coolidge die while he was in office?
3. Some indefinite pronouns are always singular: each, one, either, neither, much, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one,
and nobody. A singular pronoun is used to refer to these pronouns.
Ex. Each of the girls entered her favorite photograph in the contest.
4. Use a plural pronoun to refer to a plural antecedent.
Ex. The fans cheered their idol.
5. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents that are joined by and.
Ex. Helen Wills and Babe Ruth were noted for their athletic skills.
6. Five indefinite pronouns are always plural: several, few, both many, and others. A plural pronoun is used to refer to a plural indefinite pronoun.
Ex. Both of the boys babysat their brother.
7. Five indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural depending on how they are used in a sentence: all, none, most, some.
Ex. Most of the paragraph was typed after it was proofread. [singular]
Ex. Most of the books got wet before they were moved. [plural]
IV. Parallelism
Parallelism: Writing with parallelism involves using similar sentence structures to express ideas that are similar in content. You can use parallelism to
balance or contrast related ideas.
Not Parallel:
The doctor saw the boy, named the illness, and she gave a pill.
Parallel: The doctor saw the boy, named the illness, and gave a pill.
V. Sentence Types
All English sentences may be classified according to their structure. Sentences are comprised of clauses. An independent clause is a group of words that has a
subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought. A subordinate clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb but does not express a
complete thought; it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
1. A simple sentence contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses. A simple sentence may have a compound (more than one) subject or
verb, or both.
Ex. Through the long, cold winter, Mr. Osaka plowed the snow.
Ex. Juanita and Todd worked hard and completed their project early.
2. A compound sentence contains two or more independent clauses but no subordinate clauses. They are joined using a comma and a
coordinating conjunction or by using a semicolon.
Ex. Ten of the athletes started college together, but only four of them graduated.
Ex. Someone told a joke about Texans; my friend from Dallas did not laugh.
3. A complex sentence has one independent clause and at least one subordinate clause. If the subordinate clause begins the sentence, then it
must be followed by a comma. If the subordinate clause follows the independent clause, then no comma is necessary.
Ex. When Beth takes pictures, she prefers black and white prints.
Ex. Everyone stopped talking as the curtain rose.
4. A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and at least one subordinate clause. Punctuation rules for
compound and complex sentence structures are followed.
Ex. After the game was over, some of the fans went for pizza, but most of us went home.
Quote Integration
Rule 1: Context Lead-in – Incorporate quotes into your writing by providing context
a. Explain who says it (if dialogue), when the quote takes place, and what is happening
Example: The Geat, Beowulf, wants to help King Hrothgar, he crosses the seas so that he “may purge all evil” from Herot (line 166).
b. Transition (For example, + when/while/because/even though + information + quote
Example: After killing many men in medieval Denmark, the horrid monster Grendel “returned to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter” (line
40).
Quote Integration
Rule 2: Keep quotations as short as possible. Three words can impact the reader quite successfully. Use ellipses () to reduce unnecessary words
before, during, or after a quotation.
Example: At the start of the battle, Gendel “clutched at Beowulf … And was instantly seized himself” (lines 269-271).
Example: To avoid Beowulf’s domination, “Grendel’s one thought was to … flee back to his marsh and hide there” (lines 278-279).
Quote Integration
Rule 3: At times, in order to make the quotation make sense or sound better, you may need to add or replace a word or two or change forms of words
within the quotations. Use brackets [ ].
Example: Whether simply evil or out for revenge, “[Grendel’s mother] took a single victim and fled from the hall … discovered, but her supper
assured” (lines 411-413).
Example: A fierce and formidable opponent, Beowulf realizes “that no sword could penetrate [Grendel’s mother’s] skin” (lines 479-480).
Quote Integration
Rule 4: When quoting passages already in quotation marks (dialogue) replace the double quotations with single quotation marks (apostrophe key) and
then put the entire passage within double quotes.
Example: Boasting of his past conquests, Beowulf claims, “’I’d use no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death like
Grendel” (lines 613-615).
Example: Fighting the dragon teaches old Beowulf to accept help because, as Wiglaf states, “’now our lord must lean on younger arms’” to
accomplish his goal (lines 722-725).
Varied Sentence Beginnings
1. Two Adjectives
A. Separated by a conjunction
Ex.: Studious and responsible, Mike reviewed his vocabulary for the upcoming quiz.
Ex.: Tired yet determined, Susie finished her homework into the late hours of the night.
B. Separated by a comma
Ex.: Studious, responsible students review vocabulary nightly in anticipation for the quiz.
2. Adverb(s)
A. TWO adverbs separated by a conjunction
Ex.: Quickly and silently, the cat pounced on its prey.
Ex.: Concisely but eloquently, José delivered his important message.
B. ONE adverb
Ex.: Steadfastly, Shinneaka pursued her ambition of becoming a journalist.
3.
Prepositional Phrase (shows a relationship between word or ideas (location, direction, time, cause, or possession. The phrase contains a
preposition followed by a noun or pronoun)
Ex.: (Through his hard work and dedication), Robert secured a full-ride football scholarship to Duke.
Ex.: (After months of intense practice), Madison finally earned her coveted 1st chair violin position.
4. Infinitive Phrase (the word “to” followed by a verb)
Ex.: To achieve her goal, JiYoung made many personal sacrifices.
Ex.: To become an accomplished and well-known writer often takes dogged determination in the face of multiple rejections.
5. Correlative Conjunction (work in pairs)
Ex.: Both confused and disoriented, Ryan struggled to remember the events leading up to the accident.
Ex.: Neither fear of the unknown nor the certain danger could stop the hero from embarking on his journey.
Correlative Conjunctions:
Either . . . or
Neither . . . nor
Whether . . . or
Both . . . and
Not only . . . but also
6. Appositive Phrase (an noun that interrupts the sentence to identify a nearby noun)
Ex.: A student of inexhaustible energy, Maria never tires of fully participating in class activities.
Ex.: The famous movie producer, Alfred Hitchcock made many classic horror movies.
7. Gerund (a verb that ends in “ing” and acts as a noun)
Ex.: Traveling to different countries and experiencing different cultures creates many learning opportunities.
Ex.: Listening well requires not only concentration but also action.
8. Participial Phrase (a verb that ends in “ing” or “ed” and acts as an adjective)
Ex.: Considering the matter fully, Marco decided to undertake the project.
Ex.: Stressed by the length of the test, Joel constantly watched the clock as he worked.
9. Subordinating Conjunction/Subordinate Clause
Ex.: Because the rains came suddenly, traffic backed up quickly.
Ex.: Although Juanita knew it would be a daunting task, she gritted her teeth and started the job.
Common Subordinating Conjunctions:
After
although
as
as if
as long as
as though
Because
before
even if
even though
if
if only
in order that
now that
provided that
rather than
since
so that
so long as
than
that
though
unless
until
when
whenever
where
whereas
wherever
while
10. Conjunctive Adverb (“transition” that indicates a relationship between clauses)
A. Used at the beginning of the sentence
Ex.: Similarly, Gail found herself watching the clock but for a different reason; she had finished the test early due to her diligent
preparation.
Ex.: Moreover, she had no work to keep her busy because she had completed that as well.
B. Used to join two join clauses
Ex.: The dark skies and distant thunder dissuaded Clarice from her afternoon run; moreover, she had thirty calculus problems to solve for
her morning class.
Ex.: Leon's apartment complex does not allow dogs over thirty pounds; otherwise, he would have bought the gangly Great Dane puppy
playing in the pet store window.