Download Station 1: ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE Copy the following

Station 1: ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
Copy the following definitions and examples:
Active Voice: When the subject of the sentence is performing the
action—the preferred “voice” when writing or speaking
Ex: The dog bit the boy.
Ex: The volcano devastated the city.
Passive Voice: When the receiver of the action is in the position
of the subject, but is not performing the action.
Considered not as strong.
Ex: The boy was bitten by the dog.
Ex: The city was devastated by the volcano.
Task: Identify whether the sentences are written in active (A) or
passive (P) voice.
1. My new dress was ruined by an exploding ketchup bottle.
2. An exploding ketchup bottle ruined my dress.
3. The little boy broke the birdhouse with a bat.
4. The birdhouse was broken by a bat.
5. The submarine was sunk by a torpedo.
6. A torpedo sank the submarine.
7. The sonnet was written by Shakespeare.
8. Shakespeare wrote the sonnet.
Convert the following examples of passive voice into active voice.
1. The house was built by my father.
2. My chandelier was fixed by the electrician.
Station 2: DIRECT VS. INDIRECT OBJECT
Copy the following definitions and examples:
Direct Object: The person or thing that directly receives the
action of the verb. Can be a noun or a pronoun.
Ex: John threw the ball.
(John=subject ball=direct object)
Ex: John threw it. (it=direct object pronoun)
(antecedent=ball)
Indirect Object: The person or thing that indirectly receives the
action of the verb. Can be a noun or a pronoun.
Ex: John threw Becky the ball.
(John=subject/Becky=indirect object/ball=direct object)
Ex: He threw her the ball.
(her=indirect object pronoun/ antecedent=Becky)
Identify the direct object (DO) for each sentence. I.D. the
indirect object (IO) if there is one. Remember, the direct and
indirect objects can be nouns or pronouns.
1. My mom made the pizza.
2. We sent some soldiers a package.
3. The principal rules the school.
4. Alex sent Haley a letter.
5. He gave her some roses.
Station 3: GERUNDS
Copy the following definitions and examples:
Gerund: The –ing form of a verb that acts as a noun—functions
as either the subject, direct object, or predicate
nominative of a sentence.
Ex: Walking is healthy. (“walking” comes from a
verb but is acting as a noun—in this case the subject
of the sentence.)
Ex: I love walking. (“walking” is the gerund because
it comes from a verb, ends in –ing, but it acts as a
noun. Here is it is the direct object.)
Ex: The simplest way to exercise is walking.
(“walking” is a gerund/noun here. In this sentence, it
is the predicate nominative.)
Fill in the blank with an appropriate gerund (must end in ---ing).
1. ____________is the best way to relax.
2. The most important thing about school is____________.
3. ________________is often difficult.
4. My friends enjoy________________on the weekends.
I.D. whether the underlined word is acting as a verb or a noun (gerund).
1. Teaching is a challenging profession.
2. She is teaching me about gerunds.
3. We are hiking this weekend.
4. Hiking is an excellent outdoor activity.
Station 4: SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT
Basic Rule: Singular subjects require singular verbs, and
plural subjects require plural verbs.
Ex: I am thinking about grammar.
(the subject “I” is singular, so it needs the singular conjugation of the
verb “to be”—in this case, it is the verb “am”)
Ex: The students were learning a lot.
(the subject “students” is plural, so it needs the plural conjugation of
the verb “to be”—in this case, it is the verb “were”)
Subject-Verb Disagreement—When the subject and verb
don’t match up with the appropriate number
Ex: The apples is still in the fridge.
(“apples” is plural, so it needs the plural form of the verb “are”)
Ex: My mom are going to the store.
(“mom” is singular, so it needs the singular form of the verb “is”)
Choose the proper verb conjugation to ensure subject/verb
agreement.
1. My brother and my sister (is/are) going on vacation.
2. The toys in the store (is/are) expensive.
3. Jennifer (walk/walks) to school every day.
4. Bob, one of my best friends, (like/likes) baseball.
5. The noises in the night (is/are) creepy.
Station 5: INFINITIVES
Copy the following definitions and examples:
Infinitive: the “to_________” form of a verb, but it functions
as a noun. In a sentence, an infinitive can act as the subject
or the direct object.
Ex: I love to sleep.
(“love” is the verb and “to sleep” is an infinitive—in this
case, the direct object)
Ex: To kill is wrong.
(“to kill” is a verb infinitive[noun]functioning as the subject
of the sentence)
Identify whether the underlined words are an infinitive as the
subject (IS), an infinitive as a direct object (IDO), or just a
prepositional phrase (PP).
1. I went to the store.
2. To forgive is important.
3. We all need to forgive.
4. Jason needs to study.
5. Beth rides her bike to school.
6. To complain is useless.
7. I hate to wait for the postal clerk.
8. Alyssa doesn’t want to go to jail.
Station 6: MISPLACED MODIFIERS
Copy the following definitions and examples:
General Rule: Modifiers (adjectives and adverbs—phrases
included) should be positioned logically in a sentence—
usually as close as possible to the thing it is modifying.
EXAMPLES:
Misplaced Modifier: Hiding in a cage, I fed the scared kitten.
(“hiding in a cage” logically describes the kitten, not the
subject “I”)
Correct Placement: I fed the scared kitten hiding in cage.
Rewrite/rework the following sentences to correct the
misplaced modifiers.
1. Walking to the store, the car hit me.
2. Swinging wildly through the trees, the school kids
were delighted by the monkeys.
3. Rusty and falling apart, I decided to get a new bike.
4. Totally pale and white, the black lab frightened the
little girl.
5. Sweating and dirty, the new fence was finally
installed.
Station 7: PARALLEL STRUCTURE/
FAULTY PARALLELISM
Copy the following definitions and a few of the examples:
Parallel structure: Intentional repetition of a grammatical
structure—used for stylistic effect. Gives equal importance
to two or more ideas (words/phrases/clauses).
Ex: What goes up, must come down.
Ex: Seeing is believing.
Ex: “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…”
Charles Dickens
Ex: To know him is to love him.
Ex: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do
for your country…” J.F.K.
Ex: I love skiing, hiking, and cooking.
Ex: When a door closes, a window opens.
Ex: Happy wife…happy life!
Correct the following examples of faulty parallelism.
1.
She likes to play baseball and gardening.
2.
To err is human; forgiving is divine.
3.
I need milk, exercising, and to vote.
4.
To run and play golf are his favorite hobbies.
5.
Randy must do laundry, sleeping , and to study.
Station 8: TITLES
According to the MLA (Modern Language Association), there
are specific rules for how to document titles of various items.
Make a T-Chart copying the information below.
“Quotation Marks”
vs.
Underline or Italicized
____________________________________________________
Poems
books
Short stories
films
Chapter titles
newspapers
Songs
magazines
Newspaper articles
television shows
Magazine articles
encyclopedias
Encyclopedia articles
Episode titles
Appropriately punctuate the titles in the following sentences.
Don’t copy the whole sentence—just the part (title) that you
underline or quote.
1. In the book Ruling Minds, my favorite chapter is The Party’s Over.
2. My favorite song is Dance Me to the End of Love by The Railroaders.
3. Did you read the article What’s Rockin’? found in the New York Times?
4. Analyze the poem Song of Silence found in the book Changing Ways.
5. Too Hot to Handle, an article from Time magazine, analyzes whether or not
firefighters should enter burning buildings.