ENG 102FA15

Active Verbs
Prepositions
Shifts
Proofreading Marks

ACTIVE VERBS
Whenever

possible avoid the passive

voice and use the active voice
Makes writing crisper, more lively,
more concise
Avoid or replace be verbs

be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been

The fly ball was caught by Hernando.

Hernando caught the fly ball.

ACTIVE VERBS
Use

the active voice unless you have a

good reason for choosing the passive.
In active, the subject does the action
In passive, the subject receives the
action

Mostly scientific writing

The settlers stripped the land of timber.

The land was stripped of timber by the
settlers.

ACTIVE VERBS
Replace

be verbs that result in dull or

wordy sentences
As a rule, choose a subject that names the
person or thing doing the action.

ACTIVE OR PASSIVE? IF ITS PASSIVE, MAKE

IT ACTIVE. IF ITS ACTIVE, MAKE IT PASSIVE.
1. Thomas fed his dog.
2. The dog is fed by Thomas.
3. The family went to the beach.
4. The letter was written by Marshall.
5. The game had been won by the blue team.
6. The problem was solved.
7. The stunt man risked his life.
8. The fire was extinguished.
9. The car was being cleaned by its owner
10. It gets cold here during the winter.

PARTS OF SPEECH

Preposition
indicates the relationship between the noun or
pronoun that follows it and another word in the
sentence
At, by, for, from, in, of, on, to , with
The road to the summit travels past craters from
an extinct volcano.

PREPOSITIONS

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Where are you at?

Where are you?
She displayed the good humor shes known for.
She displayed the good humor for which she is known.
I want to know where he came from.
I want to know from where he came.

PREPOSITIONS
She

is a person I cannot cope with.

She is a person with whom I cannot
cope.

If the restructured sentence sounds contrived and

unnatural, simply rewrite the sentence:

It

is behavior I will not put up with.

It is behavior up with which I will
not put.
It is behavior I will not tolerate.

ELIMINATE DISTRACTING SHIFTS

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

MAKE THE POV CONSISTENT

& NUMBER

IN PERSON

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

& NUMBER

IN PERSON

Our class practiced 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 freeing the victim.
Our class practiced 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 freeing the victim.

MAINTAIN CONSISTENT

VERB TENSES

When writing about literature, use present tense

(especially fiction)
The scarlet letter is a punishment sternly placed
on Hesters breast by the community, and yet it
was a fanciful and imaginative product of
Hesters own needlework.
The scarlet letter is a punishment sternly placed
on Hesters breast by the community, and yet it
is a fanciful and imaginative product of
Hesters own needlework.

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
The counselor advised us to spread out our core
requirements over two or three semester. Also,
pay attention to pre-requisites for elective
courses.
The counselor advised us to spread out our core
requirements over two or three semester. She
also suggested that we pay attention to prerequisites for elective courses.

MAKE VERBS CONSISTENT

IN MOOD

&

VOICE
Each student completes a self-assessment. The
self-assessment is then given to the teacher and
a copy is exchanged with a classmate.
Each student completes a self-assessment, gives
it to the teacher, and exchanges a copy with a
classmate.

AVOID SUDDEN

SHIFTS FROM INDIRECT

OR DIRECT QUESTIONS OR QUOTATIONS

Indirect question: We asked whether we could
visit Miriam
Direct question: Can we visit Miriam?
1. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and,
if so, whether she reported it to the police.
2. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and,
if so, did she report it to the police?
1. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and,
if so, whether she reported it to the police.

AVOID SUDDEN

SHIFTS FROM INDIRECT

OR DIRECT QUESTIONS OR QUOTATIONS

1. The patient said she had been experiencing
heart palpitations and could the doctor please
run as many tests as possible to find out whats
wrong.
2. The patient said she had been experiencing
heart palpitations and asked me to run as
many tests as possible to find out what was
wrong.
2. The patient said she had been experiencing
heart palpitations and asked me to run as
many tests as possible to find out what was
wrong.

PROOFREADING MARKS
Period

Close-up

Insert space

Transposed letters

Capitalize

delete

Lowercase
Spell out

Start new paragraph

Insert

GRAMMAR TASK
Write five sentences that use active verbs.
Write five sentences that use passive
verbs.
Restructure or rewrite five sentences that
end in a preposition. Make sure to
include the original sentence.
Give an incorrect example of each shift
rule. Then, correct the example.
Create an illustration to aid in
remembering each proofreading mark
(there are 10).

FOR TUESDAY
Read Chapter 2 (pgs. 51-77) about critiques