MW Eng100BC PartsOfSpeech ActivePassiveVerbs EndingPrepositions FA14

8/11/2019 MW Eng100BC PartsOfSpeech ActivePassiveVerbs EndingPrepositions FA14

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English 100 BC



A dramatic ballad singer studied under a strict teacher

who insisted that he rehearse day after day, month

after month the same passage from the same song,

without being permitted to go any further. Finally,

overwhelmed by frustration and despair, the young

man ran off to find another profession. One night,

stopping at an inn, he stumbled upon a recitation

contest. Having nothing to lose, he entered the

competition and, of course, sang the one passage that

he knew so well. When he had finished, the sponsor of

the contest highly praised his performance. Despite

the student's embarrassed objections, the sponsor

refused to believe that he had just heard a beginner

perform. "Tell me," the sponsor said, "who is your

instructor? He must be a great master." The student

later became known as the great performer Koshiji.



If a child says he wants to be a professional

basketball player, what must the child do?

If a student wants to be a good writer, what

must the student do?



Noun

name of a person, place, thing, or concept

A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0m89e9oZko

Pronoun

word used in place of a noun

Rufus Xaviar Sarsasparilla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVSr4bsVIpM

Verb

usually expresses action or being

Verb: That’s What’s Happening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvBKnZ6u0jA

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dh0m89e9oZko

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3djVSr4bsVIpM

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dXvBKnZ6u0jA

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dXvBKnZ6u0jA

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3djVSr4bsVIpM

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dh0m89e9oZko



1. A couple was going on a vacation.

verb

2. The wife was on a business trip and was

going to meet her husband in Barbados the

day after his arrival.

noun

3. When he reached his hotel, he decided to

send his wife a quick email.

verb



4. Unfortunately, when typing her address, he

mistyped a letter, and his note was directed

instead to an elderly preacher’s wife whose

husband had passed away only the day before.

noun

5. When the grieving widow checked her email, she

took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing

scream, and fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Pronoun

6. When they heard the commotion, her family

rushed into the study.

verb



7. They saw the following email on the

computer screen.

noun

8. Dearest Wife,

Just got checked in. Everything prepared

for your arrival tomorrow.

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

pronoun



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.



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.



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.



1. Big crowds are drawn to annual “Fashion

Week” events in American and European

cities.

Annual “Fashion Week” events in American

And European cities draw big crowds.

2. Shows by new and established designers

are attended by photographers, journalists,

models, and celebrities.

Photographers, journalists, models, and

celebrities attend shows by new and

established designers.



3. Many people in the audience have model-

thin bodies and photogenic faces.

Many people in the audience show off their

model-thin bodies and photogenic faces.

4. Often haute couture shows with their

expensive, trend-setting fashions are the

highlight of the event.

Often, haute couture shows with their

expensive, trend-setting fashions entice the

largest numbers of eager spectators.



5. Haute couture garments are not expected

to be worn by ordinary people.

Designers do not expect ordinary people to

wear

haute couture

garments.

6. Haute couture creations are frequently

more like works of art than mere outfits.

Designers frequently consider their haute

couture creations as works of art rather than

mere outfits.



7. Such clothing can be worn in public only by

runway models.

Only runway models can wear such clothing

in public.

8. Other people seem ridiculous in haute

couture

clothes.

Other people attract ridicule in haute couture

clothes.



9. Clothes can be draped more easily on

models who have very thin bodies.

Dressers can drape clothes more easily on

models who have very thin bodies.

10. Some people are more impressed by the

spectacle than by the clothes.

The spectacle impresses some people more

than the clothes.



Adjective

modifies a noun or pronoun

usually answers questions such as

Which one? What kind? How many?

Articles a, an, and the also adjectives

Unpack Your Adjectives

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRBRnyfjFw

Adverb

modifies a verb , an adjective, or an adverb

usually answers questions such as

When? Where? Why? How? Under what conditions?

To what degree?

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXwE1dVDHP0

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dzmRBRnyfjFw


https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dQXwE1dVDHP0

https://outlook.ccac.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=qr2V-oEW-U-dUOK-4yxbin5v0u2smtEIY-g__LuCwGhcngRL9PWN3lOW6XQEGl0Nf1oMq7D2CsI.&URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3dQXwE1dVDHP0




1. My captors continue to maliciously torment

me with bizarre dangling objects.

adverb

2. They eat lavish meals in my presence while I

am forced to subsist on dry cereal.

adjective

3. The only thing that keeps me going is the

hope of eventual escape.

adjective



4. I also derive satisfaction from occasionally

ruining some piece of their furniture. adverb

5. I fear I may be going utterly insane.

adverb

6. Yesterday, I ate a houseplant.

Adjective (articles are adjectives too )

7. Tomorrow, I might eat another.

Adjective (plant is implied…another describes

plant)



Preposition

indicates the relationship between the noun or

pronoun that follows it and another word in

the sentence

Busy Prepositions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmz8mM-nPtM

Conjunction

connects words or word groups

Conjunction Junction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyjKgz9tKg














1. We were somewhere around Barstow on the

edge of the desert when the drugs began to

take hold.

preposition

2. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit

lightheaded [so] maybe you should drive….”

conjunction



3. And suddenly there was a terrible roar

all around us and the sky was full of what looked

like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and

diving around the car, which was going about 100

miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas.

preposition

4. And a voice was screaming: “Holy Jesus What

are these goddamn animals?” Then it was quiet

again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was

pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the

tanning process.

preposition



5. “What the hell are you yelling about?” he

mustered, staring up at the sun with his eyes

closed and covered with wraparound Spanish

sunglasses.

preposition

6. “Never mind,” I said. “It’s your turn to drive.”

preposition



7. I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red

Shark toward the shoulder of the highway.

conjunction

8. No point mentioning those bats, I thought

[for] the poor bastard will see them soon

enough.

conjunction



Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

◦Where are you at?

◦ Where are you?

◦ She displayed the good humor she’s 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.



◦ 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.



The source uses a variety of

people to show what happiness

is.

This is how people are.

Never end in a “be” verb



Eng 100



These distract or confuse readers

Point of view

Verb tense

Mood or voice

Indirect to direct questions/quotations



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



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.



Consistent verb tenses clearly establish time of the

actions being described

A. There was no way I could fight the current and

win. Just as I was losing hope, a stranger jumps

off a passing boat and swims toward me.

B. There was no way I could fight the current and

win. Just as I was losing hope, a stranger jumped

off a passing boat and swam toward me.

B. There was no way I could fight the current and

win. Just as I was losing hope, a stranger jumped

off a passing boat and swam toward me.



When writing about literature or current research,

use present tense

The scarlet letter is a punishment sternly placed on

Hester’s breast by the community and yet it was

a fanciful and imaginative product of Hester’s

own needlework.

The scarlet letter is a punishment sternly placed on

Hester’s breast by the community and yet it is a

fanciful and imaginative product of Hester’s own

needlework.



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 pre-

requisites for elective courses.



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.



Indirect question: We asked whether we could visit

Miriam

Direct question: Can we visit Miriam?

A. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and, if

so, whether she reported it to the police.

B. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and, if

so, did she report it to the police?

A. I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and, if

so, whether she reported it to the police.



A. The patient said she had been experiencing

heart palpitations and please run as many tests

as possible to find out what’s wrong.

B. 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.

B. 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.



1. West African villages have strong oral traditions

in which the younger people are told stories by

their parents and grandparents.

West African villages have strong oral traditions in

which parents and grandparents tell the younger

people stories.

2. Way back before the Revolutionary War, slave

traders forced ancestors of the people from

those villages to come to the United States.

Before the Revolutionary War, slave traders forced

ancestors of the people from those villages to

come to the United States.



3. In their difficult new situation in this country,

the Africans adapted their stories so that you

could learn from them.

In their difficult new situation in this country, the

Africans adapted their stories so that people

could learn from them.

4. Although different stories had different

messages, one kind of character comes up over

and over again.

Although different stories had different

messages, one kind of character came up over

and over again.



5. The character is cunning and clever; call him a

“trickster.”

The character is cunning and clever; he is a

“trickster.”

6. The stories about Br’er Rabbit are good

examples of folktales whose hero was a

trickster.

The stories about Br’er Rabbit are good examples

of folktales whose hero is a trickster.



7. Many of the other animals want to gobble up

Br’er Rabbit, who has only his wits to protect

him.

Many of the other animals want to eat Br’er

Rabbit, who has only his wits to protect him.

8. Yet in every story, Brer Rabbit not only escapes,

but his enemies are made to appear foolish by

him as well.

Yet in every story, Br’er Rabbit not only escapes,

but he makes his enemies appear foolish as

well.



What is a pronoun?

Substitutes a noun

He, she, it, her, him, they, we, us, them

What is an antecedent?

Noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers to

Dr. Berto finished her rounds.

The hospital interns finished their rounds.



Do not use plural pronouns to refer to singular

antecedents

3 Ways to correct

When someone travels outside the US for the

first time, they need to apply for a passport.

Replace plural pronoun with he or she (his or her)

When someone travels outside the US for the first

time, he or she needs to apply for a passport.

Make antecedent plural

When people travel outside the US for the first time,

they need to apply for a passport.

Rewrite sentence to correct problem

Anyone who travels outside the US for the first time

needs to apply for a passport.



Do not use plural pronouns to refer to singular

antecedents

These indefinite pronouns are all singular

Anybody anyone anything each

Everybody either everyone everything

Nobody no one neither nothing

Somebody someone something



Treat collective nouns as singular unless the

meaning is clearly plural

Collective nouns are treated as a group and

functions as a unit

Jury committee audience

couple Crowd class

troop family team

The committee granted its permission to build.

Sometimes they act as individuals though

The committee put their signatures on the

document.

Simplify by adding a clearly plural antecedent

The members of the committee put their

signatures on the document.



Treat most compound antecedents joined with

and as plural

In 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev held a

summit where they signed the Intermediate-

Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

With compound antecedents joined with

or

or

nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make

the pronoun agree with the closer antecedent

Either Bruce or Tom should receive first prize

for his poem.

Neither the mouse nor the rats could find

their way through the maze.



With compound antecedents joined with or or

nor (or with either…or or neither…nor), make

the pronoun agree with the closer antecedent

*if one antecedent is singular and the other

plural, put plural one last to avoid

awkwardness

If one antecedent is male and the other

female, do not follow the traditional rule

Either Bruce or Elizabeth should receive first

prize for her short story.

The prize for best short story should go to

either Bruce or Elizabeth.



1. Meteorology has made many advances in the

past few decades, but they still cannot answer a

number of questions about tornadoes.

Meteorology has made many advances in the past

few decades, but it still cannot answer a number

of questions about tornadoes.

2. Every tornado has their own unique

characteristics.

Every tornado has its own unique characteristics.



3. The science of tornado watching has its own

system, the Fujita scale, for measuring storms

from weakest (F0) to strongest (F5).

correct

4. An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy

everything in their path.

An F4 tornado or an F5 tornado can destroy

everything in its path.



5. Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any

tornado will be before they happen.

Scientists cannot yet predict how strong any

tornado will be before it happens.

6. One mystery about tornadoes involves the last

step when it forms.

One mystery about tornadoes involves the last

step when they form.



7. Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a

cloud and travels to the ground or if they begin

on earth and spiral upward.

Specialists do not know if a tornado forms in a

cloud and travels to the ground or if it begins on

earth and spirals upward.

8. Improved meteorological technology and the

skill to interpret data have made their

contributions to tornado prediction.

correct



9. Either a few extra minutes of warning or more

information about a storm’s power would prove

their effectiveness in saving lives.

Either a few extra minutes of warning or more

information about a storm’s power would prove

its effectiveness in saving lives.

10. People who live in a tornado zone should

always know where his or her nearest safe area

is.

People who live in a tornado zone should always

know where their nearest safe area is.

People who live in a tornado zone should always

know the location of their nearest safe zone.



Avoid ambiguous or remote pronoun reference

Occurs when pronoun could refer to 2

possible antecedents

When Gloria set the pitcher on the glass-

topped table, it broke.

Which object broke – the pitcher or the table?

The pitcher broke when Gloria set it on the

glass-topped table.

Tom told Sam that he had won the lottery.

Who won the lottery – Tom or Sam?

Tom told Sam “You have won the lottery.”



Generally, avoid broad reference of this, that,

which, it

By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical

companies gain exposure for their

prescription drugs. Patients respond to this

by requesting drugs they might not need.

What are patients responding to – ads,

companies, prescription drugs?

By advertising on TV, pharmaceutical

companies gain exposure for their

prescription drugs. Patients respond to the

ads by requesting drugs they might not need.



Do not use a pronoun to refer to an implied

antecedent

A pronoun should refer to a specific

antecedent, not to a word that isn’t actually

in the sentence

After braiding Ann’s hair Sue decorated them

with ribbons.

What is the antecedent for the pronoun them?

After braiding Ann’s hair Sue decorated the

braids with ribbons.



Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you


antecedent, not to a word that isn’t actually in

the sentence

In June, they announced that parents would

have to pay a fee.

In June, the board announced that parents

would have to pay a fee.

In the encyclopedia it states that male moths

can smell female moths from several miles

away.

The encyclopedia states that male moths can

smell female moths from several miles away.



Avoid the indefinite use of they, it, you


antecedent, not to a word that isn’t actually in

the sentence

Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that you should

not arrive at a party too early or leave too late.

Ms. Pickersgill’s book stipulates that a guest

should not arrive at a party too early or leave

too late.



To refer to persons, use who, whom, whose NOT

which, that

Use

which, that

to refer to animals or things

All thirty-two women in the study, half of which

were unemployed for more than six months,

reported higher self-esteem after job training.

All thirty-two women in the study, half of whom

were unemployed for more than six months,

reported higher self-esteem after job training.

During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos,

Mexican families celebrate loved ones that have

died.

During the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos,

Mexican families celebrate loved ones who have

died.



1. In much political analysis, they say that public

distrust of the US government began with

Watergate.

Many political analysts say that public distrust of

the US government began with Watergate.

2. That scandal’s continuing legacy may make it

one of the most influential American events of the

twentieth century.

That scandal’s continuing legacy may make

Watergate one of the most influential American

events of the twentieth century.



3. Since the early 1970s, political scandals have

rarely interested Americans; they often seem to

have very little effect.

Since the early 1970s, political scandals have rarely

interested Americans; the scandals often seem to

have very little effect.

4. Journalists provided the American people with a

lot of information about the Iran-Contra hearings,

but they could not have cared less.

Journalists provided the American people with a lot

of information about the Iran-Contra hearings,

but the public could not have cared less.



5. Most people were indifferent; could it have been

the result of post-Watergate trauma?

Could the indifference of most people have been

the result of post-Watergate trauma?

6. If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt, it

will not surprise or even interest them.

If Americans expect politicians to be corrupt,

government scandals will not surprise or even

interest them.



7. Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals

seems to have made the public suspicious of them

as well.

Ironically, the media’s coverage of scandals seems

to have made the public suspicious of journalists

as well.

8. Cynicism about political and journalistic motives,

leads to apathy and it can spread contagiously.

Cynicism about political and journalistic motives,

which can spread contagiously, leads to apathy.



Sample essay

Read Preface pages 1 – 46 (How to Read an

Essay, How to Write an Essay, How to Revise

an Essay)

Skim chapter on Narrative writing

MW Eng100BC PartsOfSpeech ActivePassiveVerbs EndingPrepositions FA14

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