Transcript Avoiding passive construction and to be verbs

Avoiding passive
construction and to
be verbs
To be verbs pages 15-16
• White Composition Style Book
Composition
Style Book
What are “to be” or “state of
being” verbs?
These are verbs that show only
that someone or something exists:
To be or state of being verbs
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Am
are
Is
Was
Were
Be
Been
Being
What is wrong with using to be
verbs?
1. to be verbs are boring.
They simply say that something exists.
Bert is in the office.
Can you “is”?
No, you cannot.
Replace the to be verb with an
active verb
• Bert is in the office.
• Bert waits in the office.
• Bert crouches in the office.
• Bert rests in the office
• Bert laughs in the office.
• We can now SEE Bert.
• Active verbs add imagery and interest to
your writing
• Active verbs help to create tone
• Your writing needs to exhibit tone
• Improve these sentences by replacing
the to be verb:
•Mark was in the
restaurant.
• Improve this sentence
????
Fix…
• The clerk was trying to
sell me several more
items than I needed.
• We were in the family
room when the tornado
struck.
• The concert was over at 12:00.
• The television was on all night.
• More ways to avoid to be verbs….
Recognizing Expletive
Construction
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There is
There was
There were
Etc…
• There is one person waiting in line.
• One person remains standing in line.
• There were many players who did not
prepare for the game.
• Many players did not prepare for the
game.
• There are many symbols in the story.
• Many symbols appear in the story.
From unacceptable to great…
• There are ten dogs in the pound.
• The dog pound has ten occupants.
• The pound currently houses ten dogs.
More Unnecessary uses of to
be
• He wanted a medication that was
prescribed by a physician.
• He wanted a medication prescribed by a
physician.
Other Unnecessary uses of to be
• She recognized the officer who was
chasing the thief.
• She recognized the officer chasing the
thief.
Improve this sentence:
• Anyone who is willing to work hard will
succeed in this program.
• Anyone willing to work hard will succeed in
this program.
Improve this sentence:
• A customer who is pleased will surely
return.
• A pleased customer will surely return.
More…
• It was Allan who told the principal about
the student’s prank.
• Allan told the principal about the student’s
prank.
Hint…
• Try to use the “ed” verb form
instead of the “ing” form.
• I was walking through the gate.
• I walked through the gate.
To be verbs are boring and they fail to lend
imagery and action to your writing.
What is the second
be verbs?
reason to avoid to
•To be verbs often
create Passive Voice
What is Passive Voice
• Passive voice—the actor does not do
the acting in the sentence.
• The road was crossed by the chicken
• The chicken is the actor; therefore,
chicken needs to be the subject of the
sentence.
• The road was crossed by the chicken.
• Revise the sentence in order to make
chicken the actor or the subject.
• The chicken crossed the road.
• This is active voice!!!
How do I recognize passive
construction?
• A to be verb followed by a past
participle…
• Was crossed
• Were shown
• Are given
The novella was written by Ernest
Hemingway.
• Change this sentence from passive to
active
Ernest Hemingway wrote the novella.
This is active voice.
• Did you notice that when you eliminate to
be verbs, you also force the elimination of
passive voice.
• Thoreau was given the remains of a used
cabin.
• Thoreau received the remains of a used
cabin.
Identify the passive construction
and rewrite the sentence.
•Many new strategies
had been developed
by the Harvard
researchers.
Identify the passive construction
and rewrite the sentence.
•The books could have
been distributed by
the teaching
assistants.
Also…another way to identify passive
voice…
• Look for to be verb+past pariticiple+
“by……”
• The shoes were purchased by the coach.
• Fix this sentence
Identify passive construction and
rewrite the sentence.
•The football
players were
coached. (implied by the…)
• The coach purchased the shoes.
• What happened to the to be verb?
•
How hard was that?
Do I need to eliminate all to be
verbs from my writing?
When can I use a to be verb
• Usually, when the to be verb is not
followed by a past participle:
• Jon is nice.
Respond to this sentence.
• Jon is a fine young man.
• Is the to be verb acceptable here?
• James is a wonderful person.
ok
• James was injured by the flying debris. ok
• In this sentence, James is the focus of
attention, not the flying debris.
•After missing ten days
of school, Lulu was
tutored by her English
teacher.
Finally, justify the passive
construction in the next two slides.
• As harvest time approaches,
apple trees are sprayed with a
chemical to prevent insect
infestation.
•Offer one reason for
avoiding to be
verbs.
•Offer another
reason for avoiding
to be verbs.
Use your compare essay for this
task:
• Locate a sentence that uses passive
construction and write out the sentence.
• Revise it. Write out the entire sentence.
• Locate a sentence has an unnecessary
use of a to be verb and write out the entire
sentence.
• Revise it. Write out the entire sentence.