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Quick Grammar Lesson

A Painless Reminder of the Simple

Rules of Grammar

Brought to You by:

The Kind Folks at…

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Using Verb Tense Consistently

You Can’t Move from the Present to the Past!

So, what types of tenses are there?

Active vs Passive Voice

Simple Present

Present Progressive

Simple Past

Past Progressive

Future

Present Perfect

Present Perfect

Progressive

Past Perfect

Future Perfect

Modals

Scary, huh…

Active Voice

In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs

the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.

The sasquatch bit my grandfather.

Sasquatch will present his research at the conference.

Sasquatches have conducted experiments with turnips.

In each example above, the subject of the sentence performs

the action expressed in the verb.

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Passive Voice

In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives

the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon.

The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the .

. ." phrase or may be omitted.

My grandfather was bitten by the sasquatch.

Research will be presented by the sasquatch in due time.

Experiments have been conducted by sasquatches…

Which One Do You Use?

A Very Good Question Which Can Be

Answered Simply By Asking…

WWCD?

(What Would Coffin Do?)

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In English Classes, WWCD?

Most times, the use of passive voice can create awkward

sentences.

Also, overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can cause

your prose to seem flat and uninteresting.

When is passive voice used? Mostly in scientific writing

where it is less personal and more objective.

As much as possible, you should try to write in the Active

Voice!

When Proofreading…

(and you MUST proofread!)

You can recognize passive-voice expressions because the verb

phrase will always include a form of be, such as am, is, was, were,

are, or been. The presence of a be-verb, however, does not

necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive voice.

Another way to recognize passive-voice sentences is that they may

include a "by the..." phrase after the verb; the agent performing

the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this phrase.

Choosing the Active Voice:

In most nonscientific writing situations, active voice is

preferable to passive for the majority of your sentences.

Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-

- clearer and more direct than those in passive voice.

Sasquatches always use the active voice, but they are a

very civilized bunch.

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Examples:

Passive (Bad)

The entrance exam was failed

by over one-third of the

school’s sasquatches.

The brakes were slammed on

by the sasquatch as the car

sped downhill.

The sasquatch’s bicycle was

damaged by me.

Active (Good)

One-third of the school’s

sasquatches failed the

entrance exam.

The sasquatch slammed on the

brakes as the car sped

downhill.

I damaged the sasquatch’s

bicycle.

Formal vs Informal Language Usage:

It is crucial to learn to differentiate between levels of

usage; essays and reports require a more formally

constructed language than everyday speech.

It is all too easy to pepper written work with colloquial

phrases or weak constructions that come naturally to mind

but are incorrect or inadequate in formal writing.

What’s a Colloquial Phrase?

A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or

writing.

Colloquialisms can include words (such as "gonna" or

"grouty"), phrases (such as "ain't nothin'" and "dead as a

doornail"), or sometimes even an entire saying: ("There's

more than one way to skin a cat").

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More than One Way to Skin a Sasquatch?

Formal vs Informal vs Popular

Language is sometimes rather arbitrarily divided into three

major styles: formal, informal, and popular (vulgar).

Formal Writing:

Formal English is written English.

In general, it is confined to serious stuff: textbooks, academic or

technical works, and most essays you will write at university.

Formal language tends to be impersonal and precise, and often

uses long, carefully constructed sentences.

Formal writers will avoid contractions (can’t or won’t, etc) and

abbreviations, and will use a more specialized and complex

vocabulary than that employed in everyday speech.

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Informal Writing:

Informal English is the language spoken by most people every day.

Informal writers are more relaxed about grammar and less concerned

with vocabulary when they're engaged in ordinary conversation.

Informal writing reflects this relaxation. Sentences are shorter, and

tend to avoid the more formal punctuation of the semi-colon and

colon.

Contractions and the first person (I, we) are acceptable. Newspaper

articles and columns are usually written informally, and you use

informal language when you write to your friends.

Popular Writing:

Popular English can be colorful and highly expressive,

but it is out of place in any writing unless you are

reporting speech.

Formal Informal Popular

comprehend understand get it

intoxicated drunk wasted

exhausted tired bagged

dejected sad bummed

What is a Pronoun?

A word that can be substituted for a noun!

Because a pronoun takes the place OR refers back to a

noun, you MUST use the correct pronoun so that your

reader (Coffin) knows which noun you’re referring to.

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Agreement in Number:

If the pronoun takes the place of a SINGULAR NOUN, you must use

a singular pronoun. (If a sasquatch parks his car on campus, he

must buy a parking sticker.)

Remember, EVERYBODY, ANYONE, EACH, NEITHER, NOBODY,

SOMEONE, A PERSON are singular and take singular pronouns.

Neither of the sasquatches brought her umbrella. (GOOD)

Neither of the sasquatches brought their umbrella. (BAD)

Agreement in Person:

If you are writing in the FIRST PERSON (I), don’t confuse the reader by

switching to the SECOND PERSON (you) or THIRD PERSON (he, she, it,

they).

Similarly, if you are using the SECOND PERSON, don’t switch to FIRST

or THIRD.

When a sasquatch comes to class, he should have his homework ready.

(GOOD)

When a sasquatch comes to class, you should have your homework ready.

(BAD)

Refer Clearly to a Specific Noun:

Don’t be vague (unclear) or ambiguous.

NOT: Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not

damaged. (is ‘it’ the motorcycle or the tree?)

NOT: I don’t think they should show violence in video

games. (Who are ‘they’?)

NOT: Vacation is coming soon, which is nice. (What is nice,

the vacation or the fact it is coming soon?)

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Pronoun Case

Subjective Case

pronouns used as subjects

Objective Case

pronouns used as objects

Possessive Case

pronouns which express ownership

Subjective Pronouns:

I

You

He, She, It

We

They

Who

Objective Pronouns:

Me

You

Him, Her, It

Us

Them

Whom

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Possessive Pronouns:

My (mine)

Your (yours)

His, her (hers), it (its)

Our (ours)

Their (theirs)

Whose

Pronoun Quiz!

Using Modifiers:

What is a modifier?

A modifier can be an adjective, an adverb, or a phrase or clause

acting as an adjective or adverb.

In every case, the basic principle is the same: the modifier adds

information to the sentence.

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Sir, Your Modifier is Dangling…

A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a

concept.

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a

word not clearly stated in the sentence.

BAD: Having finished eating, the tv was turned on.

GOOD: Having finished eating, the sasquatch turned on the tv.

Bad Examples:

After reading the original study, the article remains

unconvincing.

The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab

manual carefully.

The mystery has been solved after ten years of the missing

portrait.

Having arrived late for practice, a note was required.

Another Bad Example: