Name:

Date: _______________________________________

GRAMMAR REVIEW PACKET

These topics are covered:

Word Choice
Passive v. Active Voice
Awkward

*Each topic begins with an explanation followed by a practice exercise. Study the explanations
first, and then do the exercises.

Word Choice Explanation

Word choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that communicates not just in a
functional way, but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. In good descriptive writing,
strong word choice paints pictures in the readers mind. In informational writing, strong word
choice clarifies, explains, and expands ideas. In persuasive writing, strong word choice compels
the reader to see things clearly and, sometimes to agree with the reader. Effective word choice is
characterized not so much by exceptional vocabulary as by the ability to use everyday language
naturally and in a fresh or unexpected way.
What to look for in text:
Words of any kind
Words you can read and make sense of
Words that replace old, tired standards- for example, something other than nice, good,
fun, cool, neat, really, very and avoid using: like, very, a lot, things, bunch, stuff, and
interesting
Strong verbs- the heart of good writing
Words that paint a picture
Sensory words that help you hear, smell, feel, or touch the moment
A stretch to use a new or unusual word
The right word at the right moment-for example, My socks are soggy (compare wet)

To make sure your language is appropriate for an essay, avoid the following pitfalls.
First, most slang that you might use in everyday language is too casual for a formal essay.
Similarly, casual language that you often use in everyday speech might create too casual a tone
for an essay. Finally, clichs that we use in everyday conversation (green with envy, face the
music, add insult to injury, etc.) can make your writing sound boring. Consider the paragraph
and revision below.

Example:
Original Paragraph
When I started thinking about getting a new job, I was completely clueless. I knew I wanted to
do something really cool, but I was lost about what might fit the bill.

Revised Paragraph
When I started thinking about getting a new job, I was overwhelmed by my options and unsure
of what to choose. While I knew I wanted to do something interesting, I was uncertain of what
that might be.

Word Choice Practice

Directions: Rewrite each group of sentences to avoid repeating words. Remember that you can
either take out a repeated word or find a synonym to use instead. There is more than one way to
rewrite each item.
1. I remember August 14 best of all because it was a perfect day. The weather was sunny and
perfect, and the beach looked perfect as we stepped onto the sand.
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2. A terrible disaster occurred. It is hard to imagine anything more terrible. Robert had made a
terrible mistake.
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3. Next year will be very important. It will be filled with important decisions. The important
steps I take then will affect the rest of my life.
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4. This article contains good ideas for saving money. It explains a good, easy way to find
bargains when you shop. It also has some good tips on putting your money to work for you.
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Practice Choosing Specific Words

Directions: Some words in these drafts are vague. Underline those words. Then revise the drafts:
Cross out the vague words and write specific words above them. When you are finished, write a
clean copy of each revised draft.
A. This draft is part of a letter. The writer is answering an ad for a job as a stock clerk in a
hardware store. The ad appeared in a newspaper, The Daily Bulletin. I am going for the
job of stock clerk that you told about in the paper. I think I would be great at the job
because I have great experience. I took wood shop in high school and it was my best
thing. I did a parttime job as a stock clerk in a supermarket. I also helped out in my
fathers store. I have great work habits. I am responsible and cooperative. I can give you
great references. I hope you will give me the job. You can call me at 5554870.
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B. This paragraph is part of a report about a movie. The writer thought the movie was
exciting and liked it very much. The movie I saw was called The Bug. I thought it was
something. It was about a dude that was weird. He was a science person or something. He
did things with bugs and stuff. He built a machine that had xrays or something and
zapped the bugs. They got weird. One day he had an accident and he zapped himself. He
turned into a giant bug. It was weird. He went around the city and attacked things. The
army wiped him out. The movie was too much. I think everybody should check it out.
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Passive v. Active Voice Explanation

Active Voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the
verb.
These examples show that the subject is doing the verb's action.

Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be
in the active voice.
Passive Voice
One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so
that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb - or passive.
Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.

Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the
passive voice.

To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:

1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject slot

2. Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition by

3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form

Passive v. Active Voice Practice

Directions: Read the paired sentences aloud. Write "A" in the blank beside the sentence in the
active voice,"P" in the blank beside the sentence in the passive voice.

A. _______ Louise made the coffee.

B. _______ The coffee was made by Louise.
C. _______ The package was advertised by the travel agent.
D. _______ The travel agent advertised the package.

Practicing II
Rewrite these sentences to put them in the active voice.
A. The sugar water was relished by the hummingbirds.
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B. Jogging is done by many people for exercise.
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C. A standing ovation was given to the guitar player.
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d. The syllabus was handed out by the professor.
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Practicing III
Directions: Rewrite the following paragraph in the active voice.

Last summer our house was painted by me. The job took about two weeks. First, the
exterior was washed using warm water and a mild detergent. Then all the chinks and pores in the
walls were sealed with putty. After the putty had had a chance to dry, the exterior could be
painted. A latex paint was used because it is easy to apply and cleans up with water. A whole
week was needed to finish this part of the job. I was very careful to apply the paint evenly
because I did not want to have to apply two coats. A color was used that was very close to the
original color. Our house is a two-story house, which meant that a tall ladder was needed to do
the second story. The paint can had to be balanced on the top rung of the ladder while I worked.
When the job was finished, a great deal of satisfaction was felt by me. I had to pat myself on the
back. Even my dad said that a good job was done.
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Directions: Rewrite the following sentences so that they use the active voice. When necessary,
supply the missing performer of the action. Some of the sentences may already use the active
voice.
1. Alice was invited to play croquet by the Queen of Hearts.
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2. The Daltons and the Clantons were never captured by the posse.
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3. Mario had been training for the marathon for six months.
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4. Janet was not allowed to watch the movie because her homework was not yet completed.
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5. Members of the army were inoculated for scarlet fever by the government.
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6. Airline passengers are routinely checked by security guards to make sure no weapons are
being carried on board.
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7. Many scenes of American life in the 1950s were painted by Norman Rockwell.
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8. Fireworks are considered dangerous by many people and have been outlawed by many cities.
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9. Emily Dickinsons poems had been rejected by publishers many times.
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10. The Harry Potter movies were watched numerous times by Douglas and Jaime.
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11. The strong wind bent the newly planted birch tree to the ground.
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12. Blue skies and warm weather are hoped for by everyone who has been invited to the picnic.
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13. Darnell is studying to be a doctor even though he does not know how his tuition will be paid.
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14. Herman started to worry when he was told that wasps had been seen flying into his bedroom.
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15. A llama and an aardvark were chased from one end of the park to the other by six worried
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Awkward Tips
The first step is finding an awkward sentence. The three sentences below were all marked by
professors or teachers as awklets see if we can figure out why.
1) As far as Im concerned, because of the fact that a situation
of discrimination continues in the field of medicine, women have
not at the present time achieved quality with men.
2) The best teachers help each student become a better student
both academically and emotionally.
3) College students have a lot of pressure on them being high
achievers.
Do these sentences sound right to you? Try reading them aloud and see if your opinion of
the sentence changes. When we read these three awkward sentences aloud, something sounds
off about each one of them.
Reading your writing aloud is the best way to find awkward sentences.
An awkward sentence may not be grammatically incorrect, and you can usually understand what
the writer is trying to saybut still, theres something not quite right, which your ear can pick
up better than your eye.
You know theres something wrong with these sentences, and you may even know what it is
but it is sometimes difficult to come up with a solution for a sentence that has got away.
Fixing Awkward Sentences
Lets look at each of the three example sentences, identify the problem with each of them, and
give that problem a name.
1) As far as Im concerned, because of the fact that a situation
of discrimination continues in the field of medicine, women have
not at the present time achieved quality with men.
This sentence was marked awk because it is WORDY. There are too many unnecessary words
and phrases ( wordy words) in the sentence (all of them are underlined). Phrases like as
far as Im concerned (or all things considered or last but not least) clutter your
writing and make it confusing and awkward. By writing the sentence more concisely, we can
make it smoother:

Because of continuing discrimination in medicine, women have not

yet achieved equality with men.
Heres the second sentence:
2) The best teachers help each student to become a better student
both academically and emotionally.
This sentence was marked awk because it is REPETITIVE. The word student is repeated
twice. Replacing it with a different word will make it less awkward: The best teachers help each
student to grow both academically and emotionally.
Now the third sentence:
3) College students have a lot of pressure on them being high
achievers.
This sentence was marked awk because it has a DANGLING MODIFIER. A dangling modifier
is a grammatical term for a phrase in a sentence that does not clearly connect to a specific part of
the sentence, and is unclear as a result. In this example, we are not sure whether college students
are high achievers and therefore have lots of pressure on themor whether they have pressure
on them to be high achievers. Do you see the difference? Try this instead:
Being high achievers, college students have a lot of pressure on
them.
Avoiding Awkward Sentences
Now that we have looked at some awkward sentences and determined what is wrong with them,
how can we be sure to avoid them?
1) Read aloud! if a sentence doesnt sound right to you, then it probably isnt
2) Eliminate words! be on the lookout for wordy words or repetition in your writing
3) Slow down! work on a hard sentence slowly; if you feel like its getting away from
you, stop, take a moment, and figure out exactly what youre trying to say before you start
writing.