Show Don

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Show Dont Tell

• Verb Usage

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Writing Handbook Page 12
Jackie ran a race last weekend What is the
action verb here? Notice that action verbs help
you be more concise

• Linking verb
• Passive
• Connect the subject of the verb to additional
  information about the subject (see pg. 11)
• Helping verb
• Passive
• help the main verb in a sentence by extending the
  meaning of the verb
• Action verb
• Active!
• Show that the subject is doing something, not
  just existing.

We are running in a race. What is the helping
verb here? Notice that many helping verbs can
also be linking verbs
Keila is a shopaholic. Ising isn't something
that Keila can do. Is connects the subject,
Keila, to additional information about her, that
she will soon have a huge credit card bill to pay.
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Action verbs SHOW rather than TELL.

• The man is a monster.
• Does this show or tell?
• Not very vividin fact its dull.
• Sochange it to action to show he is a monster.

Page 14 of your writing handbook
The man ripped off the sheeps head and ate the
eyeballs with a sickening squishy crunch.
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Be precise use words that convey a better sense
of the action

• (a)  The goalie crouched low, swept out his
  stick, and hooked the rebound away from the net.

(b)  The goalie crouched low, reached out his
stick, and sent the rebound away from the net.
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Be Specific Concrete language is always better
than abstract

• a)  The senator spoke about the challenges of the
  future problems of famine, global warming, and
  arms control.

(b)  The senator spoke about the challenges of
the future problems concerning the environment
and global peace.
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Page 19 of your writing handbook

• Be specific

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Use definite, specific and concrete language

• (a)  In proportion as men delight in battles,
  bullfights, and combats of gladiators, will they
  punish by hanging, burning, and the rack.

(b)  In proportion as the manners, customs, and
amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous,
the regulations of the penal code will be severe.
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Active Voice A

• Active voice When the subject performs the
  action
• Passive voice When the action is performed on
  the subject. In other words, youve made the
  object into the subject.
• Weak The truck was loaded with crates of bananas
  by the workers.
• Better The workers loaded the truck with crates
  of bananas.

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• 11. Cinderella lost the shoe.
• 12. Snow White ate the apple.
• 13. Mary Poppins sang" Supercalifragilisticexpiali
  docious.
• 14. The housekeeper cleaned the mirror
• 15. The mother fed the baby.
• 16. The gardener pruned the trees.
• 17. JK Rowling wrote the book.
• 18. The little girl with blonde curls picked the
  flowers.
• 19. The pirate with one eye loaded the canon.
• 20. The polite teenager vacuumed the living room.

11. The shoe was lost by Cinderella. 12. The
apple was eaten by Snow White. 13.Supercalifragi
listicexpialidocious was sung by Mary Poppins.
14. The mirror was cleaned by the housekeeper.
15. The baby was fed by the mother. 16. The
trees were pruned by the gardener. 17. The book
was written by JK Rowling. 18. The flowers were
picked by the little girl with blonde curls. 19.
The canon was loaded by the pirate with one eye.
20. The living room was vacuumed by the polite
teenager.
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Passive voice is NOT Grammatically incorrect!

• Its a style issue. Active voice makes the
  writing more concise and thus more enjoyable for
  the reader.

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The Holy Matrimony of Verbs Subjects

• Strongest verbs SHOW rather than_______.
• Subjects are _____ and ________ that PERFORM the
  action of the verb

TELL
NOUNS
PRONOUNS
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Subject (Noun/Pronoun) Verb Agreement

• A SUBJECT is either ________ (one) or ______
  (many)
• The VERB must always AGREE (change form to match)
  with the SUBJECT
• SINGLE subject ________ verb PLURAL subject
  ________ verb

SINGULAR
PLURAL
SINGULAR
PLURAL
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Collective Nouns

• Nouns that SEEM like they are plural, but they
  are in a group and that group acts as one UNIT.
• A swarm of bees 1 swarm, containing many bees
  (The swarm attacks my friend. not attack)
• A pack of cards 1 pack, containing many cards
  (The pack of cards sits on the chair. not sit)
• A family of 5 1 family, containing multiple
  members (The family goes on vacation. not go)

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Compound Subjects

• SUBJECTS joined by OR or NOR then the verb takes
  the form of the CLOSEST subject
• Either the actors or the director is at fault.
• Either the director or the actors are at fault.
• SUBJECT is MORE THAN ONE thing/person (Joined by
  AND)
• My colleague and manager were promoted. (THEY
  were promoted)
• Rupert and Jane are football fans, but Colin
  prefers shopping. (They are football fans, but he
  prefers shopping)

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Practice subject/verb agreement

• handout

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Pronouns and Antecedents

• Must also agree

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Pronouns pg 21

• Replace nouns
• Should agree with and HAVE an antecedent (a noun
  that precedes it)
• Suzy loves her new bag. (underline the pronoun
  and circle the antecedent)
• Possessive pronouns show ownership
• Johns bag is on the counter His bag is on the
  counter

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Singular/plural

• A singular personal pronoun should be used with 2
  or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor
• Neither Tom nor Ken brought his equipment.
  (circle the pronoun underline the antecedent)
• A plural personal pronoun should be used with 2
  or more antecedents joined by and.
• Sue and Stan have chosen their instruments.
  (circle the pronoun underline the antecedent)
• EXCEPT when distinguishing between joint and
  individual ownership.
• Neither Linda nor Maria let me play her guitar
  (they both have a guitar)
• Neither Linda nor Maria let me play their guitar
  (the guitar belongs to both of them)

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Indefinite pronouns

• anyone, anybody, everyone, everybody, someone,
  somebody, no one, and nobody are always singular.
  Circle the grammatically correct sentence.
• Somebody left his or her bag at the station.
• Somebody left their bag at the station.

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Compound pronouns

• Form should stay the same when something is
  compounded.
• This bag is for me.
• This bag is for Fred and me/I. (circle the
  correct pronoun)

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Who, whom, whose

• To choose correctly among the forms of who,
  rephrase to choose between he and him.
• Whom/Who do you think is responsible? (Do you
  think he/him is responsible?)
• Whom/Who should we ask to the club? (Should we
  ask he/him to the party?)
• Use the chart to help you circle the correct
  pronouns in the sentence above.

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Practice page 22

• Pronouns and antecedents

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Review

• Parallelism passage B on page 18 of your writing
  handbook