Prof. Ana Katrina Palma-de Jesus

1) You are milennials.
You learn best by “doing.”

2) You like funfilled and integrative learning.

3) You all want
(and need!) to improve your communication skills.

3) I believe that each student can succeed!

1) There might be a quiz every meeting.
2) University policy on attendance will apply.
3) We have a unique way of discouraging tardiness.
See link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B6FkBq kZ1g

LECTURE
Long exams (2) - 25 %
Quizzes, Exercises, and Assignments - 20%
Written composition - 5% ( Instructions )
TOTAL 50%

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1) Transform sentences from active to passive voice and vice-versa;
2) Explain how and when to use the active and passive voice;
3) Construct Yes-No and WH-questions.

Write the number corresponding to the description that suits you.
1. I am often leader in groups.
2. I prefer keeping my hopes and dreams to myself.
3. I seek out close, personal relationships with people.
4. I act in a sympathetic way towards people.

5. I see to it that people do things the way I want them to.
6. I easily get influenced by other people’s ideas.
7. I invite people to spend time or hang out.
8. I act in a sweet way towards people.
9. I decide fast and firmly.
10. I make friends usually when they are the first to approach me.

- the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.
S V DO
Dennis drives the car.

 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.
The car is driven by Dennis.

Transform these from active to passive:
1. Filipinos deserve democracy.
2. I am teaching agriculture to UPLB students.
3. The board has announced its decision.

Transform these from active to passive:
1. Filipinos deserve democracy.
Democracy is deserved by Filipinos.
2. I am teaching agriculture to UPLB students.
Agriculture is being taught to UPLB students by me.
3. The board has announced its decision.
The board’s decision has been announced.

Transform these from passive to active:
1. That tree was planted by my grandfather.
2. The title is being claimed by him.
3. Rumours had been spread by the tabloid writers.

Transform these from passive to active:
1. That tree was planted by my grandfather.
My grandfather planted that tree.
2. The title is being claimed by him.
He is claiming the title.
3. Rumours had been spread by the tabloid writers.
The tabloid writers had spread the rumours.

Passive Voice - the object of the active sentence is moved ahead of the verb and becomes the subject
 form of “be” (am, is, was, were, are, or been) is added to the verb + past participle.
 the subject of the active sentence is either expressed in a prepositional phrase “by” or dropped.

1. Avoid starting a sentence in active voice and then shifting to passive.
Incorrect: He tried to act cool when he slipped in the puddle, but he was still laughed at by the other students.
Correct: He tried to act cool when he slipped in the puddle, but the other students still laughed
at him.

2. Do not change the verb tense.
Active Voice - Past Tense
Boredom struck me.
Passive Voice
I was struck by boredom.

3. Make sure the subject and the verb agree in number.
Active Voice - Plural
Experienced pilots fly these planes.
Passive Voice
These planes are flown by experienced pilots.

4. Check to see if there are no misplaced/dangling modifiers.
• Dangling: To save time, the paper was written on a computer. (Who was saving time? The paper?)
• Correct: To save time, Kristin wrote the paper on a computer. (Provide a subject.)

4. Check to see if there are no misplaced/dangling modifiers.
The rapid growth of the nuclear power industry has raised a number of questions about potential radiation exposure.
Misplaced: A number of questions have been raised by the rapid growth of the nuclear power industry about potential radiation exposure.
Correct: A number of questions about potential radiation exposure have been raised by the rapid growth of the nuclear power industry.

To simplify things, let’s look at this table :

When to use the active and passive voice
Generally, we prefer the active voice!
Imagine reading sentences like this:
Since the car was being driven by Michael at the time of the accident, the damages should be paid for by him.

1) The actor is unknown.
The cave paintings of Lascaux were made in the Upper Old Stone Age. (We don’t know who made them.)

2) The actor is irrelevant.
An experimental solar power plant will be built in the Australian desert. (We are not interested in who is building it.)

3) You want to be vague about who is responsible.
Mistakes were made.
(Common in bureaucratic writing!)

4) You are talking about a general truth.
Rules are made to be broken.
(By whomever, whenever.)

5) You want to emphasize the person or thing acted on.
Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by scientists at the University of Toronto. It is still the only treatment available for diabetes.
(Insulin is your main topic here.)

6) You are writing in a scientific genre that traditionally relies on passive voice.
Passive voice is often preferred in lab reports and scientific research papers, most notably in the Materials and Methods section:
The sodium hydroxide was dissolved in water.
This solution was then titrated with hydrochloric acid.

Transform from active to passive:
1. The Bureau of Internal Revenue sent taxpayers copies of the new rules on tax payments.
2. The president designated her governor.

Transform from passive to active:
3. Chemical energy is converted into mechanical energy by muscles.
4. What Americans consider poverty would be regarded as affluence by Asians.

1. Filipinos deserve democracy.
2. I am teaching agriculture to UPLB students.
3. The board has announced its decision.

A few basic rules in constructing questions answerable by Yes or No

1
“be” verb - switch the positions of the subject and verb.
Example:
S: Ligaya is an athlete.
Q: Is Ligaya an athlete?

2
verb phrases - switch the positions of the subject and first verb.
Example:
S V1 - V2
S: Dennis is reviewing his lessons.

3 action words – use do, does, did at the beginning of the sentence.

3.1. Add Do to the beginning of the sentence.
Note: Subject is plural; present tense.
S: The officials give benefits to drivers.
Q: Do the officials give benefits to drivers?

3.2. If the main verb "carries" a third person singular s, use Does .
Note: Subject is singular; present tense.
S V
S: Jane attends a seminar.
Q : Does Jane attend a seminar?

3.3. If the main verb "carries" the past tense, use Did .
Note: Change the verb to present tense.
S V
S: Shirley dyed her hair.
Q: Did Shirley dye her hair?

Open questions
Unlike Yes-No questions, this type leaves room for a description or opinion
- useful in eliciting information

Question
Word what
Function asking for information about something asking for repetition or confirmation
Example
What is the meaning of our existence?
What ? I can't hear you.
What did you say?
what...for
asking for a reason, asking why
What did you do that for ?

who asking what or which person or people (subject)
Who recited in class?
whom asking what or which person or people (object)
Whom did you see?
whose asking about ownership Whose is this cell phone?
Whose turn is it?

why asking for reason, asking what...for
Why do we use plastic?
why don't making a suggestion
Why don't we recycle waste?

when asking about time When will we submit the assignment?
where asking in or at what place or position
Where is your cubicle?
which asking about choice how manner
Which chapter should we read?
How can we solve the problem?

WH Questions how + adj / adv asking about extent or degree how far distance How far is Grove from
Crossing?
How long will it take?
how long length (time or space) how many quantity (countable) How many books are there?
how much quantity
(uncountable) how old age how come
(informal) asking for reason, asking why
How much time do you have?
How old are you?
How come I can't see her?

WH Questions
Grammar used with wh- questions:

WH Questions
Subject pattern
S P
• RJ has my laptop.
Who has my laptop?
• The large room is bothering you.
What is bothering you?

WH Questions

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
1. "be“ verb - invert the subject and verb, then add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.
S P
S - V Who?
A: Aquino is our president .
? is Aquino?
Q: Who is Aquino?

WH Questions
The meeting was in the afternoon.
? Was the meeting
When was the meeting?

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
2. "auxiliary" verb - Auxiliary or "helping" verbs are verbs that precede main verbs
•Auxiliary verbs are italicized in the following sentences.
I can do it.
They are leaving tomorrow.
I have eaten my lunch.
I should have finished my homework
.

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
•First, form a yes/no question by inverting the subject and (first) auxiliary verb.
•Then, add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.
S V1 V2 What?
He is doing something.
Is he doing something?
What is he doing?

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
S V1 V2 Where?
They have been to Robinson’s .
? have they been
Where have they been?

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
3. add do to the beginning of the sentence (i f there is no auxiliary and the verb is not "be)
•Then add the appropriate wh-question word.
•Be sure to "transfer" the tense and number from the main verb to the word do.
Note: Subject is plural.
S V What?
The freshmen review Math 17 .
? do the freshmen review
What do the freshmen review?

WH Questions
Predicate pattern
•Past tense
S V Where?
John went outside.
? did John go
Where did John go?
• Present/singular
S V What?
The flower produces nectar.
? does the flower produce
What does the flower produce?

Corson, T. and Smollett, R. Passive Voice: When to use it and when to avoid.
Retrieved from www.writing.utoronto.ca
Dadufalza, C.D. (1996). Reading into Writing I: Bookmark Inc.
Grammar (n.d.). Retrieved July 2010 from http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/questiontext.htm
Table of tenses in English with active and passive. Retrieved from http://www.lingolex.com/tenses.htm
WH Question form (n.d.) Retrieved June 2010 from http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/wh-question-words.htm
Yes-No Questions (n.d.). Retrieved June 2010 from http://www.eclecticenglish.com/grammar/PresentSimpleToBe1C.html