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

• 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

• 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 reason to avoid to be verbs?

•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 waswas 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.