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Grammar and Contextual Editing Part 1

The document discusses the concepts of active and passive voice in grammar, explaining how the choice of voice affects the clarity and responsibility in sentences. It provides examples of converting sentences between active and passive voice, as well as correcting grammatical errors related to subject-verb agreement. Additionally, it includes contextual editing exercises related to swimming with dolphins and chumming with sharks.

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26 views9 pages

Grammar and Contextual Editing Part 1

The document discusses the concepts of active and passive voice in grammar, explaining how the choice of voice affects the clarity and responsibility in sentences. It provides examples of converting sentences between active and passive voice, as well as correcting grammatical errors related to subject-verb agreement. Additionally, it includes contextual editing exercises related to swimming with dolphins and chumming with sharks.

Uploaded by

tapz.inds
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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GRAMMAR AND

CONTEXTUAL
EDITING
Active and Passive voice:
The term ‘voice’ refers to the ‘activeness’ or ‘passiveness’ of a verb, depending upon whether the
subject is doing the action of the verb or receiving the action of the verb.
subject verb
Dieter’s dog is biting the postman. ]-subject is doing the biting
subject verb
The postman is being bitten by Dieter’s dog. ]-subject is receiving or suffering the biting

Verbs in the active voice reveal the performer or ‘doer’ of the action
The Minister of Finance is planning to raise taxes in March.
It is appropriate to use the active voice when the doer of the action is known, and is important.
Fifteen-year-old Hansie Smit will attempt to swim across False Bay next month.
You can see that something is important is lost in this sentence, which uses a passive voice verb.
An attempt will be made to swim across False Bay next month by fifteen-year-old
Hansie Smit.
Now let’s taker a look at a contrasting example.
vague subject active verb
People watch soccer all over the world.
This sentence would be better in the following form:
passive voice
Soccer is watched all over the world.
In this example, the subject people is not specific enough to be worth mentioning. Since the
performer of the verb’s action can be hidden, a verb in the passive voice gives the impression of
impersonality. Compare these two sentences:
We have compiled a list of rules. A list of rules has been compiled.
The passive form gives the sentence a formality that makes it especially appropriate for the use in
official contexts.
Smoking is prohibited in this building.
This sentence is clearly preferable to the following alternatives, which are both too personal to be
polite – and official statements need to be polite:
The managers have prohibited smoking in this building.
You may not smoke in this building.
The ‘voice’ of the verb can therefore be used to reveal or to disguise responsibility:
active

Williams missed an open goal in the fiftieth minute.


Passive – and no mention of who was to blame

An open goal was missed in the fiftieth minute.


A full statement in the passive voice can tell the reader who is responsible for the action:
Terence has broken a window in my classroom.
A window in my classroom has been broken by Terence.

To change an active voice to passive voice follow these steps:


1. Make the object of the active sentence into the subject of the passive sentence.
2. Use the verb ‘to be’ in the same tense as the main verb of the active sentence.
3. Use the past participle of the main verb of the active sentence.
To chance passive to active voice make the agent (doer) of the sentence into the subject and turn
the old subject into the object.
Active to Passive: rewrite the following sentences in the Passive voice

1. Because it was raining, he cancelled the gala.


2. We packed a lunch early in the morning, so that we would not forget.
3. The sun was hot, so we took our swimming costumes with us.
4. Do your homework at once!
5. We keep the sugar in that cupboard.
6. Who broke the cup?
7. We fed the dog and gave the birds some water.
8. After school, we took our rugby togs and put them in the wash.
9. How often must I tell you to tidy up?
10. I woke John up and told him to wake his sister.
11. Where did we last defeat New Zealand?
12. The sun shone warmly and the bees continued to make honey.
13. Tariq broke three records and won two cups.
14. Unlock the door and let us in.
Passive to Active voice: Rewrite the following sentences in the Active voice.
1. During the morning, the sandwiches were prepared by the ladies.
2. She was alerted to the approaching fire by the guard.
3. During the night branches were broken off by the wind.
4. Despite the ban of fireworks, the bangs were heard by everybody.
5. The cows lowed as they had not been milked by the men.
6. She will be helped by the teacher just as soon as her work is handed in.
7. The electricity supply was disrupted by the storm.
8. The Matric dance was organised by the Grade Elevens.
9. The house was broken into by the robbers and all the electronic equipment was taken.
10. The applause swelled and was heard even by the neighbours.
Correct the error of concord by rewriting the sentences correctly.
1. The herd of cows are waiting to be milked.
2. The sheep are already in the barn.
3. Vuyo and me are very grateful for all the help we have received.
4. He thanked Thabo and me for our help.
5. Each of the class is hoping to be chosen.
6. You need to take less biscuits, otherwise there will not be enough left for everybody else.
7. The swarm bees are buzzing angrily.
8. I hope that John and me will be able to travel together.
9. How do I know whether he will give the tickets to John and me?
10. There is less money in the kitty than we thought.
11. There are less books than we need.
12. What is one cake between so many?
13. Every student in the school are eligible to apply.
14. My new jeans is very expensive.
Contextual editing
Swimming with dolphins is one of the attractions of visiting Kaikoura in New Zealand. It is a
controversial attraction, however, as many people believe that it interferes with the natural life-style
on the dolphins. On the other hand, there are those who say that it is a moving experience to be in
the water with the dolphins, and that they believe no harm whatsoever is done. I was skeptical of the
whole enterprise. Nonetheless, I piled over the edge of the boat with the others. The dolphins
swam around us, nosing the boat from time to time. One dolphin seemed curious about me and
circled round and round me. I had heard that dolphins had been known to rescue stricken people,
and imagine that this one would rescue me.
1. What part of speech is swimming in sentence 1? (1)
2. Use the word swimming as an adjective in a sentence of your own. (1)
3. Give a noun formed from the adjective controversial in sentence 2. (1)
4. Explain the use of the hyphen in the word life-style in sentence 2. (1)
5. Correct the spelling error in sentence 4. (1)
6. Write the text in bold in sentence 5 in a formal register. (1)
7. What is the collective noun for dolphins? (1)
8. Give a synonym for the word stricken in sentence 7. (1)
9. Remove the tautology in sentence 7. (1)
10. What type of clause is the underlined text in sentence 8? (1)
Chumming with sharks
Getting into a shark cage in order to share the deep with the Great White, seemed a trifle fool-hardy.
However, when my friend said, ‘You’re too chicken!’ I was galvanized into action. Four of us were
enclosed in a cage, trailing some fish as bait. What we did not expect, was that a smallish Great
White would appear, and at the same time a large dolphin would appear. To our amazement, the
dolphin attacked the shark, it tore at it’s throat, and in no time had killed the shark.

1. What part of speech in used for the word sharks in the title? (1)
2. What part of speech is used for the word shark in sentence 1? (1)
3. Explain why the word fool-hardy in sentence 1 is written with a hyphen. (1)
4. Rewrite the words in bold in sentence 2 in formal register. (1)
5. Give a synonym for the word galvanized in sentence 2. (1)
6. Use the word galvanized as a homonym in a sentence of your own. (1)
7. Why is the word Great White (sentence 1) written in capital letters? (1)
8. Give one word for at the same time (sentence 4). (1)
9. Correct the comma-splice error in sentence 5. (1)
10. Correct the spelling error in sentence 5. (1)

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