SENTENCE STUDIES I – AMBIGUOUS GRAMMAR

This Table of Contents shows the sections of the assignment.

Task 1 – Grammar & You and Passive Voice in the Article

Grammar and You
Passive Voice in the Article
Task 2 – Sentence Revisions
Example 1
Assigned Sentence 1
Assigned Sentence 2
Assigned Sentence 3
Assigned Sentence 4
Assigned Sentence 5
Your Own Sentence 1
Your Own Sentence 2
Your Own Sentence 3

Note: This template contains just the two tasks you will complete, but not the explanatory context that will help you understand
them. Please refer to the assignment Module 1 | Sentence Studies I – Ambiguous Grammar in Canvas for that important context.

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Task 1 – Grammar & You and Passive Voice in the Article
Please respond to the questions that follow.

Grammar and You

1. What has been your overall experience with grammar instruction? How conscious are you of your own grammar usage? How
would you describe your knowledge of grammatical rules?

2. Is there anything in particular you’re interested in learning related to grammar or sentence construction? Anything you’d like
to examine further or improve on as a writer?

Passive Voice in the Article

1. After reading “An Interactive Guide to Ambiguous Grammar” or “the problem with the past passive tense” along with the
content in the Introduction, how would you describe the implications of passive voice? (Refer to Character & Action in
Sentences in Part B within the Canvas assignment if you’re seeking more information about how characters and actions work
in a sentence.)

2. What do you make of the very end of the “Ambiguous Grammar” piece, or the author's note in “the problem with the past
passive tense”? You might also read "How To Use The Past Exonerative Tense To Uphold White Supremacy" as further food
for thought if you're comfortable with a satirical take. What does this suggest about how grammatical structures can impact
meaning and power?

3. What might it mean to understand grammar rhetorically? How do either of these pieces present grammar as rhetorical?

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Task 2 – Sentence Revisions
Here is Example 1, which you already saw in the Canvas assignment. Take a look at how, within the context of this table, I applied
the 4 steps to transform the passive voice into the active voice. The pages that follow contain copies of the same table. You’ll fill it
out for the five assigned sentences and for three sentences from your own writing.

Example 1
Original Sentence = Mistakes were made.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

1 Bold the subject and highlight the verbs. Mistakes were made.

Identify the character and action.

2 [Some sentences may not have characters in their current form.]
[Whoever made the mistakes] made mistakes.

Revise the sentence so that the character is the subject and their
3 action is an active verb.
Richard Nixon made mistakes.

4 Bold the subject and highlight the verb included in the action. Richard Nixon made mistakes.

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Assigned Sentence 1
Original Sentence = Attempts were made on the part of the president’s aides to assert his immunity from a congressional subpoena.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Assigned Sentence 2
Original Sentence = Estimations of biodiversity loss by scientists are a cause for concern.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Assigned Sentence 3
Original Sentence = An understanding of the need for controls over drinking on campus was recognized by fraternities.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Assigned Sentence 4
Original Sentence = There is fear among students that there will be fewer class offerings by the university due to the coronavirus.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Assigned Sentence 5
Original Sentence = A lazy dog was involved in a jumping-related incident with the quick brown fox.

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Your Own Sentence 1
Original Sentence =

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Your Own Sentence 2
Original Sentence =

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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Your Own Sentence 3
Original Sentence =

Steps Instructions Subject / Character Verb / Action

Bold the subject and highlight

1 the verbs.
x x

Identify the character and

action. [Some sentences may
2 not have characters in their
x x
current form.]

Revise the sentence so that the

3 character is the subject and x x
their action is an active verb.

Bold the subject and highlight

4 the verb included in the action.
x x

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