Jerz > Writing > Grammar and Syntax > Active and Passive Verbs
Active verbs form more efficient and more powerful sentences than passive verbs. This document will teach you why and how to prefer active verbs.
For a detailed explanation, see my handout, “Active and Passive Verbs.”
For a more colorful introduction to the concept, with self-quizzes, and Legos, see the slideshow “Troy Sterling and the Active and Passive Verbs.”
(The slideshow will appear in the space below.)
I originally created this with Impress, the Open Office slideshow presenter, and exported it as a Shockwave file. I’m amazed at how tiny the resulting file is. It looks like a few effects didn’t make the transition, but they were just eye candy.
I designed this as a simple linear slide show, for me to present in the front of the room. In this online version, all you can do is click to advance to the next page. It should at least have multiple-choice questions, in order to ensure that a bored reader isn’t just clicking through on autopilot. (At any rate, it’s more entertaining than my more traditional online guide to Active and Passive Verbs.)
This is just a bit of practice, as I continue to experiment with various media production tools.
I’ve also downloaded Jahshaka, an open-source video editing tool, but it crashed on my little wimpy laptop. I’ll try it again when I get some time at the office.
Update. 22 July 2011: I’ve de-emphasized the original Flash version (which is still online), and replaced it with the WordPress slideshow version (which runs on iPads and other non-Flash machines).
Post was last modified on 15 Oct 2021 3:05 pm
Support the humans who make art in your community. Death of a Salesman. #wirerecorderlife #fountainpenlife…
Beautiful set. Support the humans who do arts in your community (instead of settling for…
Vibing to a park saxophonist as I code for an upcoming conference presentation, and wait…
Details for a modular mid-range scoutship, from the #steampunk #neovictorian bedtime stories I used to…
Proper commenting is an important part of coding any project, especially in an educational context.…
My basement dehumidifier was flashing an error code. YouTube had a tutorial with a possible…
View Comments
How long did it take you (or whoever) to build that "set"? I'm a budding writer (thirteen years, and proud) This site helped me to get the 90% I got on my ELA (English Language Arts) exam. Thanks.
Great job, Jerz!
Er... yes?
DENNIS?!
Glad you liked it, Leslie.
It is fantastic Jerz.
Argh! Now you're making me feel guilty!
I'd say stately and elegant are both adjectives, not adverbs, but you're right -- it's not a good idea to commit a stylistic error in order to illustrate a grammatical concept. I touch on that in my handout on gender-neutral language.
How about instead of "The dapper Troy Sterling grins winningly," I change it to "The winning Troy Sterling grins dapperly"? Would that be any better? :P
Cool. (Loved that 'buzz saw' line!) Hey, it's minor. But I see your wife's point, though, and I humbly note that it's a symptom of the dreaded 'adverbitis' problem again: after all, "stately and elegant" are adverbs, aren't they? And do you really want a Swiftyism in a tool intended to teach grammar? Such a conceit can miseducate someone for life, or confuse and mitigate against your objectives here. There are other ways to make it parallel. Just something to consider, I submit humbly, ineptly, and unwelcomingly... but friend-ily.
Thanks again for the further comments.
I am still working on this -- my wife didn't like that I called Miss Sweet "stately, elegant" because she thought it made her sound like she was past her prime, but I was trying to emphasize that verbs can be active even if they don't describe motion. And she also didn't like that I called Troy a "buffoon" twice, so we're trying to come up with a good synonym.
I can see your point about the awkwardness of "grins winningly," but so far I think I'm going to keep it, not only for the sake of parallel clarity, but also because I thought of "winningly" as a kind of Tom Swifty. (You know... "'That buzz saw just sliced through my wrist,' Tom said off-handedly.")
CUTE! I love the cross-cutting you did between Miss Sweet and Dapper Troy, and the movement of the car (those flags actually look like they're blowing in the wind!). The active vs. passive tutorial is really quite good. It hammers home the concept with sharp nails.
Are you still editing it? Would I be a total grammar putz or comment creep if I made a humble editorial suggestion? I can see why you'd construct the sentences to illustrate the tricky flip-floppiness of form, but I'd still put the adverbs before the verbs. The phrase "grins winningly" made the schoolmarm inside me "frown wincingly." Otherwise, I think it's sharply written and lots of fun!
Brilliant! I already direct students in my religions course to the brick bible; now I have a lego url for my English students! Thank you for your creativity.