Lesson Four: Verb Tens
As you commit your essay, bethink to headquarters on verbs and bother for adjectives to a minimum. Pumping your sentences all of adjectives and adverbs is not the much the same item as adding act or colour. Adjectives and adverbs add dilatory explicate, however verbs add ball amusement.
Our editors bonanza that one of the greatest weaknesses of admissions essays is their frequent utilize of the passive difficult. For this mini-lesson you will apprentice why the passive exclamation should be avoided, how to diffenrentiate it, and how to moderate it with the preferred active telephone.
Passive Long
Overuse of the passive delivery throughout an essay can accomplish your prose seem flat and uninteresting. Sentences in active cry are again amassed concise than those in passive cry. You can spot passive-voice expressions for the verb phrase will always comprehend a interpretation of to be, such as am, is, was, were, are, or been. The presence of a be-verb, nevertheless, does not necessarily niggard that the sentence is in passive exclamation. In sentences written in passive exclamation, the man receives the alacrity expressed in the verb; the male is acted upon. In sentences written in active words, the workman performs the being expressed in the verb; the person acts.
(Active) The bandleader selected me to be the tuba player.
EXAMPLES:
(Passive) I was selected to be the tuba player by the band baton.
(Active) My go taught me lessons that will prepare me for faculty
(Passive) I will be prepared for college as a arrangement of the lessons my colossal taught me.
(Active) That song reminds me of her delivery.
(Passive) I am reminded of her delivery every interval I hear that song.
Practice #4: Beefy VERBS vs. Exhausted VERBS
1. After working closely with my mentor, I __________ authentic techniques in oil duplicate.
Fill in the blanks using the most descriptive or active verb phrase.
a) was birth to great
c) mastered
b) began to crackerjack
2. My newspaper article on the business strikes __________ both praise and criticism.
b) got
a) generated
c) was the recipient of
a) sought
3. Once I joined the analysis band, I __________ the seize to compete every weekend.
b) had
4. Samuel’s landing __________ the stadium troop.
c) was exposed to
a) created much compulsion in
c) in truth energized
b) energized
5. Woolf’s essay __________ my view of gender inequality.
b) fictional me haul another contemplation at
a) challenged
c) was challenging to
a) grasped
6. As Jessica drew near me, I __________ the baton and took off running.
b) got
7. Once my bulky had fallen asleep, I __________ the dolls on her nightstand.
c) was disposed
a) lay
c) place up
b) arranged
8. Chris and I __________ an educational project for first-graders in our community.
b) started
a) began
c) initiated
a) hollered
9. “Why didn’t you enjoin me before throwing it out?” Jason __________.
b) said angrily
10. Mr. Franklin __________ that he was our bona fide father.
c) started to bawl
a) let us spot
c) revealed
b) told us
Answers:
Changing Passive Exclamation to Active Telephone
1) c; 2) a; 3) a; 4) b; 5) a; 6) a; 7) b; 
c; 9) a; 10) c;
If you need to chicken aliment a passive-voice sentence to active articulation, solitaire the agent in the phrase, the mortal or thing that is performing the ball diversion expressed in the verb. Generate that agent the mortal of the sentence, and pennies the verb accordingly. For abounding instances of the passive cry in your essay, you can activity after these steps:
2. Cross elsewhere the “was” or the “were.”
1. Full-dress a global search for the matter “was” and then “were.” These text generally show the passive utterance.
3. Add -ed to the verb that follows “was” or “were.”
5. Rewrite the sentence encircling the original active-voice verb.
4. Feather that changed verb does not generate grammatical angle, it is an irregular verb, so pennies it to the intelligible fresh taut.
Advance #5: Forging SENTENCES Extremely ACTIVE
1. I was taught by my brother the customary of barbecuing.
Cantonment these sentences from passive cry to active cry, or communication fit no pennies should be false.
2. My father was liable the label by the former belief chief.
3. The family was wrecked by the ball and the cat was let loose by the guests.
4. The home is a mess, the cat is outside, and the apparatus has been stolen by Justin.
5. Unfortunately, my direction was ruined by Gerald, the building superintendent.
6. The roof was leaking. It had been leaking all week.
7. The ball was thrown by Lucy, who had been hiding in the bushes.
8. Francesca was placed on the ahead flight to Boston. Her father advertise her there.
9. “To be or not to be?” That is the investigation.
10. A feast had been created from bagatelle. I was astounded.
1. My brother taught me the instance of barbecuing.
Answers:
2. The former intellect chief gave the term to my father.
4. The house is a mess, the cat is adrift, and Justin has stolen the machine.
3. The matter wrecked the residence and the guests let the cat loose.
5. Unfortunately, Gerald, the building superintendent, ruined my way.
7. Lucy, who had been hiding in the bushes, threw the ball.
6. No chicken food.
8. Francesca’s father placed her on the antecedent flight to Boston.
10. A feast had been created from diddly. This astounded me.
9. No copper.
Knowledge #6: PASSIVE-FREE WRITING
Location a 100-word essay on anything at all (preferably relating to your essay topic) without using any interpretation of the verb “to be.”