Fun with Reduced Adjective/Relative Clauses! Yay!

Hi Class,

We have a lot of fun things to do today, here is a list of assignments to do on the net:

1. GRAMMAR

Here is an explanation of the new grammar point we're learning in Unit 8. For more information, go to: http://international.ouc.bc.ca/chalkntalk/reducedclauses/

Reduced Adjective/Relative Clauses

Remember:
1. A relative clause is an adjective clause.
2. A reduced clause is a phrase.
3. When you are not sure if you can reduce the clause or not, then don't.
4. Usually only one-word participles can be put in front of the noun:
a. The wolves howling tonight must be hungry... The howling wolves tonight must be hungry.
Look at these examples of relative (adjective) clauses:
1a. People who buy lottery tickets are often found at bingo.
1b. People buying lottery tickets are often found at bingo.
2a. The students who were waiting for their funding from the government were disappointed.
2b. The students waiting for their funding from the government were disappointed.
3a. Those students who want to go to Big White for snowboarding need to pay soon.
3b. Those students wanting to go to Big White for snowboarding need to pay soon.
Explanation:
In the sentences above, the relative pronoun (who, which, that) can be omitted along with the verb to be and replaced by the present participle (-ing). Notice that the simple present verb tense changes to the present participle.
In 1b, the verb in the clause expresses a habitual or continuous action, something that happens on a regular basis. Other examples:
a. Kids playing in the streets may get run over. = Kids who play…
b. ESL students attending summer session must register by Friday. = students who will attend…
However, hobbies and repeated actions cannot take this construction:
c. People who play golf are always prepared for inclement weather.
(compare: The people playing golf today are getting wet from all the rain.)
d. Students who don’t practice their English don’t improve very quickly.

(compare: Students not practicing their English during class time today will be punished.)
e. The bus which leaves at 6:03 was late today, so I caught the 6:08 one for downtown.
(compare: *The bus leaving at 6:03 was late today.)
In 2b, the verb is in the continuous or progressive tense and can be replaced by the present participle:
f. I am waiting for the student who is writing his final exam early. = …for the student writing…
g. Give high marks to the students who are speaking English in class today. = …the students speaking…
In 3b, verbs like wish, desire, want, and hope (not like) can be used in this way.
h. Those students desiring a second grammar course please sign up at my office.
i. All the students wishing for a better grade are here studying hard.
Helpful hint: When you are not sure, put in the who, which, or that.
Note: These examples are used for defining or definite relative clauses.

2. Current Events/Weekly Reader

You can learn more about the topics we've been studying in our Current Events Magazine, there are extra lessons that you can do on the net that go with each issue.
Here's how to access your CURRENT EVENT MAGAZINE from WEEKLY READER.

You can go to the links on the right side of this page and CLICK ON "WEEKLY READER". Or, you can type the following into your browser:

1) http://www.weeklyreader.com/you

2) In the menu at the top, click on "Secondary Resources"

3) Click on "Current Events" (note: this is the only magazine that we subscribe to, so if you click on the wrong magazine you will not have access to it.)

4) At this point you will see options for additional exercises that go with the most recent issue. If you don't have that magazine, you can CLICK ON:
"digital version HERE"

5) From there, you will see a sign-in page, go to "Students", where it says "Magic Word" type "bonnie".

It will take you to different Current Event Issues that you can look at, but go down to the bottom of the page where it says "Digital Editions" and click on the picture of the magazine.

3) For more grammar exercises, you can go to the program on this computer, "Focus On Grammar" Intermediate (purple book). I will put the unit number on the board so you can study more about reduced adjective and relative clauses.

Enjoy!

Bonnie

Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream

Here is the greatest speech ever made!

Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" Speech

Hi Class,

Here is a link to Martin Luther King, Jr. 's "I Have a Dream" speech made at the civil rights protest, March on Washington, August 1963. This is one of the greatest speeches ever made.

It's on youtube, but it is the best audio/visual quality that I have found of the speech.

copy and paste into your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA

:) your teacher



All the best,
Bonnie C.

Passive Voice

Hi Class!

Welcome to L5 your blog!

This week we're studying the passive voice. Here are some notes edited from: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoice.html


"Review: Defining the Passive Voice"

"A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at this passive rephrasing of a familiar joke:

Why was the road crossed by the chicken?

Who is doing the action in this sentence? The chicken is the one doing the action in this sentence, but the chicken is not in the spot where you would expect the grammatical subject to be. Instead, the road is the grammatical subject. The more familiar phrasing (why did the chicken cross the road?) puts the agent in the subject position, the position of doing something—the chicken (the agent/doer) crosses the road (the object). We use active verbs to represent that "doing," whether it be crossing roads, proposing ideas, making arguments, or invading houses (more on that shortly).

Once you know what to look for, passive constructions are easy to spot. Look for a form of "to be" (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past participle. (The past participle is a form of the verb that typically, but not always, ends in "-ed." Some exceptions to the "-ed" rule are words like "paid" (not "payed") and "driven." (not "drived"). Here's a sure-fire formula for identifying the passive voice:
form of "to be" + past participle = passive voice

For example: The city has been burnt by the sun.

When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage.

NOTE: Forms of "be" are not always passive: "be" can be the main verb of a sentence that describes a state of being, rather than an action. For example, the sentence "John is a good student" is not passive; "is" is simply describing John's state of being. The moral of the story: don't assume that any time you see a form of "have" and a form of "to be" together, you are looking at a passive sentence. "I have to be on time for the concert," for example, is not passive. Ask yourself whether there is an action going on in the sentence and, if so, whether whoever or whatever is doing that action is the subject of the sentence. In a passive sentence, the object of the action (e.g., the road) will be in the subject position at the front of the sentence. There will be a form of be and a past participle. If the subject appears at all, it will usually be at the end of the sentence, often in a phrase that starts with "by" (e.g., "by the chicken").

Let's briefly look at how to change passive constructions into active ones. You can usually just switch the word order, making the agent and subject one by putting the agent up front:

PASSIVE:

The city has been burnt by the sun.
...becomes...

ACTIVE:

The sun burned the city.

PASSIVE:

When her house was invaded, Penelope had to delay her marriage.
...becomes...

ACTIVE:

After the robbers invaded her house, Penelope had to delay her marriage.

To repeat, the key to identifying the passive voice is to look for both a form of "to be" and a past participle, which usually, but not always, ends in "-ed."

Clarity and meaning

The primary reason why your instructors frown on the passive voice is that they often have to guess what you mean. Sometimes, the confusion is minor. For example:
When her house was invaded, Penelope had to delay her marriage.
Like many passive constructions, this sentence lacks explicit reference to the agent—it doesn't tell the reader who or what invaded Penelope's house. The active voice clarifies things:

After the robbers invaded her house, Penelope had to delay her marriage.

Thus many instructors—the readers making sense of your writing—prefer that you use the active voice. They want you to specify who or what is doing the action. Compare the following two examples from an anthropology paper on a Laotian village to see if you agree.

(passive) A new system of drug control laws was set up. (By whom?)
(active) The Lao People's Revolutionary Party set up a new system of drug control laws."

That should help. Be sure to check the links to the right of this page for more exercises.

See you in class!

Bonnie C.