Show Don’t Tell

1. Show Don’t Tell Verb Usage

2. Rules for Writing Real Good Jackie ran a race last weekend What is the action verb here? Notice that action verbs help you be more concise • Linking verb • Passive • Connect the subject of the verb to additional information about the subject (see pg. 11) • Helping verb • Passive • help the main verb in a sentence by extending the meaning of the verb • Action verb • Active! • Show that the subject is doing something, not just existing. We are running in a race. What is the helping verb here? Notice that many helping verbs can also be linking verbs… Keila is a shopaholic. Ising isn't something that Keila can do. Is connects the subject, Keila, to additional information about her, that she will soon have a huge credit card bill to pay.

3. Quadrant 1 • Define linking, action and helping verbs in your own words

4. Action verbs SHOW rather than TELL. • The man is a monster. • Does this show or tell? • Not very vivid…in fact it’s dull. • So…change it to action to show he is a monster. Quadrant 2 How is this more effective? The man ripped off the sheep’s head and ate the eyeballs with a sickening squishy crunch.

5. Be precise; use words that convey a better sense of the action (a)  The goalie crouched low, swept out his stick, and hooked the rebound away from the net. (b)  The goalie crouched low, reached out his stick, and sent the rebound away from the net.

6. Be Specific: Concrete language is always better than abstract a)  The senator spoke about the challenges of the future: problems of famine, global warming, and arms control. (b)  The senator spoke about the challenges of the future: problems concerning the environment and global peace.

7. Use definite, specific and concrete language (a)  In proportion as men delight in battles, bullfights, and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning, and the rack. (b)  In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of the penal code will be severe.

8. The Holy Matrimony of Verbs & Subjects • Strongest verbs SHOW rather than_______. • Subjects are _____ and ________ that PERFORM the action of the verb TELL NOUNS PRONOUNS

9. Subject (Noun/Pronoun) & Verb Agreement • A SUBJECT is either ________ (one) or ______ (many) • The VERB must always AGREE (change form to match) with the SUBJECT • SINGLE subject = ________ verb; PLURAL subject = ________ verb SINGULAR PLURAL SINGULAR PLURAL

10. REGULAR VERBS • HINT: ‘s’ is added to 3rd person singular. Most regular verbs work this way Jessie is/are pretty. The Goatherds yodel/yodels loudly. The boy love/loves the girl.

11. Irregular Verbs

12. Collective Nouns • Nouns that SEEM like they are plural, but they are in a group and that group acts as one UNIT. • A swarm of bees = 1 swarm, containing many bees (The swarm attacks my friend. [not attack]) • A pack of cards = 1 pack, containing many cards (The pack of cards sits on the chair. [not sit]) • A family of 5 = 1 family, containing multiple members (The family goes on vacation. [not go])

13. Compound Subjects • SUBJECTS joined by OR or NOR then the verb takes the form of the CLOSEST subject • Either the actors or the director is at fault. • Either the director or the actors are at fault. • SUBJECT is MORE THAN ONE thing/person (Joined by AND) • My colleague and manager were promoted. (THEY were promoted) • Rupert and Jane are football fans, but Colin prefers shopping. (They are football fans, but he prefers shopping)

14. Active Voice = A+ • Active voice: When the subject performs the action • Passive voice: When the action is performed on the subject. In other words, you’ve made the object into the subject. • Weak: The truck was loaded with crates of bananas by the workers. • Better: The workers loaded the truck with crates of bananas.

15. Q3 Practice Active/Passive voice 1. The man was arrested by the police officer. 2. A vacation was taken by the family last year. 3. The dog was adopted by the ten year old girl. 4. The Frisbee was caught by the jubilant dog. 5. The lottery was one by the fifty year old man. 6. The soccer ball was kicked by Landon Donovan. 7. The research paper was written by the student. 8. The man was killed by the errant assassin. 9. The hare was beaten by the turtle in a race. 10. The pea was slept on by the princess. 1. The police officer arrested the man. 2. The family took a vacation last year. 3. The ten year old girl adopted the dog. 4. The jubilant dog caught the frisbee. 5. The fifty year old man won the lottery. 6. Landon Donovan kicked the soccer ball. 7. The student wrote the research paper. 8. The errant assassin killed the man. 9. The turtle beat the hare in a race. 10. The princess slept on the pea.

16. Passive voice is NOT Grammatically incorrect! It’s a style issue. Active voice makes the writing more concise and thus more enjoyable for the reader.

17. Practice Time! • Flip to page 12 and complete the practices on this page.

18. Review • Parallelism, subject/verb agree and passive voice • Write the grammatically correct sentence in quadrant 4 • The ball were thrown, kicked and carrying by the kid.