COLLEGE ENGLISH REVIEWER FINALS

Pronoun Usage Objective Case

Pronoun ● An object pronoun is used as the:
•Object of a preposition
● A pronoun is a word that takes
•Direct Object
the place of one or more nouns.
•Indirect Object
● The most frequently used
pronouns are called personal
Direct Object
pronouns. They refer to people
● A direct object, an indirect object,
or things.
and an object of a preposition are in
Cases of Pronouns the objective case.
Ex: Ivan surprised them.
● Case is the form of a noun or a Uncle Raymond took me to the
pronoun that shows its use in a studio.
sentence. The ranger guided us to the
● There are three cases: camp.
Nominative case ● A direct object is a noun or pronoun
Objective case that receives the action of the action
Possessive case verb. A direct object answers the
Nominative Case question what or who.
● To help you choose the correct
● A subject of a sentence is in the pronoun
nominative case. in a compound direct object, take out
● Ex: I like classical music. the other person and try each form of
He and she sold tickets. the pronoun separately in the
They traveled around the world. sentence.
● To help you choose the correct Ex: We met Tara and (her , she) at the
pronoun in a compound subject, take video arcade.
out the other person and try each We met her at the video arcade.
form of the pronoun separately. We met she at the video arcade.
Ex: Amy and (me , I) like to dance. We met Tara and her at the video
Me like to dance. arcade.
I like to dance.
Amy and I like to dance. Indirect Object
● A predicate nominative follows a ● An indirect object is a noun or
linking verb and defines or renames pronoun
the subject. that comes between the verb and the
● A predicate nominative is also in the direct object. It tells to whom or to
nominative case. what, or for whom or for what the
Ex: The last one to leave was he. action of the verb is done.
The fastest runners are she and I. Ex: Coach Mendez gave them a pep
● To help you choose the correct form talk.
of a pronoun used as a predicate His mother built him a footlocker.
nominative, remember that the Mr. Diaz gave us posters of the solar
pronoun could just as well be used system.
as the subject in the sentence.
 ● To help you choose the correct Active Voice – The subject of the sentence does
pronoun in a compound indirect the action and transmits the action to a direct
object, take out the other person and object.
try each form of the pronoun
separately in the sentence. Use of active voice:
Ex: Our neighbor gave Diana and (I , 1. Active voice is used in a clause whose
me) a job for the summer. subject expresses the agent of the main verb.
Our neighbor gave I a job for the
summer. 2. Subject can be easily identified by asking
Our neighbor gave me a job for the ‘who’ or ‘what’ to the verb.
summer. 3. Sentences are short and easily
Our neighbor gave Diana and me a job understandable.
for the summer.
Example :
Object of a preposition
John wrote the letter.
● An object of a preposition is in the
objective case. -John (subject) performs the action
Ex: When did you mail the package to denoted by the verb (write).
them?
Example:
Are you still planning to go to the
movies with us? April writes beautiful songs.
The reward money was divided
equally between him and her. Lee Dong Wook uploaded a new picture.
They prepared delicious meals for the event.
Possessive Case
● It shows ownership or possession. Passive Voice – The subject of the sentence
Ex: I didn't have my textbook for receives the action.
English
class, so Brian lent me his. Use of passive voice:
Your travel plans sound just as
1. It is used if it doesn‘t need to know or we
exciting
don‘t know the actor performing the job.
as mine!
2. In the end of the clause or sentence “by” is
prefixed to know the actor performing the job.
Active Voice and Passive Voice
3. It is used if we are more interested in the
Verb – It is a word that expresses an action. job than the actors who work.

Voice – It tells whether the subject of the Example :

sentence is the doer or receiver of the verb.
The letter was written by John.
—voice is a grammatical category which
- letter receives the action denoted by
makes it possible to view the action of a
the write (verb).
sentence in two ways, without change in the
facts reported Example:
Beautiful song were written by April.
A new picture was uploaded by Lee Dong
Wook. Rules for Active to Passive conversion
Delicious meals were prepared by them for the
Tense Active voice Passive voice
event.
S + to be + past
How to identify the active / passive voice? Subject + participle + by
Ask who/what performed the infinitive + object
action(verb)? -- if the ‘who or what is at the object
E.g. Fresh
beginning of the sentence, the sentence is
Simple E.g. The grocer vegetables are
active voice.
Present sells fresh sold by the
Example : Tense vegetables. grocer.

Jack is eating the apple. Subject + to be S + to be (is, am,

Question will be : Who is eating the apple? (is, am, are) are) + being +
being + present past participle +
Look for the word “by”, if present it is participle + by object
a passive voice. object
E.g. Many
Active/Passive voice using Modals: Present E.g. My boss is assignments are
Continuo giving many being given by
The modal verbs consist of will, would,
us Tense assignments. my boss.
can, could, shall, should, may, might, must
which are used with main verbs to express Subject + S + have/has
ability, probability, obligation, advice etc. has/have + past been + past
To convert active voice having modal participle + participle + by
into passive voice, auxiliary verb “be” is added object object
Present
after modal in sentence. Perfect E.g. I have E.g. He has been
KEEP IN MIND: Tense taken him out. taken out by me.

● Active voice is more direct and concise. S + was/were +

● Passive voice is usually wordier. Subject + past past participle +
REMEMBER THAT: participle + by object
object
● Active voice is used to show that the Simple E.g. A large
subject of the sentence is performing Past E.g. He built a house was built
or causing the action. Tense large house. by him.
● Passive voice is used when the subject
is the recipient of the action. S + was/were +
● The passive voice requires a “double S + was/were + being + past
verb” and will always consist of a form being + past participle +by
of the verb “be” and the last past participle + object
participle (usually the “en/ed/t” form) object
Past E.g. Dinner was
of another verb. Continuo E.g She was being cooked by
us Tense cooking dinner. her.
 Subject + had + S + had been + appropriate. Descriptive writing may also
past participle + past participle + paint a picture of the feelings the person,
object by object place or thing invokes the writer.
2) Figurative Language
Past E.g. She had E.g. The letter Good descriptive writing often makes
Perfect posted the had been posted use of figurative language to help paint the
Tense letter. by her. picture in the reader's mind. There are many
ways to use figurative language, and it is a
S + will + be + talent that should be practiced until perfected.
Subject + will + past participle + -A simile uses like or as to compare
infinitive + by object two unlike things.
object Example: Her smile was like
Simple E.g. A present
Future E.g. I will give will be given to sunshine.
Tense you a present. you by me. -A metaphor compares two unlike
things without using like or as:
S + would + be + Example: Her smile was a light that
Subject + would past participle + lit up the room.
+ infinitive + by object Personification suggests comparison
object between a nonliving thing and a person by
E.g. Ten giving the nonliving thing human traits.
E.g. The doctor patients will 3) A DOMINANT IMPRESSION
shall have have been When you plan a descriptive essay,
Future examined ten examined by 10 focus on selecting details that help your
Perfect patients by 10 O’clock by the readers see what you see, feel what you feel,
Tense O’clock. doctor. and experience what you experience.
Your goal is to create a single
dominant impression, a central theme or idea
Descriptive Essay to which all the details relate-for example, the
liveliness of a street scene or the quiet of a
1)What Is Descriptive Writing? summer night.
Descriptive writing This dominant impression unifies the
creates a picture of a person, description and gives readers an overall sense
place, thing, or event. of what the person, place, object, or scene
looks like(and perhaps what it sounds, smells,
Description tells what tastes, or feels like).
something Sometimes_but not always_ your
looks, sounds, smells, tastes, details will support a thesis making a point
or feels like. about the subject you are describing.
2) Elements of Descriptive Writing 4) PRECISE LANGUAGE
Good descriptive writing comprises five Good descriptive writing uses precise
elements; Sensory Details, Figurative language. Using specific words and phrases
Language, dominant impression, precise will help the reader “see” what you are
language, and Careful Organization. describing. If a word or phrase is specific, it is
1) Sensory Details exact and precise. The opposite of a specific
Good descriptive writing includes many vivid language is language that is vague, general,
sensory details that paint a picture and or fuzzy.
appeals to all of the reader's senses of sight,
hearing, touch, smell, and taste when
 5) CAREFUL ORGANIZATION
primari- best of all foremo one most
Good descriptive writing is organized.
ly -st reason is signifi
Some ways to organize descriptive writing
that cantly
include: of chronological (time), spatial
(location), and order importance.
TO SHOW TIME ORDER

during finally next suddenl then

y

when concur near infront/ meanwhi

rently by back of le

afterward shorly forme this afternoon

s rly mornin
g
3) TRANSITION WORDS AND PHRASES
evening tomor today form at
THAT SIGNAL DESCRIPTION
row then on present
Transitions used in descriptive writing
vary depending on whether you are describing
a person, a place, or a thing. Here are some 4.) THE STRUCTURE OF A
examples of transitions that might be used in DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
descriptive contexts:
TO SHOW SPATIAL ORDER OR
DIRECTION

above below behind beside beyond

around next near infont/

to by back of

there on top under to the turning

of right/ right/left
left /south

TO SHOW OF IMPORTANCE

amazing but the equally increasin even

-ly most -gly more
important importa striki-
nt ng

initially strikingly the the the

most major main
Persuasive Essay
Persuasive writing is writing that
tries to convince a reader to do something or
to believe what you believe about a certain
topic. It takes a position for or against
something.
Persuasive writing can be used to..
Purpose Persuasive
Statement

support a cause “Please support my

football team by
buying discount
coupons.”

urge people to action “ Vote for Sarah!”

make a change “ The principal

should let us wear
hats.”

prove something “Cell phones don’t

wrong cause brain cancer.”

stir up sympathy “ If you don’t adopt

this dog, it could
have to live in a
shelter”

create interest “ Better grades get

you a better job
and more money”

get people to agree “ I'm sure you’ll

with you agree that Milky
way is the best
candy bar”
Narrative Essay
10 things to remember when
writing a narrative
Parallelism
Dangling Modifiers
 ● Citizens who knew what was
going on voted him out of
office.
● Knowledgeable citizens voted
him out of
office.
Beware of intensifiers that do not really
intensify
● Avoid using words such as really, very,
quite,
extremely, severely when they are not
necessary.
Avoiding Expletive Constructions
● Expletive constructions begin with
there is/are or it is.
Example:
There are twenty-five students who
have already expressed a desire to attend the
program next summer. It is they and their
parents who stand to gain the most by the
government grant.
Twenty-five students have already
expressed a desire to attend the program next
Common errors in writings summer. They and their parents stand to gain
the most by the government grant.
Redundancy
Phrases You Can Omit
● the state of being not or no longer
● needed or useful ● Remove phrases that add nothing to
● the use of words or data that could be the meaning of a sentence.
omitted without loss of meaning or
Run-ons, Comma Splices and Fragments
function; repetition or superfluity of
information. Meet the FANBOYS
Keep in mind: ● Did you know that you can separate
two complete sentences with a comma
● Avoid saying the same thing twice.
only if you use one of the FANBOYS?
● Redundant phrases are bad habits just
waiting to take control of your writing. Here’s how they work . . .
Reducing Clauses to Phrases, Phrases ● This is a great class the teacher
to single words never finishes on time.
● This is a great class, but the
● Be alert for clauses or phrases that can
teacher never finishes on time.
be trimmed to simpler, shorter
● It is now one o’clock let’s start the
constructions.
workshop.
Example:
 ● It is now one o’clock, so let’s start the - The professor assigns too much
workshop. homework, I don’t have much free
time.
Run-ons
Fixing comma splices
● Run-ons are sentences that should be
separated, but they are joined anyway ● If you are guilty of comma splices,
without proper punctuation. relax. They are easy to fix.
- The global food crisis is a threat to ● Option one: separate the
Africa many children are dying of sentences into two.
hunger. - College is hard. The expectations
● But what do you do if you want to join are higher than high school.
them as one complete sentence? ● Option two: change the wording
so that they can become one
Fixing run-ons: there are options.
complete sentence.
● Option one: separate the two - College is hard because the
complete expectations are higher than high
sentences using a period. school.
- The global food crisis is a threat to ● Option three: join the two
Africa. Many children are dying of sentences by a comma and a
hunger children are dying of FANBOYS.
hunger. - College is hard, for the
● Option two: join them by using a expectations
semicolon. are higher than high school.
- The global food crisis is a threat to
FRAGMENTS
Africa; many children are dying of
hunger - Fragments are incomplete
● Option three: Separate them by a sentences.
comma and a FANBOYS: - They are partial ideas, leaving the
- The global food crisis is a threat to reader to think,
Africa, and many children are “What does this mean?”
dying of hunger. - They may lack a verb, a subject, or
● Option four: Find ways to join them both.
by Examples:
subordination. –Whenever she asks.
- As a result of the global food crisis –As this was a great opportunity.
in Africa, many children are dying –Finding nowhere to turn
of hunger children are dying of
FIXING FRAGMENTS
hunger
● Option one: Add a subject or a
COMMA SPLICES
verb until the sentence makes
- Comma splices are sentences that complete sense as a stand-alone
should be separated, but they are thought.
joined with a comma. ● Finding nowhere to turn.
- College is hard, the expectations ● Ask yourself “Who am I talking
are higher than high school. about?”
(Comma splice) - Finding nowhere to turn, the
young man young man eventually
 turned to alcohol and drugs
eventually turned to alcohol and
drugs.
● Option two: join them to the
previous or next sentence.
- My uncle always gives Jane the car.
Whenever she asks.
- My uncle always gives Jane the car
whenever she asks.
REMEMBER!
How you want to edit your paper is your
decision.
• Over time, you will develop a writing style.
• Determine which way best suits the tone and
purpose of the writing.
• In some cases, short sentences are more
powerful and effective. In others, longer
sentences enhance understanding of a point.