Active vs. passive Transitive, intransitive, linking verbs Kennings

1. Active vs. passiveTransitive, intransitive, linking verbsKennings

2. Grammar exercise • You need to make writing more vigorous and concise. • So what does that look like? • One way to do that is by knowing what kind of verbs you’ve got.

3. Transitive, intransitive verbs= ACTION verbs • The robot ate Jimmy. • Subject (main noun) = Robot • Predicate (main verb) = ate • Direct object = Jimmy • What did the robot eat? It ate Jimmy. • This is a transitive verb because it has a direct object. • It is in the active voice. (More later . . . )

4. Transitive, intransitive = ACTION verbs • The robot ate in the park. • Subject = ? • Predicate = ? • Direct object? Nope. • So what is “in the park”? • It’s prepositional phrase acting as an adverb describing where the robot ate. • Intransitive verbs can connect a subject to something that describes how or when something occurs. • The robot ate slowly. The robot ate at dinner time. • These verbs are intransitive. • They are action verbs without direct objects. • In fact, I can say this: • The robot ate. • All of these sentences are in the active voice.

5. ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE • Jimmy was eaten by the robot. • Who is doing the eating? • Then make him your subject and make him DO something. • In the park is where Jimmy was eaten. • BLAH! You wouldn’t write that, right . . . • In London is where Jekyll and Hyde is set. • Two ways in which to re-write the above so it does make me cringe and hate life.

6. Linking verbs • Usually forms of “to be” verb. • Links subject to a subject compliment (usually an adjective or noun that describes the subject). • He is intelligent. • He is the boss. • Still active voice! • The intelligence is his. BOO! • The boss is he. BOO!!!

7. Passive vs. active • 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?

8. So why use passive? • To emphasize the object. • One hundred votes are needed to pass the bill. • Here, the votes are emphasized. • When the subject isn’t known. • A speech will be delivered tomorrow. • This implies that we do not know who is delivering the speech.

9. Peer Edit • Check that they met the requirements of the rubric. So . . . • Is your essay MLA formatted? • Did you tell a story that illustrates how you developed your belief or how you practice your belief in your life? • Is the story specific in its details? Does it seem sincere/genuine? Does your story tie to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs? • Is your story brief (350-500 words)? • Is your belief named? Is it a single core belief? If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. • Is the tone positive? Have you avoided preaching or editorializing? Did you tell the reader what you do believe, rather than what you do not believe? • Is the story about you? Is it written in the first person (avoiding “you”)? • Does your essay have your own unique “voice?” Is it individual, written in words and phrases that seem comfortable and a reflection of your personality? • Is it mechanically-sound and thoughtfully-crafted? • Does your submission include all planning and drafting materials in the order in which they were created with the newest in front and the oldest in back?

10. PEER EDIT • While grading by the rubric, I also want you to omit needless words. • Cut the essay by 50 words. • Be merciless. • Arrange sentence so they are active rather than passive (this almost always cuts unnecessary words). • Look for meaningless phrases. • Look for ideas that can be combined. • Hrothgar was an old king. His armies were large and “swelled” with young men” • Though old, King Hrothgar’s armies “swelled” with young men.

11. Definition: • A kenning is a literary device in which a noun is renamed in a creative way using a compound word or union of two separate words to combine ideas.

12. Characteristics of a kenning: • Originated in Anglo-Saxon Old English and Old Norse poetry • A type of figurative language, specifically a METAPHOR • Some kennings were coined by poets and used repeatedly in various works • Sometimes utilized ALLITERATION

13. Types of kennings include: • Open compound, (i.e.) wakeful sleeper or icy wave • Hyphenated compound, (i.e.) gold-shining hall or whale-road • Possessive compound, (i.e.) hell’s captive or Hrothgar’s son • Prepositional Compound, (i.e.) shepherd of evil or proud with wine

14. Throughout time, kennings have become increasingly more complex and detailed. • For Instance, they began with: • “Foamy-throated ship” • Then progressed to: • “Foamy-throated sea-stallion” • And concluded with • “Foamy-throated sea-stallion of the whale-road” • Why do you think the poet would use kennings? What does it tell us about their language?

15. Modern examples: • “gas guzzler” • “head-hunter” • “gold digger”

16. Poetic Form • Lines are made up of two balanced halves or caesuras, each with 2 stressed syllables. • This can be seen in our translation, though not consistently. • Poetic forms are notoriously difficult to maintain through translation