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Media writing sept 1
This document provides guidance on grammar, style, and writing best practices. It discusses the differences between active and passive voice, proper use of who/whom, avoiding weak language, and using strong and specific words. It also announces that students can present on a grammar topic starting September 27th for a class assignment.
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Media writing sept 1
- 1.
- 2. Today’s quiz In whichof these sentences uses an active verb? A. Steve Buttry is my professor. B. Steve Buttry wrote the story. C. My assignment was received by Steve Buttry. D. Steve Buttry seems like a good professor. Email your answer to brouzan94@gmail.com.
- 3. What are thedifferences? • Grammar • Spelling • Capitalization • Punctuation • Word usage • Style
- 4.
- 5. Active vs. passivevoice Active voice is the voice of accountability: Passive: Mistakes were made. Active: I screwed up. Passive voice is weak but not inherently wrong: Steve Buttry was murdered. Police don’t have a suspect yet. (Active voice is correct because we don’t know who did the action.)
- 6. Grammar vs. wordusage & style Steve Buttry was murdered. Police don’t have a suspect yet. Grammatically correct, but why is “murdered” still not the correct verb?
- 10. Who/whom rule: 1. Findthe verb 2. If the person is doing the action of the verb, use who 3. Otherwise, use whom
- 11. Who/whom tip Rewrite sentenceusing they or them (or he/him, she/her). If you use they (he/she), it’s who. “Who do you trust?” sounds fine. But rewrite as “Do you trust they?” and you know it should be “Do you trust them?” So you know “Whom do you trust?” is correct.
- 12. Who/whom challenges Dependent clause:“Trump wanted to fire (whomever or whoever?) leaked the rumor to the press.” “Trump wanted to fire him” seems correct. But remember the find-the-verb rule: The person is doing the action of the verb leaked, so “Trump wanted to fire whoever leaked the information to the press” is correct.
- 13. Who/whom challenges Attribution: “Wewill fire (whomever or whoever?) Trump says leaked the rumor to the press.” “Trump says” separates the word in question from the verb, but leaked is still the verb related to the pronoun, so whoever is still correct: “We will fire whoever Trump says leaked the rumor to the press.”
- 14. Who/whom challenges Find theright verb: “The judge, (who or whom) Trump called a Mexican, was born in Indiana.” Called is the closest verb to the pronoun, but it was Trump who called. While the pronoun is the same person who was born (the other verb), judge is the subject of that verb. Rewrite the clause: “Trump called him a Mexican.” So this is correct: “The judge, whom Trump called a Mexican, was born in Indiana.”
- 15. Singular “they” • Notyet accepted in AP style • Gaining acceptance among editors & grammarians • Singular pronouns have gender • “Everyone” may be different genders or unknown • Some don’t identify as male or female • Usage may overrule grammarians
- 16. Use strong words •“It is” (“it was,” etc.) & “There are,” (“there were,” etc.) are grammatically correct but still weak • Why are they weak?
- 17. But sometimes they’reperfect “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” “There is no joy in Mudville.”
- 18. Seek specific words Grammaticallycorrect several get go/went make cook Stronger seven (or six, or …) buy, steal, find … drive, run, hike, fly build, develop, manufacture … bake, fry, boil, grill …
- 19. Synonyms for said •asked • answered • exclaimed • claimed • alleged • insisted • averred • shouted • wrote • ruled • declared • related • announced • expressed • mentioned • uttered • inquired • yelled • whispered • articulated • recounted • told • reported • estimated • pronounced • disclosed • revealed • proclaimed • divulged • gossiped • responded • acknowledged
- 20. Your “Grammar Matter” •Choose a date (and give me a backup date, in case someone beats you to it) starting Sept. 27 • Presentation for class (slides welcome but not necessary) on a grammar point addressed in one of the grammar books or blogs listed in the syllabus • Counts with regular writing assignments in final grade
- 21. Time to checkyour grammar
- 22.