FROM GRAMMAR TO WRITING

PART 1 Editing Advice

1. Don’t confuse the present participle (verb–ing) and the past participle. In some cases, they sound similar.

taken

Paul Nicklen has taking many pictures. been

Has he ever being to the South Pole? 2. Don’t confuse for and since.

for

Sylvia Earle has been studying the ocean since many years. 3. Use the correct word order. never been

I have been never to Niagara Falls. ever had

Has Wallenda had ever an accident?

4. Use yet in negative statements. Use already in affirmative statements. yet He hasn’t reached the top of the mountain already. 5. Don’t forget the -d or -ed ending on past participles of regular verbs. ed

We have learn many things about risk takers. d

I’ve decide to take skydiving lessons. 6. Use correct subject-verb agreement. have

Some people has had very interesting experiences.

PART 2 Editing Practice

Some of the shaded words and phrases have mistakes. Find the mistakes and correct them. If the shaded words are correct, write C.

done

My uncle Meyer is not a famous person. But he has doing many great things in his life. He is a teacher.

He has been teaching Hebrew and Jewish history since the past 45 years. He has inspire many young

people to love language and history. In some cases, he have taught three generations of the same family.

He often receives letters and e-mails from students who have studied with him many years ago. Many of

them has finished college and started their own careers and families. They often tell him how much they

learned from him and how much he has inspired them.

Another great thing about my uncle is that he has always being a great teacher outside the classroom.

When we have been children, he often took us to the library on Saturdays and to a museum on Sundays.

He has been always a member of several museums and has donated money to support them. Many times

C

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2. 3. 4.

5.

6. 7.

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we have wondered why it’s important to support the museums. He once has told us, “The classroom is only

one place to learn. But life is bigger than the classroom. There are many other ways to learn.”

A third great thing about Uncle Meyer is that he never stops learning. He’s 68 years old now, and he

has recently decided to learn Chinese. He has already learn Russian and German pretty well, and now he

wants a new challenge. He is studying Chinese for the past two months. He speaks it a little now, but he

hasn’t learned to read or write it yet. But he never gives up. He has always wanted to travel to China, and

now he’s hoping to go there next year with the ability to speak some Chinese.

Some people think he’s old and he should retire. But he has never been thinking about retiring. He

loves to teach and learn. He has taught me that it’s important to learn and inspire other people to learn.

15. 16.

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20. 21. 22.

23. 24. 25.

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WRITING TIP

When writing about an experience, you can set the scene with the present perfect, and then switch to the simple past when you are ready to give more precise details such as dates, times, and so on.

Paul Nicklen has shown us incredible images of the arctic. Last year, he went on an expedition. . .

I’ve been to France many times and I’ve always had a wonderful time, but I’ve never forgotten a single thing about my first trip. That was in 2003, when I visited the Côte d’Azur and stayed in a small village with some friends.

PART 3 Write

Read the prompts. Choose one and write one or more paragraphs about it.

1. Choose a living person you know or have read about who has done great things. This person doesn’t have to be famous or well known. Write a paragraph (or multiple paragraphs) describing what risks this person has taken and why you think he or she is great. 2. Sometimes we take a big risk or make a decision to do something new without thinking about the results. Write a paragraph (or multiple paragraphs) telling about a decision you made or a risk you took without thinking about it too much. What was the decision? How has this decision affected your life or the lives of those around you? What have you learned from this experience?

PART 4 Edit

Reread the Summary of Lesson 2 and the Editing Advice. Edit your writing from Part 3.

UNIT

3Passive and Active Voice

An outdoor movie playing in Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City

THE MOVIES

When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That’s what the movies offer: Escaping into lives other than our own. ROGER EBERT