English 10A: Grammar Lab 3

Objective: To review passive voice, parallel structure, misplaced modifiers and dangling
modifiers in order to apply principles about them to writing

Topics: Passive Voice, Parallel Structure, Misplaced Modifier, and Dangling Modifier

Related Sections in Writers INC (your grammar book): 062, 726, and 728; 101 and 540; 087; 088

1. Go first to http://aliscot.com/bigdog/; at this site, you will find information and self-tests on
all four topics for this grammar lab. Read all the material and do all the self-tests.

2. Go next to www.bedfordstmar.com/guidebook; click on exercises. Click on effective

sentences. Then click on Exercises 17, 18, and 20 and complete them. They cover misplaced
and dangling modifiers and parallel structure.

3. Now go to www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar; remember that on this site, you find information

on the topics under the Word and Sentence Level Oval and interactive quizzes under the Ask
Grammar, Quizzes, etc. Oval. After reading the information on all four topics, do quizzes 78
and 79 on modifier placement, 118, 119, and 120 on parallel structure, and 51 on passive
voice.

Spend part of your remaining time reviewing your vocabulary on www.vocabtest.com (Level E)
(Do definitions, synonyms, and antonyms for each unit.)

Also spend part of your remaining time reviewing the material in Grammar Labs 1 and 2.
Before you leave the lab, you should have notes on the following grammatical principles:

1. Sentence Fragment—what it is and how to correct it

2. Comma splice and run-on sentence—what they are and the five ways to correct them
3. Subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement—the rules to follow and
problems that cause errors
4. Parallelism—what it is and how to achieve it
5. Misplaced and dangling modifiers—what they are and how to correct them
6. Active and passive voice—the difference between the two, the reason active voice is
preferable, the instances in which passive voice is acceptable

You may also spend time on the Spark Notes website doing SAT preparation work.

You may also go to www.freerice.com to work with vocabulary and give rice to the needy, or you may
go to www.brainflips.com to make your own study cards for the vocabulary words you are currently
studying.