These new disposable diapers work hard to keep babies dry.
I call sentences like the one above undoables. Undoables contain a subject which is incapable of performing its assigned action.
I tell my students to correct undoables by picturing the subject executing the action: Can you imagine a disposable diaper working hard?
Each sentence in the following paragraph contains an undoable. See if your students can spot them and explain why they are un-doable.
One concern that restaurants bring up is the issue of hygiene. Cleaning products take steps to improve cleanliness. However, halfhearted activities will not prevail. Furthermore, the way that many restaurants are maintained does not keep in mind adequate procedures for maintaining a germ-free environment. Many restaurants claim to be clean, but how can we be sure this is true? Our current situation is wreaking havoc on the intestines of restaurant customers. Unhealthy food should force restaurants to have higher standards. Therefore, strict policies must win the battle of the dirty kitchen. That’s why new laws should enforce minimum standards of restaurant cleanliness. Only then will America’s stomachs earn a respite from unhealthy bacteria.
by Richard W. Bray
Tags: Education, grammar, Language, Language Arts
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