1. Eliminating Shifts and
Mixed Constructions
Keeping your passengers
comfortable

2. Keeping your writing on
the road…
• Good writers avoid anything that makes
the audience stop reading (or go back and
re-read)
– Shifts in person and number
– Shifts in tense
– Shifts in mood
– Shifts in voice and subject
– Shifts between direct and indirect quotes
– Mixed constructions
– Illogical constructions
– Faulty predication (ooh—that sounds horrible!)

3. Shifts in Person and
Number
• Person-occurs when pronouns are used
Person
in sentences about groups or
unidentified people. (pronoun antecedent
agreement)
– When the researchers mixed the two
chemicals, you saw a surprising reaction.
– When the researchers mixed the two
chemicals, they saw a surprising reaction.

4. Shifts in Person and
Number
• Person-Some writers shift from the
Person
third person (he, she, it, one, they) to
the second person.
– With the cost of prescription drugs
spiraling upward, you can see that
regulation of the drug companies is
inevitable.
– With the cost of prescription drugs
spiraling upward, one can see that
regulation of the drug companies is
inevitable.

5. Shifts in Person and
Number
• Number shifts occur often when
trying to avoid gender issues or when
using indefinite pronouns.
– Every employee sets their own pace.
– Every employee sets his or her own pace.
– Each has their duty.
– Each has his or her duty.
• Each has a duty.

6. Shifts in Tense
• Tense places the action of the verb in
time.
• Maintain an overall sense of tense ()
– When the letter arrived, it says nothing
about the contract.
• When discussing literature or art, use
the present tense.
– In The Glass Menagerie, Tom realizes how
trapped he is after the Gentleman Caller
departs.

7. Shifts in Mood
• When writing commands (imperative
mood) and using the “you” understood
subject—don’t shift back to indicative.
(just read the following sentence)
– First, cover your work surface with paper,
and then you make sure your materials are
within reach.
– First, cover your work surface with paper,
and then make sure your materials are
within reach.
• Second IC is also “you” understood

8. Shifts in Voice and
Subject
• Voice is either active or passive.
– If the subject does it, it’s active.
– If the subject is acted upon, it’s passive.
• If a sentence has 2 verbs that share
the same subject, it’s okay to shift
voice (I know, we’re supposed to avoid it…)
– The students completed the project first
and were awarded the prize.
• Completed is active, were awarded is passive—
but since the one subject is students, it works.

9. Shifts in Voice and
Subject
• Avoid shifting from active to passive
(or vice versa) if it requires a subject
change.
– As we peered out of the tent, the waning
moon was seen through the trees.
• Peered is active-subject we
• Was seen is passive—subject the moon
• This is also a dangling modifier. (re-write
sentence)
– As we peered out of the tent, we saw the
waning moon through the trees.

10. Shifts between Direct
and Indirect Quotes
• Careful use of quotation marks clarifies
statements for the reader.
– Direct quote—it came out of someone’s mouth
just that way
– He insisted that he loved his wife and cried,
“Why did she leave me?”

11. Shifts between Direct
and Indirect Quotes
• Indirect quote—repeating something
that was said.
– He insisted that he loved his wife and
wondered why she had to leave him.him

12. Shifts between Direct
and Indirect Quotes
• Consider the following:
– Dr. Ryan claims that the play was
composed before 1600 and that it was
written by the hand of Shakespeare.
– Dr. Ryan claims that the play was
composed before 1600 and that it “shows
the clear hand of Shakespeare.”
– Dr. Ryan claims that the play was
composed before 1600. He says, “It shows
the clear hand of Shakespeare.”

13. Mixed Constructions
Revise for Clarity
• A sentence that begins one way and
then takes a turn in another way is a
mixed construction:
– By listening closely and paying attention to
nonverbal signals helps a doctor make a
better diagnosis.
• By listening closely is a prep phrase-can’t be a
subject
• Revised: Listening closely and paying attention
to nonverbal signals helps a doctor make a
better diagnosis.

14. Mixed Constructions
Revise for Clarity
• Clauses and other phrases are often
misused as a subject.
– Because the doctor is an expert does
not mean a patient shouldn’t get a
second opinion.
• Because the doctor is an expert is a
subordinate clause—can’t be the subject
• Revised: The doctor’s status as an expert
does not mean a patient shouldn’t get a
second opinion.

15. Mixed Constructions
Revise for Clarity
• Mixed constructions can happen with
verbs, too. Main verbs of the sentence
can’t be in verbal phrases or
subordinate clauses.
– The fact that most patients are afraid to
ask questions which gives doctors complete
control.
• The verb give is in the sub-clause although it’s
the main verb in the sentence.
• Revised: The fact that most patients are afraid
to ask questions gives doctors complete control.

16. Illogical Constructions
Revise for Clarity
• Things that make your reader say, “Hmmm, I
wonder what that is supposed to mean.”
– The opinion of most people believe that dogs are
better pets than cats.
• Revised: Most people believe that dogs are better pets than
cats.
– Repeat offenders whose licenses have already been
suspended for drunk driving will be revoked.
• Revised: Repeat offenders whose licenses have already been
suspended for drunk driving will have their licenses revoked.
– CAREFUL PROOFREADING SHOULD CATCH THESE!

17. Faulty Predication
• Don’t use a clause beginning with when,
where or because after a linking verb.
– Pop art is where an artist reproduces
images from commercial products.
• Revised: Pop art is based on images from
commercial products.
– Sudden death overtime is when the game is
extended until one team scores.
• Revised: In sudden-death overtime, the game is
extended until one team scores.

18. Faulty Predication
• This is a tricky one: “The reason … is”
often becomes faulty because writers
don’t make both parts of the sentence
match up. (can’t use “reason is because”)
– The reason little has been done to solve the
problem is because Congress is deadlocked.
• Revised: Little has been done to solve the
problem because Congress is deadlocked.
» OR
• The reason little has been done to solve the
problem is that Congress is deadlocked.