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Overuse of ground water would lead to pervasive drought.
 Overuse of ground water would cause widespread dryness.
She continued to carry out her duty although she was in poor health.
She continued to do her job despite her poor health.
The government has to urgently tackle the continuing unrest in the south.
The government must immediately deal with the unending violence in the sout
The firm has dismissed experienced staff and replaced them with young people
on lower salary.
The company has made experienced staff leave their job and substituted
them with young people on lower pay.
The mayhem in the south was getting worse because of inefficient
policies and abuse of authority.
The chaos in the south was worsening due to ineffective policies and misuse of power.
| STEP 2: Change sentence structure. Following are some suggestions on how to change sentence structure. |
1. Use “There + verb to be + noun phrase.” |
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“Verb to be” should be put in the same tense as that of the verb in the original sentence.
Examples:
The number of hungry people has increased in the last decade.
Step1 The number of starving population has grown in the last decade.
Step2 There has been a growing number of starving population in the last decade.
OR
There has been a growth in the number of starving population in the last decade.
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2. Use “It is + adjective + for (pronoun/ noun) + to (infinitive).” |
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This structure is frequently used when we talk about probability, possibility, necessity, obligation,
importance, frequency, difficulty, or vice versa.
Examples:
You need the most up-to-date antivirus programs to ensure your hard drive and e-mail are not
infected.
Step1 You must have the most modern antivirus programs to make sure your hard drive and
e-mail are not damaged.
OR
You must have the most modern antivirus programs to protect your hard drive and
e-mail.
Step2 It is necessary (for you) to have the most modern antivirus programs to protect your hard drive and e-mail. (Note: “for + pronoun” is often omitted.)
The power plant would aggravate the shortage of water in the area if it was given permission to
use up to 50,000 cubic meters of water a day.
Step1 The power plant would worsen the water shortage in the area if it was allowed to
consume up to 50,000 cubic meters of water daily.
Step2 It is possible for the power plant to worsen the water shortage in the area if it was allowed to consume up to 50,000 cubic meters of water daily.
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3. Reduce a clause to a phrase and make other necessary changes |
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Examples:
Technology is now so potent and pervasive that it seems to be the main driver of social change.
Step1 Technology is at present so powerful and widely used that it appears to be the
main driving force of social change.
Step2 At present, powerful and widely used technology appears to be the main
driving force of social change.
You need the most up-to-date antivirus programs to ensure your hard drive and e-mail are not
infected. Step1 You must have the most modern antivirus programs to make sure your hard drive and
e-mail are not damaged.
OR
You must have the most modern antivirus programs to protect your hard drive and
e-mail.
Step2 The most modern antivirus programs will protect your hard drive and e-mail.
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4. Use a participial phrase to combine two clauses or two sentences that have the same subject. Make sure you change the verb into the correct form of participles. |
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Examples:
work/ worked/ working
|  | working |
is polluted/ was polluted
| | polluted |
| have risen/ had risen | | having risen |
| have been reduced | | having been reduced |
a) Replace a relative clause by deleting the relative pronoun (who, which, that) and changing the
verb to a participle form.
Examples:
Police held back protesters who attempted to break through the barricades.
Step1 Police held back demonstrators who tried to break through the barriers.
Step2 Police held back demonstrators trying to break through the barriers.
Agricultural Land Reform Act has a major loophole which will let investors have farmers’ land
in their possession.
Step1 Agricultural Land Reform Act has a major loophole that will allow investors to take
ownership of farmers’ land.
Step2 Agricultural Land Reform Act has a major loophole allowing investors to
take ownership of farmers’ land.
b) If the two clauses/ sentences show the relationship in time, the one which happens before could
be changed into a participial phrase.
Examples:
After Tom paid for the famous painting, he discovered that it was a reproduction.
Step1 After Tom bought the famous painting, he found out that it was a fake.
Step2 After buying the famous painting, Tom found out that it was a fake.
The doctor found an irregularity as he was watching the patient’s respiratory rate.
Step1 The doctor discovered an irregularity while he was observing the patient’s
respiratory rate.
Step2 The doctor discovered an irregularity while observing the patient’s respiratory rate.
c) If the two clauses/ sentences imply the cause-result relationship, the one which indicates the
cause or reason could be changed into a participial phrase.
Examples:
The owner of a petrol station could not verify the sources of the petrol. As a result, he was
alleged to illegally stock up on oil.
Step1 The petrol station owner failed to verify the petrol sources. Therefore, he was
charged with illegal stockpile of oil.
Step2 Failing to verify the petrol sources, the petrol station owner was charged with
illegal stockpile of oil.
Typhoon left more than a thousand people with no choice but to evacuate from villages in the
mountains since it dumped over one meter of torrential rain on mountainous areas.
Step1 Typhoon forced more than a thousand people to escape from villages in the
mountains as it poured over one meter of heavy rain on mountainous areas.
Step2 Pouring over one meter of heavy rain on mountainous areas, typhoon forced more
than a thousand people to escape from villages in the mountains.
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5. Use active or passive verb forms. |
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To change between active and passive structures is useful for paraphrasing. The overall meaning of
the sentence remains the same although there is a slight shift in the emphasis of the subject.
Examples:
The ICT Ministry was assigned by the cabinet to oversee the electronic ID card bidding.
Step1 The ICT Ministry was appointed by the government to supervise the electronic
ID card bidding.
Step2 The government appointed the ICT Ministry to supervise the electronic ID card
bidding.
PTT and Siam Cement will fund the building of new water pipelines in the Eastern seaboard.
Step1 PTT and Siam Cement will finance the construction of pipelines in the Eastern
seaboard.
Step2 The construction of new water pipelines in the Eastern seaboard will be financed by PTT and Siam Cement.
There are, however, situations in which the passive is preferred to the active voice, that is, when the performer of the action is not known, not important, understood, or obvious.
Examples:
A new medicine to cure human influenza has been successfully developed (by researchers).
A teenager was arrested (by the police) on charge of drug trafficking.
| STEP 3: Make other changes where appropriate, for example, move modified to different positions, shuffle the position of the clauses, etc. |
Examples: |
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Overuse of ground water would cause widespread dryness.
Widespread dryness would be a result of overuse of ground water.
She continued to do her job despite her poor health.
Despite her poor health, she continued to do her job.
The chaos in the south was worsening due to ineffective policies and misuse of power. Due to ineffective policies and misuse of power, the chaos in the south was worsening.
There has been a growth in the number of starving population in the last decade.
In the last decade there has been a growth in the number of starving population.
The doctor discovered an irregularity while observing the patient’s respiratory rate. While observing the patient’s respiratory rate, the doctor discovered an irregularity. |
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