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Sprint 4.6: A Paragraph Without Actors

Learner audits a paragraph for who is doing things, and restores agency where the argument depends on it.

6 micro-lessons

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Who Does Anything Here?

Six paragraphs. Two have nobody in them and are fine.

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The plan was reviewed. Concerns were raised. The proposal was withdrawn. How many people appear?

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Somebody Has to Do Something

How agency disappears, when that is fine, and when it is not.

How it happens

Agentless passives remove doers. So do nominalisations.

The plan was reviewed. Concerns were raised.
Rapid growth has strained services.

Use several together and the paragraph has no actors left at all.

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Needs Actors, or Does Not

Ten paragraphs. Four need nobody.

Sort each item into the correct category

The argument needs an actor

No actor required

Unassigned

Argument that the board mishandled a review: The plan was reviewed. Concerns were raised. The proposal was withdrawn.

Describing the water cycle: Water evaporates, condenses at altitude, and falls as rain.

Argument about who cut funding: A reduction in provision followed, and services were closed.

Describing how a city spread: The suburbs expanded steadily through the 1950s.

Argument that ministers ignored advice: The advice was disregarded and the warnings were not acted on.

Describing a laboratory procedure: The samples are frozen, labelled, and stored for six months.

Argument about corporate conduct: The rules were broken and the fines were never collected.

Describing a demographic trend: The birth rate has fallen steadily since 1974.

Argument that the council failed residents: The consultation was shortened and the objections were set aside.

Argument that the reform worked: Applications rose, retention improved, and dropout rates fell.

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Restore One Actor

Six paragraphs. Exactly one actor each — you choose which.

Each paragraph has no actors. Rewrite ONE sentence to name an actor — the one the argument turns on. Leave the rest alone.

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Argument: the board mishandled the review. The plan was reviewed in March. Concerns were raised. The proposal was withdrawn. → Rewrite one sentence:
Argument: the department, not the schools, made the cut. A reduction in provision followed. Services were closed across four boroughs. → Rewrite one sentence:
Argument: ministers ignored the advice they were given. The advice was disregarded. The warnings were not acted on. → Rewrite one sentence:
Argument: several large firms broke the rules with impunity. The rules were broken repeatedly. The fines were never collected. → Rewrite one sentence:
Argument: the council cut short the consultation. The consultation was shortened. The objections were set aside. → Rewrite one sentence:
Argument: the university raised fees knowing the effect. Fees were raised in 2012. The effect on poorer applicants had been forecast. → Rewrite one sentence:

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Five Sentences, Two Actors

Argue about a policy, and let somebody do something.

Write a five-sentence paragraph arguing about a policy, in which at least two sentences name who is doing something.

Prompt: a government has cut funding for public libraries.

Write five sentences arguing about it.

At least two sentences must have a human or institutional subject — somebody doing something.

Your five sentences*

One paragraph.

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Who Is Responsible

Your paragraph says something went wrong. Who did it?

Learners can ask follow-up questions and keep the thread going.

Your paragraph argues that something went wrong.

Who did it?

And does your paragraph actually say so?

just now

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