1.  Circle all the “to be” verbs. 
2.  Circle all the prepositions. 
3.  Focus on sentences one at a time that have circles (particularly to be verbs). 
4.  Ask "Where's the action?" Ask, "Who's Kicking Who? Clarify the real "actor" (subject) and the real "action" (verb). 
5.  Revise the sentence putting these two--the actor and action (subject and verb)--together. Be sure to use an active verb.

Russell had no problem getting up, but he winced in pain the minute he stood on both feet.  He could stand on one completely, but not both feet.  As he began to walk he sort of limped along with only the ball of his right foot and his full left foot touching the ground. 

“My foot hurts momma, I think there’s somethin’ in it.  It hurts when I walk on it like something is stickin’ me.”

Marcella wiped off his foot as best she could.  Once it was somewhat clean she could see he had picked up a splinter in the back of his foot. 

“Here Marcella, let me help you take him home.”

When they got to Marcella’s they took him to the kitchen where he could sit on the bench at the kitchen table and she could get a good look at his foot with the light that hung down from the ceiling over the table. 

“Annette, go bring me the rubbing alcohol, and get me a needle from my sewing kit.  Oh, and wet a washcloth with warm water and bring that too.”

Annette came back with everything and placed them on the table next to her mother.  Marcella reached into a kitchen drawer and took out a pack of matches.  She gently wiped Russell’s foot with the washcloth, then cleaned it again with some of the rubbing alcohol.  Next she struck a match and held the small flame at the sharp end of the needle.

“Momma, why are you burning that needle like that?”  Asked Annette.

“I’m sterilizing the needle honey, the needle has to be clean when I use it to clean your brothers foot.  Holding the fire to it will take away any germs that are on the needle.”

Both children watched momma as she prepared the needle for the job of taking the splinter out of Russell’s foot.

Russell had no problem getting up, but he winced in pain the minute he stood on both feet.  He could stand on one completely, but not both feet.  As he began to walk he sort of limped along with only the ball of his right foot and his full left foot touching the ground. 

“My foot hurts momma, I think there’s somethin’ in it.  It hurts when I walk on it like something is stickin’ me.”

Marcella wiped off his foot as best she could.  Once it was somewhat clean she could see he had picked up a splinter in the back of his foot. 

“Here Marcella, let me help you take him home.”

When they got to Marcella’s they took him to the kitchen where he could sit on the bench at the kitchen table and she could get a good look at his foot with the light that hung down from the ceiling over the table. 

“Annette, go bring me the rubbing alcohol, and get me a needle from my sewing kit.  Oh, and wet a washcloth with warm water and bring that too.”

Annette came back with everything and placed them on the table next to her mother.  Marcella reached into a kitchen drawer and took out a pack of matches.  She gently wiped Russell’s foot with the washcloth, then cleaned it again with some of the rubbing alcohol.  Next she struck a match and held the small flame at the sharp end of the needle.

“Momma, why are you burning that needle like that?”  Asked Annette.

“I’m sterilizing the needle honey, the needle has to be clean when I use it to clean your brothers foot.  Holding the fire to it will take away any germs that are on the needle.”

Both children watched momma as she prepared the needle for the job of taking the splinter out of Russell’s foot.