Using Active and Passive Voice What are active and passive voice? Uses of active and passive voice Active-voice verbs Passive-voice verbs Review A Review B

What are active and passive voice? Like people, verbs can be active or passive Len is troubled by his grades. Jennifer held the bat. Mark sets up the shot. Carl was captivated by the game.

What are active and passive voice? Voice is the form a verb takes to show whether the subject of the verb . . . performs the action Subject Verb Len’s grades trouble him. or receives the action Subject Verb Len is troubled by his grades.

What are active and passive voice? When the subject of a verb performs the action, the verb is in the active voice. Active-voice verb Subject The fire destroyed the house. The subject fire performs the action of destroying.

What are active and passive voice? A verb in the active voice has a direct object, which tells who or what receives the action. Direct object Verb Mrs. Rodriguez grows corn on her farm. Mrs. Rodriguez grows corn on her farm. The subject Mrs. Rodriguez performs the action. The direct object corn receives the action.

What are active and passive voice? When the subject of a verb receives the action, the verb is in the passive voice. Passive-voice verb Subject The house was destroyed by the fire. The subject house receives the action of destroying.

What are active and passive voice? Passive-voice constructions include a form of be, the past participle of the verb, and sometimes other helping verbs. Form of be Past participle The funds were spent on new uniforms. Helping verb Form of be Past participle The funds have been spent on new uniforms.

What are active and passive voice? A verb in the passive voice does not have a direct object. Passive-voice verb Subject Corn is grown on the farm. Corn is grown on the farm. The subject corn receives the action. The performer of the action is not given.

What are active and passive voice? Sometimes a prepositional phrase beginning with by and telling who or what performs the action follows the verb in the passive voice. Passive-voice verb Prepositional phrase The mayor was elected. by the voters. The prepositional phrase tells you that voters performed the action of electing.

What are active and passive voice? Sometimes in passive sentences the performer of the action is not indicated at all. Passive-voice verb Her sculptures have been shown in many other galleries. The performer of the action is not given. Passive-voice verb Several sculptures were sold today. The performer of the action is not given.

What are active and passive voice? On Your Own Rewrite each sentence in the voice shown before the item number. (active) 1. The decision has been made by Mother. (passive) 2. Leo sent that postcard. (passive) 3. My manager has drafted a memo. (active) 4. The poodle was treated by the veterinarian. (active) 5. The race was won by Jackie. (passive) 6. A wolf made those paw prints. [End of Section]

Uses of active and passive voice Active-voice verbs emphasize the action and the performer of the action. Active voice A tornado damaged her home. Emphasis is on the tornado and the action it performs. Passive-voice verbs emphasize the receiver of the action. Passive voice Her home was damaged by a tornado. Emphasis is on the home, which receives the action.

Uses of active and passive voice Active-voice verbs We usually prefer the active voice to the passive because the active voice is more forceful and direct. Active voice He crossed the finish line just in time. Forceful and direct Passive voice The finish line was crossed just in time. Not very forceful or direct

Uses of active and passive voice Active-voice verbs The active voice is also more concise than the passive voice. Since active-voice verbs take fewer words, they sound less awkward. Active voice I will load the truck soon. Clear and concise Passive voice The truck will be loaded soon by me. Awkward sounding

Uses of active and passive voice Passive-voice verbs In general, you should avoid using the passive voice since sentences in the passive voice can sound awkward and weak. Better (active voice) Awkward passive voice My parrot will be taken care of by my neighbor next week. My neighbor will take care of my parrot next week. Better (active voice) Weak passive voice Some trail erosion has been caused by all the flooding. All the flooding has caused some trail erosion.

Uses of active and passive voice Passive-voice verbs The passive voice does have its place, though. Use the passive voice when you want to emphasize the receiver of the action Appropriate passive voice Some remarkable fossils have been found in the area. Emphasis is on the fossils, which receive the action. In this case, it is not important who found the fossils.

Uses of active and passive voice Passive-voice verbs Use the passive voice when you do not know the performer of the action Appropriate passive voice Are the peaches being harvested on schedule? Emphasis is on the peaches. We do not know who is doing the harvesting.

Uses of active and passive voice Passive-voice verbs Use the passive voice when you do not want to reveal the performer of the action Appropriate passive voice Vicious rumors have been spread about the politician. Emphasis is on the rumors. The writer does not want to say who has spread the rumors.

Uses of active and passive voice On Your Own Identify each verb as active or passive voice. Rewrite each weak passive-voice sentence in the active voice. If the passive voice is appropriate, leave the sentence as is. ______ 1. The story was edited by Paulo. ______ 2. Some equipment has been stolen from the lab. ______ 3. Finally the two boys reached an agreement. ______ 4. The coastline had been battered badly by the hurricane. ______ 5. Kara has been collecting books by her favorite authors. [End of Section]

Review A For each sentence, tell whether the verb is in the active or passive voice. 1. Kareem admired his classmates’ exhibits at the science fair. 2. The firefighter was praised for her hard work and dedication. 3. Several shops were damaged by the high winds. 4. Ray will buy a bag of carrots and some red onions. 5. Have all the trails really been closed?

Review B Identify each sentence as active or passive voice. Rewrite each weak passive-voice sentence in the active voice. If the passive voice is appropriate, leave the sentence as is. _____ 1. Kevin prepared carefully for the exam. _____ 2. Spanish and English are spoken by my aunt. _____ 3. The historic home was built in 1860. _____ 4. The children are making origami animals. _____ 5. Important data will be gathered by our research team. [End of Section]

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