Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice The noun that is the subject of the sentence performs the action. Ex: The happy clown delivered the balloons. “The lance struck the unlidded yellow eye…” (Bradbury 316). Someone broke the shop window last night.

Passive Voice The action is being done to the subject. Ex: The balloons were delivered by a happy clown. The baby was fed by Sarah. “…an instant before the rain of fire and timber, the stove could be seen making breakfast at a psychopathic rate ten dozen eggs, six loaves of toast, twenty dozen bacon strips, which, by fire…” (Bradbury 271)

How Can I Tell the Difference? The happy clown delivered the balloons. "Happy clown" is the subject. What did the clown do? "Delivered" is the main verb. "Balloons" is the direct object of the verb. The balloons were delivered by a happy clown. "The balloons" is the subject. What did the balloons do? We do not know. However, we do know the balloons were delivered by the clown. This is passive.

Who Cares? Sentences written in active voice are stronger, clearer, and smoother. Passive sounds weak and makes the reader read on before discovering the main point of the sentence.

Practice. Label the following as active or passive Practice. Label the following as active or passive. Rewrite passive sentences to make them active. 1. Last night, the floor was scrubbed by my father, and the faucet was fixed by my mother. 2. Mistakes were made by the students. 3. “The dog whined, shivering, on the front porch”(Bradbury 268).