Active & Passive Voice Stop making your writing suck!

One day, I was waiting for the bus. A girl came up to me and she was singing about it being Friday. Her friends were driving and asked her if she wanted a ride. There was only one available seat. She then continued singing and she was debating which seat she wanted to take in the car. However, there was only one seat that she could take. I do not know why she would think that anyone cared to hear a song about it.

On Friday, I waited for the bus. A girl came and sang a song about it being Friday. Her friends drove up and asked her to catch a ride. There was only one available seat. She continues to sing and she debates which seat she wants to take in the car. However, there is only one seat that she can take. I do not know why she thinks that anyone cares to hear a song about it.

A. V. makes your writing better Passive Voice One day, I was waiting for the bus. A girl came up to me and she was singing about it being Friday. Her friends were driving and asked her if she wanted a ride. There was only one available seat. She then continued singing and she was debating which seat she wanted to take in the car. However, there was only one seat that she could take. I do not know why she would think that anyone cared to hear a song about it. Active Voice On Friday, I waited for the bus. A girl came and sang a song about it being Friday. Her friends drove up and asked her to catch a ride. There was only one available seat. She continues to sing and she debates which seat she wants to take in the car. However, there is only one seat that she can take. I do not know why she thinks that anyone cares to hear a song about it.

Active Voice Active voice is when the subject performs the action of the verb; these types of verbs are present tense

Passive Voice Passive voice is when the subject receives the action; these types of verbs are past tense. Passive voice always includes forms of the verb to be (is, was, were, have, has, been, etc….).

Ok…So what does that mean? Active Voice The cat scratched Joanna. Roberta takes karate lessons. Yesterday, I bought a dress at the mall. Did he break the window? Passive Voice Joanna was scratched by the cat. Karate lessons are being taken by Roberta. Yesterday, I had bought a dress at the mall. Was the window broken by him?

But why does it matter? Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing (narrative, literature, poetry). Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Even in scientific writing, too much use of passive voice can cloud the meaning of your sentences.

Lets practice together! ____1. The sales representative pointed the way to the appliance section of the store. ____2. The house was painted last year by the new owner. ____3. The water in the swimming pool will be tested by the hotel manager himself.

Lets practice in our tribe! Identify each of the underlined verbs as being active voice verbs (A) or passive voice verbs (P). ____1. The sales representative pointed the way to the appliance section of the store. ____2. The house was painted last year by the new owner. ____3. Will you load the dishwasher, please? ____4. The water in the swimming pool was tested by the hotel manager himself. ____5. My new car features a great sound system and heated seats. ____6. Allison participates in music and art activities. ____7. My sleep is interrupted each night by my neighbor’s dog.