1. Active and Passive Voice
Elements of Writing pp

2. Active Voice More direct The subject of the sentence does something:
Fido chewed my slipper.
Jane will play the guitar.
The demonstrators shouted their approval.
Mr. Bellamy has found the missing file.

3. Passive Voice Less direct Inverts the subject and the object
What was the object becomes the subject
The sentence becomes more wordy
My slipper was chewed by Fido.
The guitar will be played by Jane.
Approval was shouted by the demonstrators.
The missing file has been found by Mr. Bellamy.

4. Active Voice Clearer and stronger Makes sentences more alive
Makes subjects more clear
Takes unnecessary words out of the sentence

5. Passive Voice
Withholds subject; doesn’t identify the performer of the action
Writing is less clear and wordy
Use only if you do not know the performer of the action:
The store was robbed last night.
Or, use to avoid identifying the performer of the action:
The missing file has been found.

6. Quick test… by zombies!
If you can insert “by zombies” after the verb, you have the passive voice.
“She was killed [by zombies.]”
---passive
“Zombies killed [by zombies] her.”
doesn’t make sense… ACTIVE!