1. Active and Passive Voice

2.  Active Voice  The subject of the sentence performs the verb ▪ Example: The dog bit the boy  Passive Voice  The subject is acted upon ▪ Example: The boy was bitten by the dog.

3.  Active voice helps to create clear and direct sentences  Passive voice adds unnecessary words to a sentence

4.  Be verbs  They create boring reading  They also create a passive voice  Eliminating “be verbs” helps to create an active voice  Replace them with stronger, action verbs

5. “Be Verb”Usage Be Is, Are, Am(present tense) 's 're 'm(used in contractions) Was(past tense) Were(past tense) Been(past tense) Being

6.  A book club has been formed by the librarian.  The balloons were delivered by a happy clown.  Someone broke the shop window last night.  The computer was fixed by Mr. Edmunds.  Lucinda had planted those marigolds.  The trees were being blown over by the wind.  The street lights made long, scary shadows on the sidewalk.  The swelling on Joe’s arm was caused by the bee sting.