active & passive voice updated

7/25/2019 Active & Passive Voice Updated

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Active & Passive Voice


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Defning Voice

Voice is a characteristic o verbswhich indicates the relation o the

verbs action to its subject. The voice o a verb a! be either

active or "assive.


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There are two s"ecial ors or verbscalled voice#

Active voice Passive voice


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$h! should writers thin% about theirverbs

Verbs are the ost i"ortant o all !ourtools. The! "ush the sentence orward and

give it oentu. Active verbs "ush hard'"assive verbs tug ftull!.

-- $illia (insser)

On Writing Well


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The active voiceis the *noral* voice. Thisis the voice that we use ost o the tie. +nthe active voice) the subject "erors the

action#

+n other words) the object receives the actionand usuall! coes at the end o thesentence

Active Subject Verb Object

,ats eat fsh.


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The passive voiceis less usual. +n the"assive voice) the subjectreceives theaction o the verb.

+n this case) the object coes at thebeginning o the sentence.

Passive Object Verb Subject

-ish are eatenb!/

,ats


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Active Voice

Active voice verbs are used whenthe subject is acting in a sentence.

01a"le#

,ind! steered the boat.

2teered is an active verb becauseit allows the subject to underta%e

an action.


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Passive Voice

Passive voice verbs are used whenthe subject is being acted uponin asentence.

01a"le#The ountains "ea% was reached b!

0d Danvers.

$as reached are considered

"assive because the! indicate thatthe subject "ea%/ is receiving anaction.


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01a"les#

Active# Active sentences subject/focusaction) done b! the subject/on the "erson doing the action.

Passive# The reci"ient o the actionsubject/ is focusedaction) notdone b! the subject/) on in a "assivesentence.


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3ow to change active into"assive

A sentence ust have an object inorder to be changed into "assive.

4nl! transitive verbs a! bechanged into "assive voice.

2oe 5ules6


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Passive voice rules

An Active sentence has the ollowingstructure#

Subject + verb + object

A "assive sentence has the ollowingstructure#

Object of the active sentence +be/is/am/are/was/were/been + pastparticiple form of the verb + by +subject of the active sentence


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Present simple# 3e re"airs the car.

The car is repaired by him.

Present continuous# 3e is re"airing the car.

The car is being repaired by him. Past simple# 3e re"aired the car.

The car was repaired by him.

Past continuous# 3e was re"airing the car.

The car was being repaired by him.

Present perfect# 3e has re"aired the car.

The car has been repaired by him.


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Past perfect: 3e had re"aired the car.

The car had been repaired by him.

Future simple: 3e will re"air the car.

The car will be repaired by him. Present conditional# 3e would re"air the car.

The car would be repaired by him.

Perfect conditional# 3e would have re"aired

the car. The car would have been repaired by him.


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01a"les#

Active# The e1"lorers climbedthetallest ountain in the range.

Passive# The tallest ountain in therange was climbedb! thee1"lorers.


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01a"les#

Active# This great scholar compiledthe largest collection o2ha%es"eares sources.

Passive# The largest collection o2ha%es"eares sources was

compiledb! this scholar.


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Active versus Passive

Active Voice

8ore e"hatic

8ore concise

9sed as the generalrule

Passive Voice

9sed when !ou wantto stress thei"ortance o theaction or its reci"ient.

9sed when the actor isun%nown or irrelevant.

9sed when one wantsto avoid entioningthe actor# 01.8ista%es were ade.


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$hen to use "assive voice

9se "assive voice when !ou do not wish toe"hasi:e the subject o the sentence.

01a"le# 2o%ing is "rohibited. "assive/

The anageent "rohibits so%ing. active/

The "assive sentence ta%es attention awa! roanageent) so the! do not have to be in the roleo the bad gu!s.


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Passive Voice cond/

Also use "assive voice when !ou wish toe"hasi:e what ha""ened and the

"erson or thing acting is un%nown oruni"ortant.

01a"le

Terrorists were ound in si1 cities.The use of passive emphasizes the nding of

terrorists, not who found them.


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$hen to use active voice

9se active voice unless !ou arere


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A# =. >ou should not switch voices in thesae sentence?@. ;e careul with the graatical

construction.


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01a"les o switching voices inthe sae sentence#

i. The contentious issue wasconte"lated as the debaters"re"ared to "resent their arguents.

ii. 4nce the boo%s were fnished) thewriters tal%ed to the "ublisher.

iii. The "i"es in the %itchen were f1ed)

then the "luber started re"airingthe showers.


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2witching voices can conuse the reader.+ !our reader is conused) then !ourwriting is not eective or eBcient.


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C# 3ow do + f1 it switching voices/


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A# 8a%e all "arts o !our sentenceconsistent. 9suall!) !ou should changethe "assive voice to the active voice.


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,orrections#

+ncorrect# 4nce the boo%s werefnished) the writers tal%ed tothe "ublisher.

,orrect# 4nce the writers fnishedtheir boo%s) the! tal%ed tothe "ublisher.


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,orrections#

+ncorrect# The "i"es in the %itchenwere f1ed) then the"luber started re"airing

the showers.

,orrect# The "luber f1ed the "i"esin the %itchen then startedre"airing the showers.


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3ow to avoid "assive voice

8an! 0nglish verbs have been changedinto useul nouns with the use o a suB1.

nnounce ! announcement

"ropose - proposal

#epart ! departure

$eet ! meeting

-or active voice sentences use the verbinstead o the noun or o these %inds o

words.


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01a"les o 8ista%en raatical,onstruction in the Passive Voice#

i. The horses will grooed.

ii. The great fr tree had cut down.

iii. The hungr! bear would shot b! thehunter.

iv. 2hoes is ade in the actor!.

v. ;ic!cles should not be leaving inthe drivewa!.

vi. This s%!scra"er will fnish in @EEF.


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C# 3ow do + f1 it ista%en graaticalconstruction in the "assive voice/


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=. 8a%e sure to %now who is receiving theaction and who is doing the action.@. Veri! that !ou have !" + past

participlein !our sentence?G. Veri! !our tenses and !our subjectHverbagreeent?


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,orrections#

+ncorrect# The horses will grooed.

,orrect# The horses will begrooed.


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,orrections#

+ncorrect# The great fr tree had cutdown.

,orrect# The great fr tree had

been cut down.


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,orrections#

+ncorrect# The hungr! bear wouldshot b! the hunter.

,orrect# The hungr! bear would

beshot b! the hunter.


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2uar!

9se active voice unless s"ecifedotherwise.

8a%e sure the subject is acting and notbeing acted u"on.

9se the verb or o words without

suB1es Place subjects in ront o the action the!

"eror this oten eliinates to be

verbs/


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Cui:

Decide which o the ollowingsentences use the "assive voice andwhich sentences use the active voice.,orrect the sentences that containeither ina""ro"riate uses o "assivevoice or an abru"t shit ro active to"assive voice.


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01a"le#

H;eore + began ! research) onl! eranascis was studied b! e.

Passive construction

H;eore + began ! research) + onl! studiederan ascis.


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Proessor $arren assigned eachgrou" a research "roject'

however) the docuentar!sources were not located.

+ncorrect ActiveHPassive 2hit

Proessor $arren assigned each

grou" a research "roject'however) he could not locate thedocuentar! sources.


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-or the o"ening Iag cereon!) adance was choreogra"hed b! JeaKones to ;ill $ithers song Lean on8e.

Passive ,onstruction

-or the o"ening Iag cereon!) JeaKones choreogra"hed a dance to ;ill$ithers song Lean on 8e.


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$hen the tic%ets are read!) the travelagent notifes the client. 0ach tic%et

is then listed on a dail! register or)and a co"! o the itinerar! is fled.

+ncorrect ActiveHPassive 2hit

$hen the tic%ets are read!) the travelagent notifes the client. The agent

then lists the tic%et on a dail! registeror and fles a co"! o the itinerar!.


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2eisologists have e1ained dataconcerning the recent earth


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Probles o aine) "ollution)

dwindling resources) and arscontrol were discussed b! thesenator.

H Passive construction

The senator discussed "robles oaine) "ollution) dwindlingresources) and ars control.


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$henever an error was ound b!8rs. ,lar%) the entire "a"er had to

be rewritten b! the student.

Passive ,onstruction

$henever an error was ound b!8rs. ,lar%) the student had to

rewrite the entire "a"er.

active & passive voice updated

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