Active vs. Passive Verbs

1
Active vs. Passive Verbs

• Create more powerful sentences
• with active verb forms.

2
Why Worry About Verbs?

• Active verbs create strong sentences.
• Ricardo aced the examination.
• Passive verbs make weak sentences.
• The examination was aced by Ricardo.

Does the stranded man have an active girlfriend?
3
What is the Active Voice?

• In the active voice, the subject performs the
  action.
• For example
• Joseph draws a picture.
• Joseph is the subject and he is doing something
  (drawing).

4
What is the Passive Voice?

• In passive voice the subject is acted on.
• For example The picture was drawn by Joseph.
• In this case, the drawing is the subject and it
  is being acted upon by Joseph.

Was the photographer hurt by the wild cow?
5
When Do We Use Passive?

• Use passive voice when you do not wish to
  emphasize the subject of the sentence.
• Smoking is prohibited. (passive)
• The management prohibits smoking. (active)
• The passive keeps the management from being the
  bad guys.

In this office scene, whos the bad guy?
6
What if the agent is unimportant?

• Also use passive when the person or thing acting
  is unknown or unimportant.
• Poisonous gases were found in six factories.
• This passive sentence is about finding gases, not
  who found them.

How important does the girl feel?
7
When do we use active voice?

• Use active voice all the time, unless you are
  required or have very specific reasons for doing
  otherwise.
• Active voice leads to more concise writing.
• It clarifies just who it is that is doing the
  action identified.
• Example The thief plans to steal from the open
  house.

Who feels excited about the open house?
8
How Do We Avoid Passive?

• Active sentences use verbs, not noun forms.
• The boss announced the party.
• Not The announcement about the party was made by
  the boss.
• The ISA meets Wednesday.
• Not The ISA meeting will be Wednesday.

What announcement are the men imagining?
9
Can You Change Nouns to Verbs?

• The scientists couldnt find a conclusion.
• They held discussions on the topics.
• No one could form a proposal for a plan.
• They only made a translation of earlier studies.

• The scientists couldnt __.
• They __ the topics.
• No one could __ a plan.
• They only __ earlier studies.

Which statements are weak and which strong?
10
Can You Change Nouns to Verbs?

• The scientists couldnt find a conclusion.
• They held discussions on the topics.
• No one could form a proposal for a plan.
• They only made a translation of earlier studies.

• The scientists couldnt conclude.
• They discussed the topics.
• No one could propose a plan.
• They only translated earlier studies.

The active ones are much stronger.
11
Can You Make Passive Active?

• Another way of preserving active voice is by
  placing the noun doing the action before the
  verb.
• The seeds were scattered by Jesse.
• ? Jesse __ __ __.
• A good harvest is expected by him.
• ? He __ __ __ __.

What is Jesse harvesting?
12
Is Passive the Past Verb Tense?

• Many people confuse the passive voice with the
  past tense.
• It is true that the most common passive
  constructions also happen to be past tense (e.g.
  "I've been framed").
• Yet "voice" is about who, while verb "tense"
  concerns when. 

• Past tense
• The professor taught the class about passive.
• The students learned the lesson about passive.
• Passive voice
• The class is taught by the professor about
  passive.
• The lesson about passive was learned by the
  students.

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How do passives use BE verbs?

• Passives use BE verbs plus the past participle
• Regular verbs form the past participle just like
  the past -ed form.
• The boy was impressed by Ms. Jones.
• Irregular past participles are made with en
• The pizzas were eaten by bears.

How passive are the zoo bears?
14
Can we revise sloppy passives?

• Passive sentences do identify the doer of an
  action, so they can lead to sloppy or misleading
  statements especially in technical writing.
• Compare how clear and direct the passive
  sentences become when they are rephrased as
  imperative sentences.

• Which alternate is better?
• A. To drain the tank, the grill should be
  removed, or the storage compartment can be
  flooded.
• B. Drain the tank in one of the following ways
• remove the grill
• flood the storage compartment

15
Can you create passive voice?

• The printer __ (power) by a battery.
• Many __ (convince) that using a cell phone while
  driving is dangerous.
• Supplements __ (consider) foods and not drugs.
• About 500 people __ (expect) to graduate this
  year.

• 5. All rooms at the motel __ (equip) with
  refrigerators.
• 6. Accommodations are expensive but __ (reduce)
  by 20 or more after September.
• 7. I doubt that such a policy __ (need) at the
  moment.
• 8. Three types of RNA __ (involve) in protein
  synthesis.

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Here is the passive voice

• The printer was powered by a battery.
• Many are convinced that using a cell phone while
  driving is dangerous.
• Supplements are considered foods and not drugs.
• About 500 people are expected to graduate from
  Dalton State this year.

• 5. All rooms at the motel are equipped with
  refrigerators.
• 6. Accommodations are expensive but are reduced
  by 20 or more after September.
• 7. I doubt that such a policy is needed at the
  moment.
• 8. Three types of RNA are involved in protein
  synthesis.

17
Can you use passive verbs?

• 9. Archimedes ___ the math constant pi.
• was discovered
• discovered
• has discovered
• is discovering
• 10. Bell _____ the telephone in 1876.
• A. is invented
• B. has invented
• C. invented
• D. was invented

• 11. "The Last Judgement" ___ by Michelangelo
  between 1536 and 1541.
• A. painted
• B. was painted
• C. was being painted
• D. has been painted
• 12. The first volume of the Lord of the Rings
  _____ in 1954.
• A. was published
• B. has been published
• C. is published
• D. published

18
Here are the passive verbs

• 9. Archimedes ___ the math constant pi.
• was discovered
• discovered
• has discovered
• is discovering
• 10. Bell _____ the telephone in 1876.
• A. is invented
• B. has invented
• C. invented
• D. was invented

• 11. "The Last Judgement" ___ by Michelangelo
  between 1536 and 1541.
• A. painted
• B. was painted
• C. was being painted
• D. has been painted
• 12. The first volume of the Lord of the Rings
  _____ in 1954.
• A. was published
• B. has been published
• C. is published
• D. published

19
Can you use passive verbs?

• 13. Many animals __ since Dolly the sheep.
• A. have been cloned
• B. had been cloning
• C. were cloned
• D. clones
• 14. That area __ by war for years.
• A. is being troubled
• B. has been troubled
• C. trouble
• D. is troubling

• 15. New technology __ due to market saturation.
• A. delays
• B. is delayed
• C. was delayed
• D. is delaying
• 16. The Park Service __ for years by crowding at
  the Grand Canyon.
• A. has been embarrassed
• B. embarrasses
• C. embarrassed
• D. is being embarrassed

20
Here are the passive verbs

• 13. Many animals __ since Dolly the sheep.
• A. have been cloned
• B. had been cloning
• C. were cloned
• D. clones
• 14. That area __ by war for years.
• A. is being troubled
• B. has been troubled
• C. trouble
• D. is troubling

• 15. New technology __ due to market saturation.
• A. delays
• B. is delayed
• C. was delayed
• D. is delaying
• 16. The Park Service __ for years by crowding at
  the Grand Canyon.
• A. has been embarrassed
• B. embarrasses
• C. embarrassed
• D. is being embarrassed

21
Can you create passive voice?

• 17. Which planet (call) __ the red planet?
• 18. Our solar system (compose) __ of how many
  planets?
• 19. In 1957 a rocket (launched) __ into space by
  whom?
• 20. The first woman (send) __ into space by
  which nation?

• Venus, Mars, Uranus, or Mercury
• One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight,
  or Nine.
• The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.
• The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.

22
Here is the passive voice

• 17. Which planet is called the red planet?
• 18. Our solar system is composed of how many
  planets?
• 19. In 1957 a rocket was launched into space by
  whom?
• 20. The first woman sent into space by which
  nation?

• Venus, Mars, Uranus, or Mercury
• One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight,
  or Nine.
• The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.
• The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.

23
How do we avoid BE verbs?

• Houses were destroyed by the storm.
• The cake was eaten by me.
• Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Joseph
  Priestley.
• The kitten was chosen by the girl.

• The storm __ __.
• I __ __ __.
• Joseph Priestly __ __ __ ___.
• The girl __ __ __.

Which sentences are more clear?
24
How do we avoid BE verbs?

• Houses were destroyed by the storm.
• The cake was eaten by me.
• Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Joseph
  Priestley.
• The kitten was chosen by the girl.

• The storm destroyed houses.
• I ate the cake.
• Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen in 1774.
• The girl chose the kitten.

The active sentences are more clear.
25
What are five action tips?

• Good writers prefer the active voice.
• Make sure the subject is acting and not being
  acted upon.
• Use the verb form of nouns with suffixes.
• Place subjects in front of the action they
  perform.
• Reduce the use of BE forms of verbs.

Make sure your sentences are full of something by
using the active voice!