ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

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ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
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Review Subjects of Sentences

• The subject of the sentence will always be a noun
  or pronoun.
• The subject tells who or what the sentence is
  about.
• To find the subject, ask who or what is doing
  something or about whom or what is something
  being said?

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Find the subject!

• 1. Joey arrived late for the dance.
• 2. Madeleine Albright was appointed secretary of
  state.
• 3. Accepting the award was Leo Kolar.
• 4. Several of the players hit home runs.
• 5. Peanut butter is my favorite snack.

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Now that we have reviewed subjects
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What is the difference between these two
sentences?

• J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series.
• The Harry Potter series was written by J.K.
  Rowling.

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What is the difference between these two
sentences?

• Voldemort attacked Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacked by
  Voldemort.

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Verbs and Voice

• Voice is the form a verb takes to indicate
  whether the subject of the verb performs or
  receives the action.
• There are two types of voice in which every
  sentence is written active voice and passive
  voice.

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Active Voice

• Active Voice indicates that the subject of the
  verb is the one doing the action
• Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb
  in such sentences, the sentences are said to be
  in the active voice.

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Active Voice

• These examples show that the subject is  doing
  the verb's action.
• The dog jumped onto the boy.
• The dog (subject) is doing the jumping (verb).
• Kristy will give a book report to the class.
• Kristy (subject) is doing the giving (verb).
• The computer ate my paper.
• The computer (subject) is doing the eating
  (verb).

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Passive Voice

• In a passive voice sentence, the subject and
  object flip-flop. The subject becomes the passive
  recipient of the action.
• Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is
  passive), such sentences are said to be in the
  passive voice.

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Passive Voice

• These examples show the subject being acted upon
  by the verb.
• The boy was jumped on by the dog.
• Boy (subject) was being jumped on (verb)
• A book report will be given by Kristy to the
  class.
• Report (subject) will be given (verb).
• My paper was eaten by the computer.
• Paper (subject) was being eaten (verb).

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Wait Lets review that!

• Active voice The subject of the sentence is the
  one doing the action of the verb.
• Voldemort attacked Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
• Passive Voice The subject of the sentence
  changes. Now, the subject of the sentence is not
  doing the action, but receiving the action of the
  verb.
• Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacked by
  Voldemort.

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Okay. So why does this matter?

• Most of the time when you write, you will want to
  write in active voice.
• Sometimes you may write in passive voice
  accidentally, but you will need to be able to
  identify passive voice and be able to change it
  to active voice.

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Reasons to Use the Active Voice

• Most writers prefer to use active voice because
  it is more direct.
• Compare
• Active The waiter dropped the tray of food.
• Passive The tray of food was dropped by the
  waiter.

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Reasons to Use the Active Voice

• The active voice is less awkward and clearly
  states relationship between subject and action.
• Compare
• Passive Your request for funding has been denied
  by the review committee.
• Active The review committee denied your request
  for funding.
• The active voice sentence pattern propels the
  reader forward through your writing thus avoiding
  weak prose.

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Sometimes You Need Passive Voice

• In general, the passive voice is less direct,
  less forceful, and less concise than the active
  voice.
• Use the passive voice in the following
  situations
• Use passive voice when you do not know or do not
  want to reveal the performer of an action.
• Use passive voice when you want to emphasize the
  receiver of an action.

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Examples

• Awkward Passive My bicycle was repainted by
  John.
• Deliberate Passive My bicycle was repainted.
  (The performer is not mentioned and the emphasis
  is on the bicycle.)

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How to Identify Passive Voice

• You need to know how to identify passive voice in
  your writing so that you can change it to active
  voice.
• Look at the verb form (form of to be past
  participle)
• Try the by test.

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1. Look at the verb form

• Sentences in the passive voice will have a
  "double verb" that consists of a form of the verb
  "to be" and the past participle (usually the
  "en/ed/t" form) of another verb.
• Example
• Active John baked the bread.
• Passive The bread was baked by John. (Was is
  a form of the verb be.)

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1. Look at the verb form

• Passive Voice verbs
• (form of to be) (past participle of main
  verb)
• Review the forms of "to be"
• am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
• Past Participle
• adds -ed, -d, -t, -en or n
• Examples Walked, burned, eaten, given

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2. The By Test

• 1. Often passive voice sentences will contain a
  phrase beginning with the preposition by to
  indicate who is doing the action of the verb.
• 2. If there is not a prepositional phrase
  beginning with by see if you can add one in at
  the end of the sentence. You can use the generic
  phrase by the man.
• Example
• The dog was groomed by Mr. Woof.
• The cat was bathed.

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Lets Practice

• Directions Identify which sentences below are in
  passive voice.
• A book club has been formed by the school
  librarian.
• Someone broke the shop window last night.
• The balloons were delivered by a happy clown.
• The illustrator used water colors.
• The computer had been fixed.
• The house had been painted recently.

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Transforming Passive ? Active

• 1. Decide who is actually performing the action
  of the verb. Make that person/thing the subject _at_
  the beginning of the sentence (To find this, look
  after the word by)
• 2. Change the verb. It will probably go from
  being a two word verb to a one word verb.
• 3. Move the recipient of the verb from the
  beginning of the sentence to the end.

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Transforming Passive ? Active

• Examples
• Passive The cookies were eaten by the children.
• Active The children ate the cookies.
• Passive The tunnels are dug by the gophers.
• Active The gophers dug the tunnels.

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Lets Practice

• Directions Change the sentences below to the
  active voice.
• The statue is being visited by hundreds of
  tourists every year.
• My books were stolen by someone yesterday.
• These books had been left in the classroom by a
  careless student.
• Coffee is raised in many parts of Hawaii by
  plantation workers.
• The house had been broken into by someone while
  the owners were on vacation.

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Your turn!

• Turn to page 247 in your language book.
• Read the (10) sentences on Exercise 5. On a sheet
  of paper, write whether each sentence is in
  active voice or passive voice. Do this on the top
  half of your sheet of paper.

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• For each sentence that is in passive voice,
  rewrite the sentence in active voice on the
  bottom half of your paper.
• When you finish, wait quietly.