ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE Review Subjects of Sentences

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

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?

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.

Now that we have reviewed subjects…

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.

What is the difference between these two sentences? Voldemort attacked Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacked by Voldemort.

Verbs and 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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

Wait – Let’s 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. )

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. 1. Look at the verb form (form of “to be” + past participle) 2. Try the “by” test.

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”. )

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, being, been Past Participle adds -ed, -t, -en or –n Examples: Walked, burned, eaten, given

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: 1. The dog was groomed by Mr. Woof. 2. The cat was bathed.

Let’s Practice Directions: Identify which sentences below are in passive voice. 1. A book club has been formed by the school 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 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.

Transforming Passive Active 1. Decide who is actually performing the action of the verb. Make that person/thing the subject @ 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.

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.

Let’s Practice Directions: Change the sentences below to the active voice. 1. The statue is being visited by hundreds of 2. 3. 4. 5. 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.

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.

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.