Active and Passive Voice Subject and Verbs Review

Active and Passive Voice

Subject and Verbs Review The subject of a sentence is the main person, place, or thing (noun) that completes an action. A verb is the main action of the sentence. Examples: My sister threw the ball at my head. life. Becky’s dog jumped the fence. everyday. Maria wrote a book about her Lisa played the saxophone

Active and Passive Voice In active voice, the subject PERFORMS the action of the verb. The pirate hoisted the sails. The bat gulped the moth. The pilot flew the plane. In passive voice, the subject RECEIVES the action of the verb. The sails were hoisted by the pirate. The moth was gulped by the bat. The plane was flown by the pilot.

Passive Voice Verbs Passive voice verbs always include forms of “ to be” followed by a past participle. For instance: The obstacle was avoided. The bridges were raised. The bug was exterminated. Other examples of “to be” verbs include: was, is, am, are, have been, has, will be, being, and will have been.

Passive Voice “Doers” Another thing to look for is that sometimes, but not always, passive voice sentences will include who or what is performing an action at the end of the sentence or clause. For instance: Poland was invaded by Germany. The silent lunch was given by the teachers. “I Want It That Way” was sung by The Boys and Joshua.

When Do We Use Passive Voice? FOR THE MOST PART, we want to use active voice because it is more coherent and easily conveys who is important -- the person doing the action. However, using passive voice is a good idea in the following cases: ● Nobody knows who was responsible: “A fire was started. ” ● Nobody wants the listener to know who was responsible: “The vase has been broken. ” ● Nobody cares who was responsible: “Shrubs were planted. ” ● The thing that was acted on is more important than what caused it: “The road was built in 100 AD. ”

Examples of Passive Voice in Music

Changing Passive Song Examples to Active 1. I know you’ve been hurt by someone else. 2. Whenever we try, somehow the plan is always rearranged. 3. Not sure I understand this role I’ve been given. 4. Legs are required for jumping [and] dancing. 5. Your bridges were burned, now it’s your turn to cry. 6. You’ll be rewarded when at last I am given my dues. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Practice 1 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. Joshua feeds his dog. 2. The mouse is eaten by the cat. 3. The family went to the beach. 4. The letter was written by Courtney. 5. The game had been won by the blue team.

Practice 2 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. Monkeys adore bananas. 2. The money was counted by the cashier. 3. Sydney was eating an apple. 4. The picture was painted by Bobby. 5. Tina opened the present.

Practice 3 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. The phone was being used by Brandi. 2. It gets cold here during the winter. 3. Aiden hit the tree with his stick. 4. The man jumped off the step. 5. Daniel was watching the birds.

Practice 4 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. The problem was solved. 2. The stunt man risked his life. 3. The fire was extinguished by Angel. 4. The car was being cleaned by its owner. 5. The card was made by Trent.

Practice 5 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. 2. An Irishman wrote this book. 3. The president was elected by the people. 4. The bag was packed by his mother. 5. A car hit the child.

Practice 6 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. The exercise is completed by the yoga instructor. 2. Children play football. 3. The computer is used by Patrick. 4. Marie sells coffee. 5. Google was founded by Larry and Sergey.

Practice 7 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. Steven likes to play baseball. 2. People play Bingo in Britain. 3. His keys were lost yesterday. 4. A letter was written. 5. They are listening to their music.

Practice 8 Identify whether each sentence is in passive or active form. Then, change all passive sentences to active. 1. They often read e-mails. 2. These cars are produced in Italy. 3. French is spoken in Niger. 4. Lots of houses were destroyed. 5. The bus driver was hurt.