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Active vs. Passive Voice

Active vs. Passive Voice. What is Active Voice?. In a sentence using  active voice , the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb. For example: The dog bit the boy.

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Active vs. Passive Voice

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  1. Active vs. Passive Voice

  2. What is Active Voice? • In a sentence using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb. • For example: The dog bit the boy. • The subject (the dog) is performing the action (to bite) to the individual being acted upon (the boy). This is an example of a sentence using the active voice.

  3. What’s the Difference? • Passive voice: • The entrance exam was failed by over half of the applicants to the school. • Active voice: • Over half of the applicants to the school failed the entrance exam. • Passive voice: • The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill. • Active voice: • She slammed on the brakes as the car sped downhill.

  4. Recognizing Passive Voice • You can recognize passive-voice expressions because the verb phrase will always include a form of “be,” such as: am, is, was, were, are, or been. • When the words “that,” “has,”or “have” are used. • Another way to recognize passive-voice sentences is that they may include a "by the..." phrase after the verb.

  5. Reasons to Avoid Passive Voice • It can create awkward sentences • Also, overuse of passive voice throughout a piece of writing can cause your prose to seem flat and uninteresting.

  6. Practice! • Your bicycle has been damaged. • I damaged your bicycle. • Action on the bill is being considered by the committee • The committee is considering action on the bill. • The book is being read by most of the class. • Most of the class is reading the book. • Results will be published in the next issue of the journal. • The researchers will publish their results in the next issue of the journal. • Mistakes were made. • We made mistakes. • Scientists discovered traces of ice on the surface of Mars. • Nothing wrong!

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