Transcript /userfiles/3843/my files/active vs. passive voice.pptx?id=555402

ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
• Passive: The entrance exam was failed by over one-third of the applicants to
the school.
• Active: Over one-third of the applicants to the school failed the entrance
exam.
• The subject of the sentence is performing the action. This means the sentence is
written in the active voice.
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ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
• Passive: The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill.
• Active: She slammed on the brakes as the car sped downhill.
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ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE
• Passive: Your bicycle has been damaged.
• Active: I have damaged your bicycle.
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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.
• The presence of a be-verb, however, does not necessarily mean that the
sentence is in passive voice.
• Passive voice sentences may include a "by the..." phrase after the verb.
• The agent performing the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this
phrase.
• Passive: At that point, the song will have been completely remixed by the audio
engineers.
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REASONS TO AVOID THE
PASSIVE VOICE
• It can make your sentences sound awkward.
• The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill.
• It can make your writing seem dull and uninteresting.
• Sentences in active voice are more concise than those in passive voice.
• Fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.
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CHANGING PASSIVE VOICE TO
ACTIVE VOICE
1. Find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is
performing the action expressed in the verb.
2. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb
accordingly. (Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the
surrounding sentences which provide context.)
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CHANGING PASSIVE VOICE TO
ACTIVE VOICE
• Passive: The book is being read by most of the class.
CHANGING PASSIVE VOICE TO
ACTIVE VOICE
• Passive: Results will be published in the next issue of the journal.
CHANGING PASSIVE VOICE TO
ACTIVE VOICE
• Passive: A policy of whitewashing and cover-up has been pursued by the
CIA director and his close advisors.
CHANGING PASSIVE VOICE TO
ACTIVE VOICE
• Passive: Traces of ice have been discovered on the surface of Mars.