ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

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The Passive AND ACTIVE Voice

~ Most sentences with objects can be written in either the active or the passive voice

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ACTIVE
Example : Many modern inventions make our lives more convenient Comments : The active and passive versions of a sentence usually have similar meanings but a different emphasis The active voice is more frequently used than the passive. It emphasizes the subject of the sentence and what the subject does 4/29/12

PASSIVE
Example : Our lives are made more convenient by many modern inventions Comments : The passive voice emphasizes other parts of the sentence. It is likely to be used when an action is more important than who does it The passive voice is used frequently in academic and technical writing
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Looking at Active and Passive Sentences

~ The verb phrase in a passive sentence contains one more word than its active counterpart ~ A passive verb phrase always includes a past participle and some form of the verb be. ~ The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

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Example

Active : She answers letters from S V O

readers Passive : Letters from readers are

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~ When you want to say who did or caused the action, use a by phrase Example : Letters from readers are answered by Miss Manners

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Using the Passive Voice

~ The passive voice is often used in talking about writers, articles, performers and the works they create or perform

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Example
Blowing

in the Wind was composed by Bob Dylan. It has been recorded by several wellknown singer Jewels was choreographed by George Balanchine and was performed by the New York City Ballet. In the performance I saw, the principle role was danced by Suzanne Farrell For Whom the Bell Tolls was written by
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Forming Passive Sentences with Auxiliaries

~ The passive verb phrase always contains a form of the verb be and a past participle ~ Notice that be in the passive sentence is in the same tenses as the verb of the active sentence ~ The passive voice is not used with the present perfect progressive tense, the past perfect progressive tense or the future perfect progressive tense
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Present Progressive
Active : The company a new product ______________________________________ Passive : A new product (by the company) is being made

is making

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Future Time
Active : The company a new product ______________________________________ Passive : A new product

will make

will be made

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Active : The company a new product _______________________________________ Passive : A new product is going to be made

is going to make

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Modal Auxiliaries
Active : The company a new product _______________________________________ Passive : A new product

can make

can be made

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Active : The company a new product

must make

____________________________________ Passive : A new product must be made

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Modals with have

Active : The company a new product _______________________________________ Passive : A new product

could have made

could have been made

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Present Perfect Tense

Active : The company a new product ______________________________________ Passive : A new product

had made

has been made

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The Passive Voice in Sentences with Two Objects

ACTIVE
Examples :

The employment office gives information to S V DO

students about jobs IO

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PASSIVE

Examples : Information about jobs is given to students by the employment office or Students are given information about jobs by the employment office Comments : When the active sentence has both a direct and an indirect object, the passive sentence can be formed in
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EXERCISES Identify each of the following sentences as active or passive. Then, change active sentences to passive and passive sentences to active.

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1.

the

A standard procedure is followed by universitys placement office

2.

In 1968, someone discovered large oil and gas reserves in Alaska The government prints all official documents in both languages Similar sounds are made by tiny babies over the world

3.

4.

all

5.

People speak French and English in Canada

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