Actve n Psive v0ice

8/3/2019 Actve n Psive v0ice

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ACTIVE AND PASSIVEVOICE


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The Passive AND ACTIVE Voice

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


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ACTIVE

Example : Many modern inventions makeourlives more convenient

Comments : The active and passive versions of asentence 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


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PASSIVE

Example : Our lives are made more convenient

by many modern inventions

Comments : The passive voice emphasizes otherparts 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 theycreate or perform


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Example

Blowing in the Wind was composed by BobDylan. It has been recorded by several well-

known 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

or ho the Bell Tolls was writte b


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Forming Passive Sentences with Auxiliaries

~ The passive verb phrase always contains a form

of the verb beand a past participle

~ Notice that bein 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 perfectprogressive tense or the future perfect progressive

tense


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Present Progressive

Active :The company is making

a new product

______________________________________

Passive :

A new product is being made(by the company)


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Future Time

Active :

The company will make

a new product

______________________________________

Passive :

A new product will be made


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Active :

The company is going to make

a new product

_______________________________________

Passive :

A new product is going to be made


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Modal Auxiliaries

Active :

The company can make

a new product

_______________________________________

Passive :

A new product can be made


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Active :

The company must makea new product

____________________________________

Passive :

A new product must be made


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Modals with have

Active :

The company could have made

a new product

_______________________________________

Passive :

A new product could have been made


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Present Perfect Tense

Active :The company had made

a new product

______________________________________

Passive :

A new product has been made


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The Passive Voice in Sentences with Two Objects

ACTIVE

Examples :

The employment officegivesinformation toS V DO

students about jobsIO


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PASSIVE

Examples :

Information about jobs is givento 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

two different ways, either object can become the


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EXERCISES

Identify each of the following sentences asactive or passive. Then, change activesentences to passive and passive sentencesto active.


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1. A standard procedure is followed bythe universitys placement office

2. In 1968, someone discovered large oiland gas reserves in Alaska

3. The government prints all officialdocuments in both languages

4. Similar sounds are made by tiny babies

all over the world

5. People speak French and English inCanada

Documents

Actve n Psive v0ice