Active and Passive Voice

ACTIVE – PASSIVE VERBS

A. Active voice

* the subject is the doer

B. Passive voice

* the subject is the receiver (Agent)

Potential Problems

Potential problems with active and passive voice are :

1. One voice form may be substituted for the other.

2. The auxiliary may not agree in tense or number.

Study the following potential problems!

She couldn’t consult the map because it was packing away.

She couldn’t consult the map because it was packed away.

• He is read many books everyday.

• He reads many books everyday.

• Some sugar are poured into the sauce pan.

• Some sugar is poured into the sauce pan.

Active VoiceIn sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts.

1. The dog bit the boy

2. Pooja will present her research at the conference.

3. Scientist have conducted the experiments to test the hypothesis.

4. Watching a framed, mobile through a car windshield reminds me of watching a movie or TV.

Passive Voice

passive (more wordy) active (more concise)

passive (more wordy) active (more concise)

Changing passive to active

Passive Voice Agent Changed to Active Voice

most of the class

agent not specified; most likely agents such as "the researchers"

the CIA director and his close advisors

agent not specified; most likely agents such as "we"

Changing active to passiveActive Voice Agent Changed to Passive

Voice

The presiding officer

The leaders

The scientists

Passive Voice Exercises

Practicing IRead the paired sentences aloud. Write "A" in the blank

beside the sentence in the active voice,"P" in the blank beside the sentence in the passive voice.

• a. _______ Louise made the coffee.• b. _______ The coffee was made by Louise.• c. _______ The package was advertised by the travel

agent.• d. _______ The travel agent advertised the package

Practicing IIRewrite these sentences to put them in the active voice.

a. The sugar water was relished by the hummingbirds._____________________________________________

b. Jogging is done by many people for exercise._____________________________________________

c. A standing ovation was given to the guitar player._____________________________________________

d. The syllabus was handed out by the professor._____________________________________________

Practicing III

Change the following active sentences into passive ones!

1. They make Fords in Cologne

2. Susan is cooking dinner.

3. James Joyce wrote "Dubliners".

4. They were painting the house when I arrived.

5. They have produced over 20 models in the past two years.

6. They are going to build a new factory in Portland.

7. I will finish it.

8. Farmers plant rice in Indonesia.

9. They make Nissan cars in Japan.

10. They make Bajaj Pulsar motor cycle in India.

HOMEWORKUsing either a computer or a piece of scratch paper, rewrite the following paragraph in the active voice.

Last summer our house was painted by me. The job took about two weeks. First, the exterior was washed using warm water and a mild detergent. Then all the chinks and pores in the walls were sealed with putty. After the putty had had a a chance to dry, the exterior could be painted. A latex paint was used because it is easy to apply and cleans up with water. A whole week was needed to finish this part of the job of the job. I was very careful to apply the paint evenly because I did not want to have to apply two coats. A color was used that was very close to the original color. Our house is a two-story house, which meant that a tall ladder was needed to do the second story. The paint can had to be balanced on the top rung of the ladder while I worked. When the job was finished, a great deal of satisfaction was felt by me. I had to pat myself on the back. Even my dad said that a good job was done.