Active &
Passive
Voice
Reasons to Avoid Passive VoiceSometimes the use of passive voice can create awkward sentences.
Also, overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can cause your prose to seem flat and uninteresting.
In scientific writing, however, passive voice is more readily accepted since using it allows one to write without using personal pronouns or the names of particular researchers as the subjects of sentences.
ACTIVE VOICE
When a verb is in the active voice, the subject of the sentence is also the doer of the action.
Active verbs move the action and reveal the actors.
A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence.
Passive verbs emphasize the receiver, the victim.
Passive: The car was crashed.
Active: I crashed the car.
Locate the __________________
Locate __________ is performing the action?
If the person performing the action is ________________ the verb.
The Sentence is __________________
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE
To know if a sentence is active or passive:
Verb
What, or who
In front of
Active
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE1. Kelly ate the jelly donut.
Verb: ______________
Who did the eating? ____________________
Kelly is ___________________ ate.
Sentence is __________________________2. The test was taken by the Sophomore class.
Verb: ___________________
Who took the test? ______________________
Sophomore class is _________________ taken.
Sentence is __________________________
ate
Kelly
before
active
was taken
The Sophomore class
after
passive
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE
Uncle Lou met our plane. ____
I was taught to play the piano by my aunt. ________________
The ambulance has been called. ____________________
Active or Passive?
Underline the verb,
Circle the Person
performing the verb,
then label it Active or
Passive
AV
PV
PV
ACTIVE VOICE
Directions: Distinguishing Between the Active and Passive Voice: After each sentence, write active of passive to describe the verb.
1) Sprinter Evelyn Ashford took home two gold medals from the 1984 Olympics. _______________________________
2) The cucumbers and the tomatoes will be planted by next week. _______________________________
3) The artwork of painter Pop Chalee reflects the traditions of the Pueblo people. _______________________________
4) The roof of Aunt Vicki’s house has been badly damaged by the high winds. _______________________________
AV
PV
AV
PV
ACTIVE VOICE
5) The children’s sculptures have been displayed in a case at the public library. _______________________________
6) Many bird books from the early 1900s are graced by the illustrations of Louis Fuentes. _______________________________
7) In the attic Dad found an old letter from his great uncle. _______________________________
8) Kaya and Sabrina have been working on their science project for three weeks. _______________________________
9)Large donations were sent by several anonymous individuals. _______________________________
PV
AV
AV
PV
PV
ACTIVE VOICE
10) Snapping turtles defend themselves with their strong, sharp jaws. _______________________________
11)Sometimes our efforts are not fully appreciated._______________________________
12)The man must have eaten 10 hot dogs in one sitting!_______________________________
13)The ballots were counted as the candidates watched anxiously._______________________________
14) The high jump record was finally beaten last Saturday._______________________________
AV
AV
PV
PV
PV
PASSIVE VOICE WS 2
Rewrite the following passage changing the voice from passive to active where appropriate.
The room was entered by Dr. Wheeler, at which point words of advice regarding active verbs were spoken by him.
It was decided by the rebellious class that the final paper of the semester would be written entirely in passive voice.
Remarks were made by a distraught Wheeler; protests were made by the students.
When Dr. Wheeler entered the room, he gave advice about using active verbs.
The rebellious class decided to use active voice for the
entirety of the final semester paper.
A distraught Mr. Wheeler made remarks; Students
made protests.
PASSIVE VOICE QUIZ
PV
PV
AV AV
PV
Write a passive sentence about a character from the last book we read. Write an active sentence about a character from the last movie you saw.
PASSIVE VOICE QUIZ
PV
AV
PV
AV
PV
PV
AV
PASSIVE VOICE QUIZ
AV PV
AV
AV
PV AV
PV
AV
PASSIVE VOICE QUIZ
AV PV
AV
AV
PV AV
PV
AV
WORK CITED
1) http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/passive-voice/
2) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/539/3) staff.tuhsd.k12.az.us/sriddle/.../WRRs/2009.../
WRR10%20Packet.pdf4) staff.tuhsd.k12.az.us/bjones/WRR10-packet.doc5) web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/
Passive_Bloodshed.pdf
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