9/25/2023 0 Comments Active vs passive voice townson![]() When the priority of the sentence is to explain action in the most detailed way, we can include the subject who completes the action, the verb which denotes the action, and the object which is receiving the action. To describe a condition in which the actor is unknown or unimportantĮvery year, thousands of people are diagnosed as having cancer.Most sentence structures are built around the subject in the sense that the subject is the most important part of the action. The procedures were somehow misinterpreted. After long debate, the proposal was endorsed by. The data processing department recently presented what proved to be a controversial proposal to expand its staff. To keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage To emphasize the action rather than the actorĪfter long debate, the proposal was endorsed by the long-range planning committee. There are sometimes good reasons to use the passive voice. If the subject of the sentence is somewhat anonymous, see if you can use a general term, such as “researchers,” or “the study,” or “experts in this field.”. ![]() ![]() Rewrite the sentence so that the subject buried in the “by” clause is closer to the beginning of the sentence. ![]() If you find one, the sentence may be in the passive voice. Look for a “by” phrase (e.g., “by the dog” in the last example above).Here are some tips and strategies for converting sentences from the passive to the active voice. the writer wishes to use passive voice for sentence variety.the writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action.the doer of the action is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentence.The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when Place the passive sentence’s object of the preposition by into the subject slot.īecause it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever possible. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb’s form if neededģ. Move the passive sentence’s subject into the active sentence’s direct object slotĢ. To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the steps shown above.ġ. It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb’s formīecause passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.Īs the examples below illustrate, a sentence in active voice flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in passive voice. Place the active sentence’s subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition byģ. Move the active sentence’s direct object into the sentence’s subject slotĢ. To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:ġ. NOTE: Colorful parrots live in the rainforests cannot be changed to passive voice because the sentence does not have a direct object. Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.īecause the subject is being “acted upon” (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice. One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb – or passive. Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that heart attacks can be caused by high stress.Īctive voice A feature of sentences in which the subject performs the action of the verb and the direct object is the goal or the recipient: The mechanic fixed the car.īecause the subject does or “acts upon” the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice. Passive: It is believed by the candidate that a ceiling must be placed on the budget by Congress.Īctive: Researchers earlier showed that high stress can cause heart attacks. In a sentence written in the passive voice the subject receives the action.Īctive: The candidate believes that Congress must place a ceiling on the budget. In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action.
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