Name_________________________________Date__________________period_______
Passive/Active Voice Practice
See below for helpful information on Active vs. Passive
Sentences!!!
Directions: Re-write the following sentences, putting them in the passive voice:
1. Children cannot open these bottles easily.
2. The government built a road right outside her front door.
3. The new statue stands in a shady section of the park.
4. When she arrived, the changes amazed her.
5. The construction workers are making street repairs all month long.
6. The party will celebrate his retirement.
7. His professors were discussing his oral exam right in front of him.
8. The snake has replaced its skin many times.
9. Corrosion had damaged the hull of the ship.
10. Some children were visiting the old homestead while I was there.
Directions: Re-write the following sentences, putting them in the active voice:
11. The statue is being visited by hundreds of tourists every year.
12. My books were stolen by someone yesterday.
13. These books had been left in the classroom by a careless student.
14. Coffee is raised in many parts of
15. Their home had been broken into by someone while they were on vacation .
16. A woman was being carried downstairs by a very strong firefighter.
17. The streets around the fire had been blocked off by the police.
18. Have you seen the new movie that was directed by Ron Howard?
19. My car is in the garage being fixed by a dubious mechanic.
20. A great deal of our oil will have been exported to other countries by our government.
Passive vs. Active Voice
English sentences have three basic elements: a subject, a verb, and an object. For active voice sentences, the verb is the action element of the sentence, the subject is the "doer" of the action, and the object is the recipient of the action. Active sentences have their three elements in this order: subject, verb, object. This is NOT true for sentences constructed in the passive voice. The subject is not "doer" of the action; the object becomes the "doer" of the action. These sentences flip-flop the subject and the object. For example, consider the following sentences:
Active voice:
Laura invited
Robins eat huge amounts of earth worms every spring.
Farmers predominantly raise corn and hogs in
Scholars have translated that book into sixteen different languages.
Passive voice:
Huge amounts of earth worms are eaten every spring by robins.
Predominantly, corn and hogs are raised in
This book has been translated into sixteen different languages.
Many times we are given the advice to avoid the passive voice. Usually, good writing uses the active voice and shuns the passive. However, sometimes the active voice is awkward or inappropriate. We use the passive voice frequently in speaking and writing--quite appropriately.
The first sentence, above, about the party, is a good example of this. The active voice sentence focuses on Laura, the person who did the inviting. The passive voice sentence focuses on Nancy, a potential party attendee. Deciding which sentence is best depends on your focus--what you wish to stress. When considering the last example sentence (the one about the book translation), the passive voice version actually sounds much better because we wish to focus on the book (which received the action of translation) not on the agent or person who performed the action.
As a general rule, however, the active voice is shorter, more direct, and more dynamic than the passive voice. When you are writing, try to find all of your passive sentences and change them into the active voice. Keep those sentences for which this is an improvement and return to your first construction for the others.
Reasons to use the
passive voice:
· The agent (or doer) of the action is unimportant
Examples:
The agent is common knowledge: George Washington was elected in 1789. After serving two terms, he decided not to run again. A custom was established at that time to serve for no longer than two terms. It was not until President Roosevelt was elected to his third and fourth terms that this custom was changed.
The agent is unimportant:
The agent is unknown: Most of our coins are minted
in
Reasons to use the active
voice:
· The active voice is much more direct.
· The active voice is less awkward and more clear.
Forming the passive:
The passive voice can be recognized through the use of a "double verb" and is formed by using a form of the verb "to be" and the past participle of another verb. The past participle of regular verbs is -ed added to the base form (such as mailed, walked, performed, stopped, surprised, etc.). Irregular verbs have different forms of the past participle (such as taught, bitten, rung, shut, etc.). This is an example of the verb "stop" in the various forms of the passive:
is stopped was stopped is being stopped has been stopped was being stopped
had been stopped is going to be stopped will be stopped can be stopped
should be stopped ought to be stopped must be stopped has to be stopped
may be stopped might be stopped used to be stopped
Continued next page….
Here is the verb "stop" in the various forms of the active:
Stops stopped is stopping has stopped was stopping
had stopped is going to stop will stop can stop should stop
ought to stop must stop has to stop may stop might stop used to stop
Here are the different forms of the verb "to be":
be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being.
Sometimes, although the main focus is on the recipient of the action, it is also important to mention the "doer" of the action. In this case, we use a by phrase to indicate who or what performed the action:
The earth worms are eaten by robins.
The contract was signed by everyone.
The bells are being rung every hour by our staff members.
Not all verbs can be used to form the passive voice. Only transitive verbs (verbs that are followed by an object) can form the passive.
Here are some common intransitive verbs: agree, arrive, come, cry, depart, exist, fall, go, happen, live, occur, rain, rise, sleep, stay, take place, stand, walk. These verbs will not form the passive voice.
The passive can occur in
different verb tenses:
|
Tense |
Active |
Passive |
|
Simple Present |
My teacher helps me. |
I am helped by my teacher. |
|
Simple Past |
My teacher helped me. |
I was helped by my teacher. |
|
Future |
My teacher will help me. My teacher is going to help me. |
I will be helped by my teacher. I am going to be helped by my teacher. |
|
Present Perfect |
My teacher has helped me. |
I have been helped by my teacher. |
|
Past Perfect |
My teacher had helped me. |
I had been helped by my teacher. |
|
Future Perfect |
My teacher will have helped me tomorrow. |
I will have been helped by my teacher tomorrow. |
|
Present Progressive |
My teacher is helping me. |
I am being helped by my teacher. |
|
Past Progressive |
My teacher was helping me. |
I was being helped by my teacher. |
Continued next
page
Sentences with modal
expressions can also have passive constructions:
|
Subject |
Modal |
"To Be" Verb |
Past Participle |
+ rest of sentence |
|
They |
can |
be |
stopped |
for speeding. |
|
She |
should |
be |
arrested |
by the police. |
|
I |
ought to |
be |
helped |
with the dishes. |
|
You |
have to |
be |
surprised |
by the gift. |
|
We |
must |
be |
finished |
when he gets here. |
|
You |
had better |
be |
done |
by next week. |
|
It |
is supposed to |
be |
destroyed |
by noon. |
|
He |
might |
be |
gone |
already. |
Source:
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/eli/buswrite/passive_voice.html