Active or Passive Voice Verbs
The voice of a
verb indicates whether the subject is performing the action or whether
someone or something else is doing the action to the subject.
ACTIVE VOICE: Lightning struck the barn.
(The subject - lightning - is acting.)
PASSIVE VOICE: The barn was struck by lightning.
(The subject - barn - receives the action.}
The
passive form always consists of some form of the verb "to be" plus the
past participle. Notice, too, that the sentence becomes longer when you
use the passive voice.
TIP: You should write with the active voice most of the time. The active voice produces a more direct and shorter, less awkward sentence. Too much passive voice within a paragraph may cause a weak, vague style.
When you write, try
not to use a lot of verbs in the passive voice. You can find sentences
in the passive voice by finding some form of the verb "to be". The verb
"to be" disguises and tags onto other verbs and makes your writing
impersonal.
Nevertheless, the passive voice is not always wrong.
Sometimes the passive voice is more convenient and just as effective as
the active voice. The following sentences with verbs in the passive
voice are entirely acceptable.
America was visited by Columbus in 1492.
We were drenched by the rain and frozen by the Icy wind.
Carl has been barred from interscholastic activities.
Miss Green, who is well liked by the students, has been invited to act as chaperone.
The passive voice is useful in the following situations:
· to express action in which it is desirable not to disclose the actor.
Example: A mistake has been made in issuing the order
· to express action when you wish to emphasize the subject.
Example: I was met by the President of the United States.
(This is something that doesn't happen every day.)
· to express an action in which the actor or subject is unknown
Example: The walls of the school were painted with graffiti.
You should only use transitive verbs for the passive voice. Only verbs that take a direct object can have a passive form. Intransitive verbs cannot be used in the passive voice.
The crime was seemed murder. The word seem is intransitive. It cannot take the word murder as an object.
If a hurricane hits the shore, damage will be happened by the wind. The word happen is intransitive. It does not take an object so it cannot happen damage.
Exercise Active and Passive Voice Answers below
In the following sentences, decide if the active or passive voice is more appropriate. Change or leave alone according to your decision.
- The car was hit by a rock.
- The water table was raised several feet by the recent storms.
- These contracts must be approved by the supervisor.
- Space requirements will be submitted by the agency very soon.
- Your problems are known by everyone..
- Your letter has been received.
- Your recommendations will be received by our technical staff.
Active and Passive Voice Exercise: Answers
The following corrections are not the only possible way of interpreting the sense of the sentences.
1. The car was hit by a rock.
Correction: OK, the car is more important than the rock.
2. The water table was raised several feet by the recent storms.
Correction: Recent storms raised the water table several feet.
3. These contracts must be approved by the supervisor.
Correction: The supervisor must approve the contracts.
4. Space requirements will be submitted by the agency very soon.
Correction: The agency will submit the space requirements very soon.
5. Our problems are known by everyone.
Correction: Everyone knows our problems.
6. Your letter has been received.
Correction: OK, we don't know who received the letter.
7. Your recommendations will be received by our technical staff
Correction: Our technical staff will receive your recommendations.
0 comments:
Post a Comment