In general, the active voice is rarely considered inappropriate or wrong. However, there may be times when the passive voice may be the better option to use. The formula: [subject]+[some form of the verb to be]+[past participle of a transitive verb]+[optional prepositional phrase]. She loves twilight. For example. A.) You might assume that active wording is the best solution in any situation. In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The sentence about the leaves, in fact, was (wrongly) presented as an example of the passive voice by none other than Strunk and White in The Elements of Style. The voice you use can make a big difference in your writing. For example, look at the following sentence: The road sign was installed by workers yesterday.. Clearly, the occasion of swearing in the commander in chief is the thing to emphasize here. However, despite all the spotlight the active voice receives, there is still room for employing the passive form. How to Write in Active Voice: I walked. In the second, those conducting the inauguration ceremony arent relevant to whats being expressed in the sentence. Nonetheless, many people want to figure out how to change passive voice to active voice. These use the passive voice to keep the readers focus on what has happened or is happening. In the active voice, this sentence would read like this: Students deserve more flexible scheduling options. Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Passive: It is believed by the candidate that a ceiling must be placed on the budget by Congress. B.) How To Use Lay vs. Lie Correctly Every Time. Shoes should be removed before entering my house. The decision was made to publish the article. Over the course of a document, all those extra words can make your writing drag. In the passive voice, the actions target, ball, is positioned first as the focus of the sentence. Which of the following sentences is written in the active voice? Expert answered| iveevy |Points 74|. For example, see how the next passive sentence transforms: Now you take out by and change was thrown for threw. Finally, children become the subject, and a ball becomes an object: Voila, you get a perfect active sentence. Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that heart attacks can be caused by high stress. Sentence 2 is *not* written in active voice; it is written in passive voice. Mind that passive voice examples have more words than active phrases: 'Josh drives a car.'. Start in the present . In this case, we know what brought about the action: It was the experience of traveling alone in South America. And plenty of them. Also, as long as the subject is the one performing an action, intransitive verbs can use the active voice, too. passive In fact, there are times when it can come in handy. Sentences can be described as active or passive. Which of the following is the best example of a sentence written in active voice. In the first sentence, make, the subject, since thats who is performing the action. Newsletters and articles use active voices predominantly. Look for a by phrase (e.g., by the dog in the last example above). Heres a tip: You dont have to guess whether youre using certain words correctly or breaking grammar rules in your writing. There are numerous differences between the two grammatical voices, but the most important is that the active voice is clearer and more direct, while the passive voice is subtler and can feel more detached. Here are two examples of sentences in the active voice: No matter what verb you use, structuring your sentence so the subject performs the verb is writing in the active voice. Active sentences naturally sound more pleasant and engaging. The biggest clue you have a passive voice sentence on your hands will be a form of to be followed by a past participle (e.g., was requested or will be missed). Therefore, passive voice. Passive Voice A sentence is in this voice if its action is performed upon the subject. We can quite easily combine them into a fairly simple sentence whilst keeping the same voice for each clause: My wallet was stolen, so I bought a new one. Passive: The man was bitten by the dog. Well get into those later. This is like the grass getting cut or the president being sworn in: The recipient of the action of the verb is more important than the performer of the action. If you look closely, you will see that the subject Matt is not performing the action described by the verb poked. Answer: A letter will be written by him. [passive voice]. The lions are being trained to perform impressive stunts. It seems like Jeanette Walls should be the subject. The sentence gets flipped, and the subject is now being acted upon by the verb. After long debate, the proposal was endorsed by the long-range planning committee. Try Do Write Play: Describe a place that has undergone a great change. The active voice uses fewer words, and the sentences are direct. In this case, it makes sense to use the verb chase in the present continuous tense: is chasing. There are other kinds of writing where the action itself, rather than the doer of the action, is the primary focus. The delivery is more brief, clear, and more immediate. . The sentences now contain a conjugated form of to be (. Some of the illustrations are: Visitors are advised to leave before the mall closes at 11 p.m., Train passengers are reminded to keep their tickets till the end of the trip., Theater visitors are advised to arrive at least ten minutes before play.. Each has a game-like feel that stretches your writing in an exciting direction. Thus, here wins the writing style that makes more sense for the readers. A good key indicator for passive voice is a to be verb and past participle. The meteor was seen passing over northern Siberia. Understanding how, when, and why to use each is key to being an effective writer and speaker. This is an example of the active voice because the sentence subject performs the action. Passive: Bob Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident. Plus, Grammar Coach Synonym Swap will find the best nouns, adjectives, and more to help say what you really mean, guiding you toward clearer, stronger, writing. If youve been writing or speaking English for a while, youve probably been using the active voice most of the time without even knowing it. In the second pair, the passive voice makes the message sound stilted and formal rather than an urgent exclamation. We tend to use verbs in the active voice in so much of our writing and speech, so you should be pretty familiar with using it already. Not every passive voice sentence says who is performing the action, but if it does, youll see a preposition next to it (e.g., by zombies or by my brother). Active sentences are direct, clear, short, and authoritative. Why does a passive voice lose this competition? It makes sense that a statement declaring independence would focus on the citizens who get that independence, after all. In each of these sentences, the subject comes before the verb and object. Are these sentences written in active or passive voice? What is Active Voice? Mind that passive voice examples have more words than active phrases: Both sentences convey the same idea. For example, lets analyze the following illustration: Michael Jackson was adored by people worldwide.. Sometimes your writing needs this tone, like when you want your reader to focus on the action being described or the actions target rather than on who or what is performing the action. Here are other motivations for employing active voice: Do you want to create a paper that gets straight to the point? Sentences are usually constructed using the active voice with a subject , verb and object . Not only that, but they've brought along about 1300 of their friends spicy synonyms that will add even more pep to your prose. Considering the above example in active voice, the same sentence is written as: Here, the emphasis is on the subject performing the action. The reason why makes sense if you think about what intransitive verbs are. There are sometimes good reasons to use the passive voice. This handout will explain the difference between active and passive voice in writing. In the active voice, this sentence would read like this: kind of sentence in the active or passive voice as long as the sentence has a. Read on to learn how to form the active and passive voices, when using the passive voice is a good idea, and how to avoid confusing it with similar forms. Passive voice sentences often use more words, can be vague, and can lead to a tangle of prepositional phrases. Even in casual speech and writing, the active voice tends to come more naturally to most people. Active voice definition: The active voice is a style of writing where the subject completes the action of the sentence. [Active voice], The cat was pushed by the boy into the pit. I>walked Today, I walked. First, identify who or what is actually performing an action. Even without knowing language rules, an essay writer can tell which writing style is eye candy. Heres another famous example that puts the emphasis on what happens to the recipient instead of on what the performer is doing: All men (these days, we take this to mean all people) gets boosted to the front of the phrase because the people and their equality and rights are the focus. If you find one, the sentence may be in the passive voice. This is an example of a sentence that uses the other voice of verbs: the passive voice. Wellbeing or Well-Being Which is Correct? Think about how news reports about crime and incidents are usually written and delivered: A car was broken into on Elm Street last night. This is why the passive voice is used in lab reportsit conveys scientific objectivity by minimizing the focus on the doer of the action. Theres also a reason why the authors of opinion pieces sound so sure of their positions: They usually write in the active voice. 2. Use it when you want the reader to focus on the subject of your sentence and the action it is doing rather than on the actions target. Indeed, the wording in the first case sounds more powerful as the emphasis is on the subject (the manager). The subject is doing the verb in the sentence. For example, the sentence Matt was poked by a chimpanzee does not use a verb in the active voice. It is seen as more direct and often makes sentences easier to read or understand. In others, you might actually make the original clearer by paraphrasing in the active voice. If an actor is not known, is unimportant, or is obvious, the passive voice may be used. Notice how in both of these sentences, the doer of the action isnt mentioned. It keeps the sentence short and crisp. The article was released without permission. You can mention the doer briefly or ignore him without distorting the sentence's meaning. It doesn't matter who requires employees to wash up; they just need to do it! Do you disagree with something on this page? Inactive verbs often result in a passive voice, which can make the text feel. Patricks Day? All because the general public needs to know who acted as a criminal here. active The dog is fed by Thomas. In the above example, the emphasis is on the direct object (mouse), which received the action by the subject (mouse). Neither of the above example sentences is incorrect. Roger wrote the report What does it mean to be diplomatic in business writing? The saltwater corroded the . An active sentence is a sentence where the subject performs the action of the verb. Why Is It Important to Use the Active Voice? [Passive voice]. King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. You might even want to read it aloud and listen to how it sounds. Take a sentence like I want ice cream now. Its clear and straightforwardyou know immediately that the subject, I, wants an object, ice cream. Or, to put it in the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb. Here are some uses for the passive voice as a stylistic decision that suits the authors writing goals. Certain kinds of writing are best suited for the active voice, while the passive voice is most appropriate for other kinds of writing. Here are some common action words: Analyze. 0 Answers/Comments. Advertisement Advertisement New questions in English. Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Although the passive voice is still . Which sentence is in the active voice? It keeps the sentence short and crisp. The active and passive voices put emphasis on different elements of the sentence. Even the most careful eye can mistake the following sentences for being in passive voice.
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