* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Active Vs. Passive Voice
Survey
Document related concepts
Lexical semantics wikipedia , lookup
Serbo-Croatian grammar wikipedia , lookup
Kannada grammar wikipedia , lookup
Navajo grammar wikipedia , lookup
Pipil grammar wikipedia , lookup
Ukrainian grammar wikipedia , lookup
Portuguese grammar wikipedia , lookup
Malay grammar wikipedia , lookup
Modern Hebrew grammar wikipedia , lookup
Chinese grammar wikipedia , lookup
Georgian grammar wikipedia , lookup
Sotho verbs wikipedia , lookup
Spanish grammar wikipedia , lookup
Ancient Greek grammar wikipedia , lookup
Ancient Greek verbs wikipedia , lookup
English clause syntax wikipedia , lookup
Lithuanian grammar wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE English 1 Level 2 WHAT IS PASSIVE VOICE? In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ." phrase or may be omitted. (agent performing action has been omitted.) WHAT IS ACTIVE VOICE? In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts. In each example below, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb. ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE Active voice is preferable to passive for the majority of your sentences. Overuse of passive voice or use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences can cause readers to lose interest or to become confused. Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-- clearer and more direct. Passive (indirect) Active (direct) ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE VOICE Sentences in active voice are also more _____________ than those in passive voice because fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive. passive (more wordy) active (more concise) CHANGING PASSIVE TO ACTIVE Find the agent in a “____________” phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly. Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the surrounding sentences which provide context. CHANGING PASSIVE TO ACTIVE Passive Voice Agent agent not specified; most likely agents such as “we” Changed to Active Voice PASSIVE VOICE CAN MAKE WRITING CONFUSING! Avoid dangling modifiers caused by the use of passive voice. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. Dangling modifier with passive voice To save time, the paper was written on a computer. Seeking to lay off workers without taking the blame, consultants were hired to break the bad news. Revised REVISION Swap essays with someone sitting near you, and read through the essay, focusing on the verb forms. Circle any passive voice verbs that you find. WORK CITED “Active and Passive Voice.” OWL at Purdue University. 1995-2004. Purdue University. 21 Feb. 2009 <http://owl.english.purdue. edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html>.