Back to Active-Passive VoicesSimple Present TensePresent Continuous TensePresent Perfect TenseSimple Present TensePast Continuous TensePast Perfect TenseSimple Future TenseFuture Perfect TenseSimple Present TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceI water the plants The plants are watered by helps the poor peopleThe poor people are helped by herDipu does the house chores The house chores are done by DipuPresent Continuous TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceHe is organizing the event. The event is being organized by him. Krishna is eating butter Butter is being eaten by Krishna I am giving you thisThis is being given to you by mePresent Perfect TenseActive VoicePassive Voice I have done the work The work has been done by me She has received a giftA gift has been received by herMother rebuked me I was rebuked by motherSimple Present TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceI made it It was made by me They staged a play A play was staged by themThe dog bit himHe was bitten by the dog Past Continuous TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceI was listening to a songA song was being listened to by meThe crow was eating the fruit The fruit was being eaten by the crow The painter was drawing a picture A picture was being drawn by the painterPast Perfect TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceThe writer had written a novel A novel had been written by the writer The bird had made a nest on the treeA nest on the tree had been made by the bird She had written a letter to meA letter to me had been written by her Simple Future TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceI shall clean the house The house shall be cleaned by me. He will call you You will be called by himThe will build a house A house will be built by them Future Perfect TenseActive VoicePassive VoiceI shall have bought the bookThe book will have been bought by meRina will have read the newspaperThe newspaper will have been read by Rina Raju will have seen her She will have been seen by Raju The voice change of perfect continuous and future continuous tense is not usual and applicable in English grammar.
1She is going to introduce her boyfriend to her family next weekend. 2 They clean the kitchen every day. 3 They don't invite me to many parties. 4 My parents are going to bring the cake. 5 They accuse me of stealing money. 6 Somebody is painting the room at the moment. 7 Two men are following us. 8 The mayor is promoting cultural activities.
Active voice and Passive voice, Active and Passive Verb Tenses in english, present simple, present continuous, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, past perfect, future simple, infinitive, modals;TenseActivePassivePresent simpleReporters write news reportsNews reports are written by reportersPresent continuousMichael is baking a brownieA brownie is being baked by simpleThe company hired new workers last workers were hired by the company last continuousThe salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the perfectThey have already discussed the book has already been perfectHe had delivered the letters had been simpleThe company will hire new workers will be hired by the has to deliver the letters have to be must deliver the letters must be The Author englishstudyhereGrammarRules for Active and Passive Voice. A transitive verb has two forms or two voices. These are the Active and passive. Active Voice â Here, the subject performs the action. He/she is the doer of the action. It is a pretty straightforward relationship between the subject and the verb.So, we can say that a verb is in the active voice when the subject is the doer of the action A passive voice voz passiva Ă© um tipo de construção frasal onde o sujeito Ă© paciente, ou seja, sofre a ação da frase em vez de praticĂĄ-la. Ă destacado o que acontece com o sujeito, porĂ©m, sem The car was washed. O carro foi lavado.O foco do exemplo acima Ă© o objeto do perĂodo the car, uma vez que ele recebe a ação de ser e exemplos de uso da passive voiceA voz passiva pode ser utilizada em frases afirmativas, negativas e interrogativas. Sua formação Ă© expressa porObjeto + verbo to be + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoEssa estrutura pode ser utilizada em diversos tempos verbais do presente, do passado e do futuro. Para isso, basta flexionar o verbo to abaixo alguns exemplosPassive voice no Simple PresentObjeto + am/is/are + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school is painted by John. A escola Ă© pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school isnât painted by John. A escola nĂŁo Ă© pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Is the school painted by Jonh? A escola Ă© pintada pelo John?Confira tambĂ©m os textos a seguirPast Participle o que Ă©, quando usar e exemplosSimple Present regras e exercĂcios resolvidos Passive voice no Present ContinuousObjeto + am being/is being/are being + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school is being painted by John. A escola estĂĄ sendo pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school isnât being painted by John. A escola nĂŁo estĂĄ sendo pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Is the school being painted by John? A escola estĂĄ sendo pintada pelo John?Leia tambĂ©m os conteĂșdos abaixoPresent Continuous regras e exercĂciosPresent Continuous exercĂcios com gabarito comentadoPassive voice no Present PerfectObjeto + has been/have been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school has been painted by John. A escola tem sido pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school hasnât been painted by John. A escola nĂŁo tem sido pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Has the school been painted by John? A escola tem sido pintada pelo John?Passive voice no Simple PastObjeto + was/were + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school was painted by John. A escola foi pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school wasnât painted by John. A escola nĂŁo foi pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Was the school painted by John? A escola foi pintada pelo John?Na imagem acima, Os Simpsons fazem uma descoberta someone ate the cookies alguĂ©m comeu os biscoitos. Essa frase estĂĄ na voz ativa, pois indica que o sujeito someone = alguĂ©m praticou uma ação ate the cookies = comeu os biscoitos.Em seguida, a frase The cookies were eaten. Os biscoitos foram comidos estĂĄ na voz passiva, pois indica que o sujeito the cookies = os biscoitos sofreu a ação were eaten = foram comidos.Para saber mais sobre o Simple Past, nĂŁo perca os conteĂșdos abaixoSimple Past regras, tabelas de conjugação e exercĂciosSimple Past exercĂcios com gabarito comentadoWas e werePassive voice no Past ContinuousObjeto + was being/were being + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school was being painted by John. A escola estava sendo pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school wasnât being painted by John. A escola nĂŁo estava sendo pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Was the school being painted by John? A escola estava sendo pintada pelo John?Passive voice no Past PerfectObjeto + had been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school had been painted by John. A escola tinha sido pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school hadnât been painted by John. A escola nĂŁo tinha sido pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Had the school been painted by John? A escola tinha sido pintada pelo John?Passive voice no Simple FutureObjeto + will be + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form The school will be painted by John. A escola serĂĄ pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school wonât be painted by John. A escola nĂŁo serĂĄ pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Will the school be painted by John? A escola serĂĄ pintada pelo John?Passive voice no Future PerfectObjeto + will have been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complementoExemplos Affirmative Form By next week, the school will have been painted by John. Por volta da prĂłxima semana, a escola terĂĄ sido pintada pelo John. Negative Form By next week, the school wonât have been painted by John. Por volta da prĂłxima semana, a escola nĂŁo terĂĄ sido pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Will the school have been painted by next week by John? Por volta da prĂłxima semana, a escola terĂĄ sido pintada pelo John?Passive voice com verbos modaisNo caso dos verbos modais, a construção da passive voice Ă© feita da seguinte maneiraObjeto + modal verb verbo modal + be + Past Participle ParticĂpio passadoExemplosOs principais verbos modais sĂŁo will, would, can, could, must, should, may, might e ought to. Confira abaixo exemplos com o verbo modal could. Affirmative Form The school could be painted by John. A escola poderia ser pintada pelo John. Negative Form The school couldn't be painted by John. A escola nĂŁo poderia ser pintada pelo John. Interrogative Form Could the school be painted by John. A escola poderia ser pintada pelo John?Active voice x Passive voiceDiferentemente do que acontece na passive voice, na active voice voz ativa o sujeito da ação Ă© posto em evidĂȘncia. Confira abaixo alguns exemplos Exemplos Active voice Voz ativa Passive voice Voz passiva Simple Present John paints the school every year. John pinta a escola todos os anos. The school is painted by John every year. A escola Ă© pintada pelo John todos os anos. Simple Past John painted the school. John pintou a escola The school was painted by John. A escola foi pintada pelo John. Simple Future John will paint the school. John pintarĂĄ a escola. The school will be painted by John. A escola serĂĄ pintada pelo John. Veja tambĂ©m os casos passar da voz ativa para a voz passivaConfira abaixo algumas frases na voz ativa que foram passadas para a voz que o objeto regra geral, estĂĄ no final da frase passa para o inĂcio. JĂĄ o sujeito, que funciona como o complemento da frase, na voz ativa geralmente estĂĄ no inĂcio e na voz passiva passa para o final da PresentActive voice Jane writes poems about love. Jane escreve poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love are written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor sĂŁo escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + am/is/are + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Present ContinuousActive voice Jane is writing a poem about love. Jane escreverĂĄ um poema sobre amor.Passive voice A poem about love is being written by Jane. O poema sobre amor serĂĄ escrito por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + am being/is being/are being + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto a poem about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Present PerfectActive voice Jane has written poems about love. Jane tem escrito poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love have been written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor tĂȘm sido escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + has been/have been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Simple PastActive voice Jane wrote a poem about love. Jane escreveu um poema sobre amor.Passive voice A poem about love was written by Jane. Um poema sobre amor foi escrito por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + was/were + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto a poem about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Past ContinuousActive voice Jane was writing poems about love. Jane estava escrevendo poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love were being written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor estavam sendo escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + was being/were being + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Past PerfectActive voice Jane had written poems about love. Jane tinha escrito poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love had been written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor tinham sido escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + had been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Simple FutureActive voice Jane will write poems about love. jane escreverĂĄ poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love will be written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor serĂŁo escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + will be + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Future PerfectActive voice Jane will have written poems about love when you arrive. Jane terĂĄ escrito os poemas quando vocĂȘ chegar.Passive voice Poems about love will have been written by Jane when you arrive. Poemas sobre amor terĂŁo sido escritos por Jane quando vocĂȘ chegar. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + will have been + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento Objeto poems about love Past Participle written Complemento by Jane Modal verbs â exemplo com o verbo modal âwouldâActive voice Jane would write poems about love. Jane escreveria poemas sobre amor.Passive voice Poems about love would be written by Jane. Poemas sobre amor teriam sido escritos por Jane. Estrutura da passive voice objeto + modal verb verbo modal + be + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado Objeto poems about love Modal verb wouldPast Participle written Complemento by Jane VĂdeo sobre passive voiceConfira o vĂdeo abaixo e veja como passar uma frase da active voice para a passive sobre passive voice1. PUC- Rio The passive voice is used in âOrkut was quietly launched on January 22, 2004â. Find the sentence that is also in the passive Communities have never rejected new members. b Good ideas took shape at the end of the session. c Some communities have been able to control their growth. d Several social groups could be connected by the Internet. e Young students are never tired of chatting with friends on email. Ver Resposta Alternativa correta d Several social groups could be connected by the Internet. a ERRADA. A estrutura da frase estĂĄ na voz ativa. Em Communities have never rejected new members. As comunidades nunca rejeitaram novos membros., o sujeito communities as comunidades pratica a ação de nĂŁo rejeitar novos membros. b ERRADA. A estrutura da frase estĂĄ na voz ativa. Em Good ideas took shape at the end of the session. Novas ideias tomaram forma no fim da sessĂŁo., o sujeito good ideas boas ideias pratica a ação de tomar forma. c ERRADA. A estrutura da frase estĂĄ na voz ativa. Em Some communities have been able to control their growth. Algumas comunidades foram capazes de controlar o prĂłprio crescimento., o sujeito some communities algumas comunidades pratica a ação de controlar o prĂłprio crescimento. d CORRETA. Em Several social groups could be connected by the Internet. VĂĄrios grupos sociais poderiam ser conectados pela Internet., o sujeito several social groups vĂĄrios grupos sociais Ă© passivo, ou seja, sofre a ação de poder ser conectado pela Internet. e ERRADA. A estrutura da frase estĂĄ na voz ativa. Em Young students are never tired of chatting with friends on email. Os alunos jovens nunca se cansam de conversar com amigos por e-mail., o sujeito young students alunos jovens pratica a ação da frase nunca se cansa de conversar com amigos por e-mail. 2. Complete a voz passiva com o tempo verbal corretoAfter the accident, two people _______________ to the was taking b were taking c was taken d were taken e are taken Ver Resposta Alternativa correta d were taken Antes de conferir a anĂĄlise das alternativas, compreenda o sentido da frase. After the accident, two people _______________ to the hospital. Depois do acidente, duas pessoas _______________ para o hospital. a ERRADA. O sujeito da frase Ă© two people duas pessoas. Logo, o verbo a seguir deve estar flexionado no plural. Como was Ă© uma flexĂŁo de singular, a alternativa Ă© automaticamente invalidada. AlĂ©m disso, was taking estava levando Ă© uma flexĂŁo de Past Continuous Passado ContĂnuo, tempo verbal utilizado para indicar açÔes contĂnuas no passado. Na frase em questĂŁo, nĂŁo faz sentido usar o Past Continuous, pois a ação nĂŁo indica que as duas pessoas âestavam levandoâ ninguĂ©m para o hospital, mas sim que elas sofreram a ação de serem levadas para o hospital. b ERRADA. Were taking estavam levando Ă© uma flexĂŁo de Past Continuous, tempo verbal utilizado para indicar açÔes contĂnuas no passado. Na frase em questĂŁo, nĂŁo faz sentido usar o Past Continuous, pois a ação nĂŁo indica que as duas pessoas âestavam levandoâ ninguĂ©m para o hospital, mas sim que elas sofreram a ação de serem levadas para o hospital. c ERRADA. O sujeito da frase Ă© two people duas pessoas. Logo, o verbo a seguir deve estar flexionado no plural. Como was Ă© uma flexĂŁo de singular, a alternativa Ă© automaticamente invalidada. d CORRETA. A frase indica que duas pessoas sofreram a ação de serem levadas para o hospital. Como a situação Ă© referente a um passado pontual, usa-se o verbo to be no Simple Past were, pois o sujeito Ă© plural two people = duas pessoas + Past Participle do verbo principal. O verbo principal Ă© to take e sua flexĂŁo de Past Participle Ă© taken. e ERRADA. Are taken sĂŁo levadas Ă© uma flexĂŁo indicativa de tempo presente; de hĂĄbitos e rotinas. No entanto, a lacuna a ser preenchida integra uma frase indicativa de passado. 3. Passe a frase abaixo para a voz passivaBob repaired the car. Ver Resposta Resposta correta The car was repaired by Bob. A frase Bob repaired the car. Bob consertou o carro. Ă© uma frase na voz ativa flexionada no Simple Past, que Ă© um tempo verbal indicativo de ação pontual no passado. Para passĂĄ-la para a voz passiva, devemos seguir a seguinte estrutura Objeto + Simple Past do verbo to be was/were + Past Participle ParticĂpio passado do verbo principal + complemento O objeto da frase Ă© the car o carro. Como car Ă© um substantivo singular, usamos a flexĂŁo was. O verbo principal da frase Ă© to repair consertar e sua flexĂŁo de Past Participle Ă© repaired. O complemento da frase Ă© by Bob pelo Bob. Ficou interessado em aprimorar os seus conhecimentos sobre a lĂngua inglesa? NĂŁo deixe de conferir os conteĂșdos abaixoReported Speech - Discurso Indireto em InglĂȘsVerbo to be conjugaçÔes de presente, passado e futuro Professora, lexicĂłgrafa, tradutora, produtora de conteĂșdos e revisora. Licenciada em Letras PortuguĂȘs, InglĂȘs e Literaturas pelas Faculdades Integradas Simonsen, em 2002 e formada em 1999 no Curso de MagistĂ©rio habilitação para lecionar na Educação Infantil e no Ensino Fundamental I. ONLINEENGLISH GRAMMAR QUIZ. topic: THE PASSIVE VOICE 2 (Mixed tenses) | level: Intermediate. The first sentence is in the ACTIVE VOICE. Choose the most correct way of saying the same thing in the PASSIVE VOICE: 1. They were interviewing her for the job. She ________________ for the job. was being interviewed.
Take a sentence like âI want ice cream now.â Itâs clear and straightforwardâyou know immediately that the subject, I, wants an object, ice cream. Now, recast this sentence, flipping it so that the object is in the position of the subject âIce cream is wanted by me now.â It isnât just longer, but itâs also more detached, roundabout, and a little awkward, too. Those two sentences are examples of the active voice and the passive voice. Certain kinds of writing are best suited for the active voice, while the passive voice is most appropriate for other kinds of writing. Understanding how, when, and why to use each is key to being an effective writer and speaker. Hereâs a tip Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write. What is active voice, what is passive voice, and what are their different functions? In the active voice, the subject is performing an action The dog chases the ball. Notice how the subject, dog, is performing the action, chase, on the target of the action, ball. This is a simple, direct example of the active voice. In the passive voice, the actionâs target, ball, is positioned first as the focus of the sentence. The sentence gets flipped, and the subject is now being acted upon by the verb. In other words, the subject is passive The ball is being chased by the dog. Active and passive are the two grammatical voices in English. Neither is inherently better than the other, but each is suited to certain types of writing. Thereâs a reason why news anchors sound detached from the stories theyâre reporting They often speak using the passive voice. Thereâs also a reason why the authors of opinion pieces sound so sure of their positions They usually write in the active voice. Although the idea of teachers telling their students to avoid the passive voice is repeated so frequently that it feels like a trope, the truth is that the passive voice does have its applications. Weâll get into those later. For now, letâs look at how to recognize the active voice and the passive voice in your writing and in othersâ work. Active voice As weâve learned, in the active voice, the sentenceâs subject performs the action. Here are two examples of sentences in the active voice Shira likes birdwatching. She loves twilight. No matter what verb you use, structuring your sentence so the subject performs the verb is writing in the active voice. The active voice has a direct, clear tone. 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 actionâs target. Passive voice In the passive voice, the actionâs target is the focus, and the verb acts upon the subject. Or, to put it in the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb. Every sentence in the passive voice contains two verbs A conjugated form of âto beâ The main verbâs past participle Take a look at the previous examples, now written in passive voice Birdwatching is liked by Shira. Twilight is loved by her. Notice how the targets of the actionâalso the direct objects of the sentencesâare now the focus. The sentences now contain a conjugated form of âto beâ is and the main verbâs past participle liked and loved. Often, sentences in the passive voice are longer than sentences in the active voice simply because they have to include additional words like prepositions. Take a look at this sentence in the passive voice Summer break is [conjugated form of âto beâ] loved [past participle of the main verb] by [preposition] my friends. However, sentences written in the passive voice donât necessarily need a preposition. Take a look at the example sentences below The check was paid. He will be remembered. The Philippines is known for its marine biodiversity. The passive voice has a subtler tone than the active voice has. Sometimes your writing needs this tone, like when you want your reader to focus on the action being described or the actionâs target rather than on who or what is performing the action. This is why the passive voice is used in lab reportsâit conveys scientific objectivity by minimizing the focus on the doer of the action. Active and passive voice usage Although you may have been told that writing in the passive voice is âbad writing,â itâs actually more nuanced than that. For most of the writing you do, like emails, blog posts, and many kinds of essays, the active voice is a more effective way to communicate the ideas, themes, and facts youâre expressing. In certain kinds of writing, though, the passive voice is necessary. Think about how news reports about crime and incidents are usually written and delivered A car was broken into on Elm Street last night. Cash was stolen from the register. In these kinds of reports, the passive voice is used to emphasize the action that occurred rather than the individual or group who committed the action, often because the perpetrator isnât known or hasnât yet been found guilty of the offense. There are other kinds of writing where the action itself, rather than the doer of the action, is the primary focus. These include scientific and, in some cases, historical reports. These use the passive voice to keep the readerâs focus on what has happened or is happening. Here are a few examples The rats were placed into the maze. The governor was inaugurated at the statehouse. Notice how in both of these sentences, the doer of the action isnât mentioned. Thatâs because itâs either implied or irrelevant. In the first example, the scientist performing the experiment is the one who placed the rats in the maze. In the second, those conducting the inauguration ceremony arenât relevant to whatâs being expressed in the sentence. How to change passive voice to active voice After you finish your first draft, read it. You might even want to read it aloud and listen to how it sounds. By reading and listening to your own work, you can catch awkward sentences and unclear phrasing and mark them as points to revise in your next draft. Youâll also hear where you used the active and passive voices and how they shift your workâs tone as a whole. Letâs say youâve detected a few instances of the passive voice in your argumentative essay More flexible scheduling options are deserved by students. Significant amounts of tuition are paid to the university every year, and many feel the level of service being paid for by students is not being received. See how these sentences feel like theyâre dancing around the topic at hand rather than addressing it head-on? The writer isnât making a particularly persuasive argument, but they can make their writing far more impactful by changing it to the active voice. Sentence-by-sentence, identify who or what is performing the action, and make that the subject when you rewrite it. In the first sentence, make students the subject, since thatâs who is performing the action. The main verb in this sentence is deserve, and the target is more flexible scheduling options, which will become the direct object in your new sentence. With these identified, restructure the sentence so the subject is now directly performing the verb. In the active voice, this sentence would read like this Students deserve more flexible scheduling options. See how this version gets right to the point? It makes the writer sound more confident too, which is a priority in argumentative writing. Letâs try changing the second sentence to the active voice, which also allows us to condense Students pay a significant amount of tuition to the university every year, and many feel they arenât receiving the level of service theyâre paying for. As you can see from the compound sentence above, you can write any kind of sentence in the active or passive voice as long as the sentence has a transitive verb. Whether itâs a simple or complex sentence or even a compound-complex sentence, you can dramatically alter your tone by simply reworking its structure. If you arenât sure whether a sentence is active or passive based on how it sounds, use the rules we outlined above to identify the two voices in your work. The biggest clue you have a passive voice sentence on your hands will be a form of âto beâ followed by a past participle was requested or will be missed. Not every passive voice sentence says who is performing the action, but if it does, youâll see a preposition next to it by zombies or by my brother. You can use either voice when youâre paraphrasing a longer work. Sometimes, such as in cases where youâre paraphrasing a scientific article, youâll need to use the passive voice in your paraphrased version. In others, you might actually make the original clearer by paraphrasing in the active voice. Active and passive voice examples Take a look at these examples of both the active and passive voices in action Active Is Ajani visiting us today? Passive Will we be visited by Ajani today? As you see, questions can be written in either voice. Other kinds of sentences, like exclamatory and imperative sentences, are often best written in the active voice Active Please remove your shoes before entering my house. Passive Shoes should be removed before entering my house. Active Lock the door! Passive Let the door be locked! See how with the first pair, the passive voice makes the request feel more like a suggestion? In the second pair, the passive voice makes the message sound stilted and formal rather than an urgent exclamation. Now take a look at these two examples Active I poured the solution into the beaker and heated it to 100â. Passive The solution was poured into the beaker and heated to 100â. Active and passive voice FAQs What is active voice, what is passive voice, and whatâs the difference? In the active voice, the sentenceâs subject performs the action on the actionâs target. In the passive voice, the target of the action is the main focus, and the verb acts upon the subject. 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. When should you use active vs. passive voice? Use the active voice in any sentence that focuses on the doer of the action. Unless the majority of your writing is scientific or reporting incidents involving unknown perpetrators, most of the sentences you write should be in the active voice. The passive voice is meant for sentences where you need to emphasize the target of an action or the action itself rather than who or what is performing the verb. How do you change passive voice to active? To change the passive voice to the active voice, determine who is actually performing the action in the sentence, then restructure the sentence so that the performer is the focus, clearly performing the verb upon the sentenceâs direct object. Passive Salsa dancing has always been loved by our community. Active Our community has always loved salsa dancing. Hereâs a tip You donât have to guess whether youâre using certain words correctly or breaking grammar rules in your writing. Just copy and paste your writing into our Grammar Checker and get instant feedback on whether your sentences have misspellings, punctuation errors, or any structural mistakes.
Accordingto EnglishPage.com, in active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.Meanwhile in passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence.