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Active & passive

1. Active & Passive Voice
This Presentation is
brought to you by Mr.
Wilkinson and the letter
“V”

2. Active: We ate the bird meat.
Passive: The bird meat was eaten
by us.

3. Active: Mr. Wilkinson and the
letter “V” bring you this
presentation.
Passive: This presentation is
brought to you by Mr. Wilkinson
and the letter “V.”

4. Active: Shouts echoed
throughout the canyon.
OR
We heard shouts throughout
the canyon.
Passive: Shouts were heard
throughout the canyon.

5. Active: We decided to cancel
the event.
Passive: It was decided that the
event is cancelled.
Or
The event was cancelled.

6. What is Passive Voice
•In active voice the subject of the sentence is
the noun(s) that is responsible for the
action of the sentence.
However
•In passive voice the subject of the sentence
is not the word(s) doing the action. Instead,
the subject is often what should be the
object(s), what is being acted upon.

7. Active Voice
•Transitive Verb (usually)
•Subject—Verb—Direct Object
•“The city controls rent.”
•“Leases protect tenants.”

8. Passive Voice
•A helping verb is added
•Direct Object—HV—Verb—Subject
as OP (often the subject isn’t
present)
•“Rent is controlled by the city.”
•“Tenants are protected by leases.”

9. Another Semi-Passive
Construction
There is a man in the chair.
Should be…
A man relaxes in the chair
(or something descriptive with a real
subject)

10. The Internet is used by many
scholars for research.
Many scholars use the Internet for
research.

11. There is a dog peeing on the
plum tree in the backyard.
A dog pees on the plum tree in
the backyard.

12. The scouts searched the enemy
lines for any sign of weakness.
•The enemy lines were searched
for any sign of weakness.

13. After the eruption chunks of
pumice could be found
everywhere.
After the eruption people found
chunks of pumice everywhere.

14. The jets were watched from
below.
The audience watched the jets.

15. Thousands of wreaths were brought
to us from the people of Tobago.
The people of Tobago brought us
thousands of wreaths.

16. Why you should use Active Voice
Active voice is superior to passive voice for
several reasons:
1.It is more “active” and exciting and
engaging.
2.It is more succinct than passive voice.
3.It correctly places words and ideas in the
position that reflects their importance and
power.

17. When and why to use passive voice
•While passive voice often serves only
to make a sentence longer and less
active and more boring, careful authors
may purposefully compose an
occasional passive voice clause to
accomplish something stylistically that
an active voice clause can’t.

18. Purposeful Passive
1. When deliberately trying to conceal
the subject or when he/she is not known.
2. When deliberately trying to slow
something down.
3. When what should be the object is the
primary focus.

19. Purposeful Passive cont.
4. When deliberately trying to
express weakness or impotence.
5. When deliberately shifting the
power of ideas within a sentence.

20. “So it was his hands that started it
all […] His hands had been
infected, and soon it would be his
arms. He could feel the poison
working up his wrists and into
his elbows and his shoulders”
(Bradbury 41).

21. “Let us go on, then, to battle on every front. Vie
with our valiant Allies to intensify the conflict.
Bear with unflinching fortitude whatever
evils and blows we may receive. Drive on
through the storm, now that it reaches its fury,
with the same singleness of purpose and
inflexibility of resolve as we showed to the
world when we were all alone."
Winston Churchill. “The Dawn of Liberation”

22. The film was directed by
Oliver Stone.
Oliver Stone directed the film.

23. Many snails were killed by the
poison.
The poison killed many snails.

24. There were many dead leaves
lying on the ground.
Dead leaves covered the ground.

25. The room got cleaned over the
weekend.
The janitor cleaned the room over
the weekend.
(If we don’t know who cleaned it,
then the passive is perfect.)

26. Marty sold my grandmother a
box of broken glass.
My grandmother was sold a box of
broken glass.
Or
A box of broken glass was sold to
my grandmother by Marty.

27. Strange grunts could be heard
coming from the cave.
We heard strange grunts coming from
the cave.