Active & Passive

Voice
 An action of a subject, in
relation to an object, is
expressed in 2 ways.
 These two ways of expressing
action of a subject are known as
Voices
1. Active Voice
2. Passive Voice
 Active Voice: Subject + Verb + Object
Passive Voice: Object + Verb +
Subject
 Active Voice
 the subject of the sentence performs
the action expressed in the verb.
 Active voice is used for most non-
scientific writing.
 It makes your meaning clear for
readers, and keeps the sentences from
becoming too complicated or wordy.
 Even n scientific writing, too much use
of passive voice can cloud the meaning
of your sentences.
 It is also more concise than those in
passive voice because fewer words are
required to express action in active
voice than in passive.
 Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.
 These               
examples show that the subject
 is  doing the verb's action.

 Note in these examples how the subject-

verb relationship has changed.
 Passive Voice

 the subject is acted upon; he or she

receives the action expressed by the
verb.
 The agent performing the action may
appear in a "by the..." phrase or may
be omitted.
 NOTE:   Colorful parrots live in the
rainforests - cannot be changed to
passive voice because the sentence does
not have a direct object.
 To change a sentence from active to
passive voice, do the following:
1. Move  the active sentence's direct
object into the sentence's subject slot.
2. Place the active sentence's subject into a 
phrase beginning with the preposition by

3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the

main verb and change the  main verb's
form
 Examples of Active and
Passive Voice
Active Passive
I eat an apple. An apple is eaten by me.
He bought a car. A car was bought by him.

The dispatcher is
Police are being notified that
notifying police that three
three prisoners have escaped.
prisoners have escaped.

Surgeons successfully performed  A new experimental liver-

a new experimental liver- transplant operation was
transplant operation yesterday. performed successfully yesterday.

"Authorities make rules to be "Rules are made to be broken,"

broken," he said defiantly. he said defiantly.