Active vs. Passive
Voice
Active vs. Passive Voice

A sentence is written in the active voice
when:


The subject of the sentence performs the action.
The person/thing performing the action is named
before the verb.
EXAMPLE:
My grandfather took me to my first horse show.
NOT: I was taken to my first horse show by my
grandfather.
Another example

Active voice:
My dad taught me to fish.

Passive voice:
I was taught to fish by my dad.
The Passive Voice

The passive voice occurs when the action is
happening upon the subject.
Examples:
My grades were severely affected by my
missing assignments.
I am seriously hurt financially by the
government shut-down.
Key words to search for to identify passive
voice:
Is
am
are
was
were
be
being
been
Have
has
had

Active voice sentences

When you write in the active voice, sentences
are typically shorter and clearer.

They sound more conversational.
Passive voice is acceptable …

When you choose to write in the passive
voice, you are emphasizing the object of the
sentence rather than the subject.

Scientific writing is a good example of
passive voice writing.
Passive voice

The three-inch incision is made right above
the pubic bone. Plastic clips are used to
clamp off blood vessels and minimize
bleeding. The skin is folded back and
secured with clamps. Next, the stomach
muscle is cut at a fifteen-degree angle, right
top to bottom left.
Active voice

The doctor makes a three-inch incision right
above the pubic bone. He uses plastic clips
to clamp off the blood vessels and minimize
bleeding. He folds back the skin and secures
it with clamps. Next, he cuts the stomach
muscle at a fifteen-degree angle, right top to
bottom left.
Passive voice acceptable …

If that agent of action (the individual doing the
action) is unknown or needs to remain a
secret:


It was reported that …
Unizan Bank was robbed …
News writers protect sources this way. They also
may not know who committed the action.
Active vs. Passive Voice
Which of these are active and which are
passive?
The dog was hit by the car.
Passive
 The firefighters taught CPR to the students.
Active
 The principal was overwhelmed by the
students and their disrespect.
Passive

Active vs. Passive Voice
Which of these are active and which are
passive?
Lots of houses were destroyed by the
tornado.
Passive
The students stormed the building.
Active
How would you change the
following sentences?






The dog was hit by the car.
The car hit the dog.
Lots of houses were destroyed by the
tornado.
The tornado destroyed the houses.
The principal was overwhelmed by the
student’s disrespect.
The students’ disrespect overwhelmed the
principal.
How would you fix these
sentences.






The building was stormed by the students.
The students stormed the building.
The basketball team was defeated by their
arch rivals.
Their arch rivals defeated the basketball
team.
The club was founded by Ron and Peggy.
Peggy and Ron founded the club.
In the following paragraph,
you will:
 Rewrite
it in the active voice.
 Highlight the topic sentence
in yellow, and the
commentary in green or
blue.

Last year a hurricane was experienced by my family and me
for the first time. It was Hurricane Ellen, and much damage
to our property and neighborhood was caused by its fierce
winds of 200 miles per hour and its heavy rains. The old oak
tree in our backyard was uprooted and hurled across the roof
of our house, creating a large hole through which the rain
poured in. Our living room was flooded by the water, which
rose to a height of three feet. When we began to think that
the worst of the storm was over, we heard a loud crash and
looked out the window to see that our car had been hit by
our neighbor’s fallen tree, caving in the roof and breaking
all the windows. Having recently moved to the East Coast
from North Dakota, we thought that a hurricane was little
more than a thunderstorm. Next time, when people in our
area are advised to evacuate before a hurricane comes, I’m
sure our family will be the first to leave.

My family and I experienced our first hurricane last year.
The 200 MPH winds and fierce rains of Hurricane Ellen
caused damage to our property and the neighborhood. The
storm uprooted the old Oak Tree in our back yard and hurled
it across the roof. This caused a large hole that allowed three
feet of flood waters into our living room. We thought the
worst part had finished, but we heard a crash. Looking out
the window, we saw the neighbor’s tree had fallen on our
car, caved in the roof, and smashed all windows. We
recently moved from North Dakota to the East Coast and
assumed hurricanes and tornadoes as the same thing. Our
family leaves first the next time authorities issue an
evacuation order.