Active vs Passive Voice

Active vs Passive Voice

Poll

Which role in a movie would you be most likely to audition for?

• leading role

• supporting role

• zombie role

• crowd participant

Please watch the short video on the next slide and read the definitions of active and passive voice before practicing the skill of identifying them.

Active Voice (subject +verb +object)

• the subject of a sentence performs the verb’s action

• gives a strong, direct, and clear tone

• Examples:

• Jon rides in the tractor over the hill.

• She drives the tractor fast.

• Ebin runs quickly through the woods.

Passive Voice (object +verb +subject)

• the subject is acted on by the verb

• is always constructed with a conjugated form of "to be" + the verb’s past participle

• doing this usually generates a preposition as well

• Examples:

• The tractor is ridden over the hill by Jon.

• The tractor is driven fast by her.

Multiple Choice

Active or Passive Voice?
The bookcase was stained a dark walnut.

• Active
• Passive

Multiple Choice

What is passive voice?

• a calmer way of talking
• when the subject is not acted upon; but is still in past tense
• when the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon

Multiple Choice

Make an active voice
The oven has been tested by the best chefs in the world.

• The best chefs in the world test the oven.
• The best chefs in the world tested the oven.
• The best chefs in the world have tested the oven.
• The best chefs in the world had tested the oven.

Multiple Choice

I gave him a book for his birthday.

• Active
• Passive

Multiple Choice

He must have had a bad dream.

• Active Voice
• Passive Voice

Multiple Choice

What is active voice?

• When the subject performs the verb
• When the subject receives the verb

Multiple Choice

Active or Passive?
I hate homework.

• active
• passive

Multiple Choice

The Old Man and the Sea was written in 1951 by Ernest Hemingway.

• Passive
• Active

Multiple Choice

A package was sent to Caroline.

• Active 
• Passive