Shifting Voice and Moods

Shifting Voice and Moods

Shifting Between Active and Passive Voice

• Anytime a sentence has more than one verb and the voice of the verbs is not the same, there is a shift in voice.

• Shifting from active to passive voice, or vice versa, in a sentence should be avoided when possible.

Examples of Unecessarily Shifting Voice

• When the children turned on the TV, a buzzing sound was heard.

• This sentence starts in the active voice, then changes to passive.

• To fix this, you need to either make both verbs active or both verbs passive.

• Both active: When the children turned on the TV, they heard a buzzing sound.

• Both passive: When the tv was turned on by the children, a buzzing sound was heard.

Sometimes, a shift in voice is okay

• For example, if you are using the passive voice to keep focus on the subject

• Example: Two men escaped from prison yesterday but were captured immediately.

• These types of changes are okay. It is only when there is no reason for the change that you must correct it.

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Open Ended

Correct the shift in voice:

After the students ran outside for recess, the bell was heard.

Open Ended

Correct the shift in voice:

The girl broke the vase after the loud noise was heard.

Open Ended

Correct the shift in voice:

Cliff Prem wrote Soccer Success, and How Not to Break a

Skateboard was also written by him.

Multiple Choice

REVIEW: Which mood gives a command?

• indicative

• imperative

• interrogative

• conditional

• subjunctive

Multiple Choice

REVIEW: Which mood makes a basic statement

• indicative

• imperative

• interrogative

• conditional

• subjunctive

Multiple Choice

REVIEW: Which mood indicates that something might cause something else to happen?

• indicative

• imperative

• interrogative

• conditional

• subjunctive

Multiple Choice

REVIEW: Which mood expresses a state of questioning?

• indicative

• imperative

• interrogative

• conditional

• subjunctive

Multiple Choice

REVIEW: Which mood expresses something contrary to fact? (I wish... I hope...)

• indicative

• imperative

• interrogative

• conditional

• subjunctive

Shifting Moods

• A shift in the verb mood occurs when more than one mood is used in one sentence.

• Unnecessary shifts in mood should be avoided.

• Example: Call me when you get home, and then you should start your homework. (This starts in the imperative mood, and shifts to the indicative).

Correcting Shifts in Mood

• To correct an unnecessary shift in mood, reword the sentence so that both verbs are in the same mood.

• Example: Call me when you get home, and then you should start your homework. Change to: Call me when you get home, and then start your homework.

• In this example, both verbs are changed to the imperative mood.