In many passive sentences, the performing subject does not appear at all. Find the acting subject – Which word is performing the action in the sentence? More importantly, does this word appear before or after the main verb? If it appears before the main verb, the sentence is likely active, but if it appears after, it is likely passive.These are active sentences because the subject performs the action and appears at the beginning of the sentence. For example, let’s look at the following sentences:Īll of the sentences above use a form of “to be,” but remain in the active voice. There are some specific rules that help us distinguish the passive from the active voice in English.Ĭlauses or sentences in the passive voice usually use some form of “to be.” However, this does not mean that every sentence containing a “to be” verb is passive. However, these are not the only differences. In the passive form, we generally see longer sentences, greater frequency of “to be” verbs, fewer concrete details, and more emphasis on the thing that is acted upon. They will build the train station next year.Īs you can see, there are some distinct differences between the active and passive voice.Active Voiceīy altering the verb form, word choice, and word order in the sentences above, we can change them to the active voice: Alternatively, the passive voice is useful in speech or writing when you want to obscure the acting agent or highlight the thing that is acted upon. In the active voice, the subject performs the action and appears at the beginning of the sentence. This is because the active voice is more purposeful and easier to understand. Though both are common, the active voice is the most traditional (and preferred) form of English sentence construction. The train station will be built next year.Īll of these sentences utilize the passive voice.To understand the passive voice better, let’s look at a few examples: In other words, the verb form changes so that the thing that is acted upon comes first, while the acting agent comes second (or doesn’t appear at all). The passive voice is a sentence construction in which the subject of a clause or sentence becomes the thing that is acted upon. Generally, people consider the passive voice (especially in writing) to be a weaker, lesser form of English communication.įirst, let’s take a look at the precise definition: Definition of Passive Voice If you’ve ever taken a creative writing course, your teacher may have expressed an opinion about using it. Instructions will be given to you by the director.The passive voice is a controversial topic among English linguists, professors, writers, and learners. The comet was viewed by the science class. Two dozen cookies will be baked by Susan for the bake sale. Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale. The wedding planner is making all the reservations.Īll the reservations are being made by the wedding planner. Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry. Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter. The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the office every night.Įvery night, the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew. The treaty is being signed by the two kings. The whole suburb was destroyed by a forest fire. That piece is really enjoyed by the choir.Ī forest fire destroyed the whole suburb. The students' questions are always answered by the teacher. The teacher always answers the students' questions. The staff are required by the company to watch a safety video every year. The company requires staff to watch a safety video every year. The house will be cleaned by me every Saturday. The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew. The crew paved the entire stretch of highway. The obstacle course was run by me in record time. I ran the obstacle course in record time.
#Examples of passive voice movie#
The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes.Ī movie is going to be watched by us tonight. Looking at these examples, you'll see how easy it also is to change passive voice to active voice.Īt dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. It’s not difficult to see the difference between active and passive voice - especially when you line them up next to each other.
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