Active and Passive Voices with examples

1. Active and PassiveActive and Passive
VoiceVoice I am teacher
Ariane!

2. What is the
difference?
Difference is in
the meaning

3. The Difference
Connected with the verb
Does the subject act or
is the subject acted upon?

4. Passive Voice
The subject of the sentence
receives the action
The essay is being written
by the student.

5. Active Voice
The subject of the sentence
performs the action
The student wrote the
essay.

6. Passive Voice
More wordy sentences, less concise
Topics for the next essay are being
considered by the students.

7. Active Voice
Less wordy sentences, more concise
The students considered topics for the
next essay.

8. Advantages of Active Voice
• Shorter, more direct
• More forceful
• Greater clarity (The
reader knows
immediately who is doing
what.)
• Sharper imagery

9. Which is more effective?
• Stay away from the hot
wire. It can kill you.
• The hot wire should be
avoided. You can be killed
by it.

10. Use passive voice
• When the actor is unknown or
unimportant.
The knife was found beside the body.
• Or when you want to focus on
the receiver of the action more
than on the actor.
The teacher was fired for his political
activism.

11. Changing from Passive to Active
Find the subject
Change the verb accordingly

12. Change these into Active
Voice
The essay was written by
Shelia.
The big, green apples were
left on the table by the
professor.

13. Active Voice
Shelia wrote the essay.
The professor left the big, green
apples on the table.

14. Change these into Passive
Voice
The apple was eaten by Charlene.
Clams are considered a delicacy by
many people.

15. Active Voice
Charlene ate the apple.
Many people consider clams a
delicacy.

16. Additional Resources
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.
http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm
http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp

17. Thank You
for Listening
Students!
Ariane
…zzZZ
Thank you
for teaching
us!
Thank you
for teaching
us!