This document discusses the passive voice and when it should and should not be used. It provides examples of sentences in both the active and passive voice. The passive voice is generally used to hide the subject or minimize their responsibility. It also notes that the passive voice can sometimes better emphasize the main point of a message by focusing on the object rather than the subject. The document then provides exercises to identify active and passive sentences and to rewrite sentences from active to passive voice and vice versa.

1. PASSIVE VOICE

2. WHEN WOULD YOU WANT TO USE PASSIVE
VOICE?
1. When intentionally trying to hide the subject of the sentence.
For example, a politician might say, “The mistake was made by someone.”
Hiding the subject helps him/her hide the blame.
2. When intentionally trying to minimize the guilt of the subject.
For example, a cheating boyfriend might say, “Cheating was committed by
me.”
3. When passive voice better emphasizes the main point of the message, such
as “Children were harmed by the drunk driver.”

3. IDENTIFY ACTIVE & PASSIVE SENTENCES
1. Louise made the chocolate cake.
2. The chocolate cake was made by Louise.
3. The package was advertised by the travel agent.
4. The travel agent advertised the package.
5. The chain was broken by my brother.
6. My brother broke the chain on my bike.
7. I designed my owN prom dress.
8. The prom dress was designed by me.
9. The pencil on the floor was broken by him.
10. He has been making shoes since 2 years old
A
P
P
A
P
A
A
P
P
A

4. MAIN FORMULA : TO BE + V3 (Past Participle)
SUPPORTIVE FORMULA :
V1 are/am/is + V3
V2 was/were + V3
to be + Ving to be + being + V3
has/have + V3 has/have + been + V3
modal + V1 modal + be + V3
Modals : will – would, may – might, shall – should, can – could, must

5. MAKE IT INTO PASSIVE
1. I eat candies everyday
2. I ate candies yesterday
3. I am eating candies right now
4. I will eat candies tomorrow
5. I have eaten candies for years

6. THE ANSWERS
1. I was eating candies at 10 last night
2. I can eat candies
3. I have been eating candies for a
week
1. Candies were being eaten by me at 10 last night
2. Candies can be eaten by me
3. Candies have been being eaten by me for a week
NOW TRY AGAIN – EXERCISE 1
1. I eat candies everyday
2. I ate candies yesterday
3. I am eating candies right now
4. I will eat candies tomorrow
5. I have eaten candies for years
1. Candies are eaten by me everyday
2. Candies were eaten by me yesterday
3. Candies are being eaten by me right now
4. Candies will be eaten by me tomorrow
5. Candies have been eaten by me for years

7. REWRITE THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IN THE ACTIVE
VOICE
Last summer, our house was painted by me. First, the exterior was
washed using warm water and a mild detergent. Then all of the
chinks in the walls were sealed with putty. After the putty had had
a chance to dry, the exterior could be painted. A latex paint was used
because it is easy to apply and cleans up with water. A whole week
was needed to finish this part of the job. A color was used that was
very close to the original color. When the job was finished, a great
deal of satisfaction was felt by me. Even my dad said that a good job
was done.
TRY THIS!

8. THE ANSWER OF
‘PARAGRAPH IN THE ACTIVE VOICE’
TRY THIS!

9. THE ANSWER

10. Last summer, our house was painted by me.
First, the exterior was washed using warm water
and a mild detergent. Then all of the chinks in
the walls were sealed with putty. After the putty
had had a chance to dry, the exterior could be
painted. A latex paint was used because it is
easy to apply and cleans up with water. A whole
week was needed to finish this part of the job. A
color was used that was very close to the original
color. When the job was finished, a great deal of
satisfaction was felt by me. Even my dad said
that a good job was done.
COMPARE
Last summer, I painted our house. First, I
washed the exterior using warm water and a
mild detergent. Then, I sealed all of the chinks
in the walls with putty. After the putty had
had a chance to dry, I could paint the exterior.
I used a latex paint because it is easy to apply
and clean up with water. I needed a whole
week to finish this part of the job. I used a
color that was very close to the original color.
When I finished the job was, I felt a great deal
of satisfaction. Even my dad said that I did a
good job.
PASSIVE ACTIVE