Lesson 5 – Active and Passive Voice

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
• Define and differentiate active and passive voice.
• Determine the relevance of learning about active and passive voice.
• Compare active voice and passive voice in different tenses
• Transform sentences from active to passive voice.
• Transform sentences from passive to active voice.
• Form sentences in both active and passive voice.

Learning Objectives 2
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.
subject active verb

The leopard chased the antelope

subject is doing the verb

subject is doing the verb

Ms. Lopez mailed the letter
More examples: subject active verb
The man must have eaten five hamburgers. (The man (subject) is doing the eating (verb).
Curiosity killed the cat (Curiosity (subject) is doing the killing (verb).
The robber shot the sheriff. (The robber (subject) is doing the shooting (verb).
Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in
the active voice.

Active Voice 3
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Sentences with verbs in the active voice are often more direct than those with passive-voice verbs.
1. Active sentences are shorter.
He saw the dog. (This active sentence has four words and 11 characters.)
The dog was seen by him. (This passive version has six words and 18 characters.)
2. With an active sentence, the subject takes responsibility for the action.
John made the decision to publish the article.
(This active sentence makes it clear that John was responsible.)
The decision was made to publish the article.
(With this passive sentence, we don't know who took the decision.)
(NB: With a passive sentence, the doer of the action (called the agent) does not have to be named.)
3. Active sentences are more authoritative.
I passed the law to protect the public.
(Here, the author is taking responsibility, and credit, for passing the law. It is more authoritative than the
passive version below.)
The law was passed to protect the public.
(With this version, the author is not taking responsibility, or blame, for the law. It comes across as less
authoritative.)

Why Should I Care About the Active Voice? 4

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
4. Active sentences are more engaging for the reader.
Using active sentences tends to make your writing more engaging because the facts are
absorbed as they are encountered. In other words, the sentences are ordered naturally (e.g.,
in the format "A did something to B").

My mother advised me to avoid the lake.

(With this active sentence, the information is absorbed as you encounter it.)
I was advised by my mother that the lake is to be avoided.
(This passive sentence requires the reader to momentarily hold information in "brain storage" before
that information's relevance is known. In other words, the information is not fully absorbed as it is
encountered.)

Key Point:
Develop a bias for active sentences over passive sentences because active sentences are shorter,
more direct, more informative, more authoritative, and easier to absorb.

Why Should I Care About the Active Voice? 5

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
A verb is said to be in the passive voice when its subject does not perform the action of the verb but has
the action of the verb performed on it.
subject passive verb

The antelope was being chased by the leopard

subject is NOT doing the verb
subject is NOT doing the verb
The letter was mailed by Ms. Lopez
More examples: subject passive verb
Five hamburgers must have been eaten by the man. (Hamburgers(subject) are being eaten (verb).
The cat was killed by curiosity. (Cat (subject) was killed (verb).
The sheriff was shot by the robber (The sheriff (subject) was shot (verb).
Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive
voice.

Passive Voice 6
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
1. The passive voice is useful to avoid blame.
Bad advice was given. (Active: John have bad advice.)
The passive voice allows you to avoid mentioning the actor (i.e., the doer of the action).
2. The passive voice often shows a neutral or objective tone.
Compromises were offered by all the warring factions.
(The passive voice expresses a neutral tone.)
3. The passive voice can be appropriate when the actor is unimportant, unknown, or obvious.
The almonds are dried for two months.
(The agent (i.e., the person who dries the almonds) is unimportant.)
4. The passive voice is useful to emphasize something by putting it at the start of your sentence.
The pigs were seen near the main road in Tamworth.
(The pigs are the focus of this sentence. It does not matter who saw them.)
5. A passive-voice construction allows you to use the same subject twice.
John ran away but was arrested two hours later.
(In this sentence, the subject is John. The verb ran away is an active verb. It is followed by was arrested, which
is a passive verb. This construction allows you to say two things about John in a natural and efficient way.)

Why Should I Care About the Passive Voice? 7

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Determine whether the following sentences are using active or passive voice.
or 1. The actress wore a beautiful gown.
or 2. Halle Berry presented an Oscar.
or 3. Halle Berry has been seen in many movies.
or 4. The director has been nominated many times.
or 5. Old movies were filmed in black and white.
or 6. Many actors live in California. 7
or 7. Many movies are made in Hollywood.
or 8. The names of the winners will be printed in tomorrow’s newspaper.
or 9. The actress thanked all the people who helped her win.
or 10. The actress was driven to the ceremony in a white limousine.
or 11. Hollywood was built at the beginning of the twentieth century.
or 12. Hollywood has become the movie capital of the U.S.

Exercise 1 8
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Fill in the blanks with the passive voice of the verb in parentheses. Use the tense or modal given.
1. Most American movies (make) in Hollywood.
2. Let’s get some popcorn. It’s fresh. It (make) right now.
3. Movie listings (can’t find) in the newspaper.
4. Children (not allow) to see some movies.
5. Hurry! The winners (announce) in ten minutes.
6. In 1929, only fifteen Oscars (present)
7. Before 1941, the winners’ names in (publish) newspapers the night before the ceremony
8. A new theater (build) near my house at this time.
9. We can’t get into the movie theater because all the tickets (sell) already.
10. Did you see the movie Harry Potter? Where__ it (film)?
11. I went to the lobby to buy popcorn, and my seat (take).
12. No one knows why the award (call)“Oscar.”
13. Slumdog Millionaire (choose) as the best film of 2009.
14. In a movie theater, coming attractions1 (show) before the feature film begins.
15. Sound (add) to movies in 1927.
16. 16. The Kodak Theatre, where the awards (present) each year, (build) in 2001.

Exercise 2 9
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Compare active voice and passive voice in different tenses.
Tense Active Passive = be+ Past Participle
Simple Present A committee chooses the winner. The winner is chosen by a committee
Present Continuous They are presenting an award. An award is being presented now.
Future They will pick the best movie. The best movie will be picked.
They are going to pick the best movie. The best movie is going to be picked.
Simple Past They announced the winner’s name. The winner’s name was announced.
Past Continuous They were interviewing the winners. The winners were being interviewed.
Present Perfect They have chosen the best movie. The best movie has been chosen.
Modal You can see the movie on DVD. The movie can be seen on DVD.
Language Notes:
1. Both the active voice and the passive voice can be used with different tenses and with modals. The tense of
the passive sentence is shown in the verb be. Use the past participle with every tense.
2. 2. If two verbs in the passive voice are connected with and, do not repeat be. The Oscar ceremony is
televised and seen by millions of people.

Comparison of Active and Passive Voice 10

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Fill in the blanks with the passive voice of the verb in parentheses. Use the tense or modal given.
1.(simple present: see) 8. (present perfect: show)
The awards ceremony _______ by millions of people. The movie_______on TV many times.
2. (future: choose) 9. (present perfect: give)
Which actor_______next year? Over 2,000 Academy Awards_______out since 1929.
3. (modal: can / see) 10. (simple past: give)
The movie_______at many theaters. In 1929, only one award_______to a woman.
4. (present perfect: make) 11. (simple past: add)
Many movies about World War II. When_______sound_______to movies?
5. (simple past: give) It_______in 1927.
Kate Winslet_______the best actress award in 2009. 12. (simple present: often / make)
6. (present continuous: show) Movies in_______Hollywood.
A good movie_______at a theater near my house. 13. (present perfect: film)
How many movies_______in black and white?
7. (simple past: make)
Star Wars_______in 1977.

Exercise 3 11
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:`
1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject slot.

2. Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition by.

3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form.
Because passive voice sentences necessarily add
words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of
action direction, they may make the reader work
harder to understand the intended meaning.

Active to Passive Voice 12

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the previous steps.
1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot

2. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed

3. Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.

Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use

the active voice whenever possible.

Active to Passive Voice 13

Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Transform the following sentences using active voice into passive voice.
1. Someone had broken the window by 3:00 p.m. 14. A spokesman gave an interview to the reporters.
2. A strange man was watching us. 15. We are going to announce the results on Friday.
3. Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 2020. 16. The new manager has made some changes.
4. We are working on the report right now. 17. The students are setting decorations for the party.
5. My manager has told him to arrive earlier. 18. The secretary opens the mail every morning.
6. They could not have made the mistake. 19. Where did they invent gun powder ?
7. I hope they are going to hire me soon. 20. People speak English all over the world.
8. John’s mother raised him in a small town. 21. When did they translate this book into English ?
9. Someone painted the building last year. 22. Have they delivered the new music system yet ?
10. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. 23. You can obtain further information at the desk.
11. Some students study grammar on the Internet. 24. They won't take a decision until the next meeting.
12. Heavy rain had caused the flood. 25. You must put coins into the slot machine.
13. Police officers were examining the evidence. 26. George told me about the incident at dinner.

Exercise 4 14
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Read the article and pay
attention to the sentences in
passive voice. Transform the
sentences in active voice if
possible and restate the article.

Note that some sentences in passive voice

is not possible to be transformed to active
voice.
Eg.
Colorful parrots live in the forest.

This sentence cannot be changed to passive

voice because the sentence does not have a
direct object.

Exercise 5 15
Lesson 4. Active and Passive Voice
Write an active sentence and a passive sentence for each subject.
Choose an appropriate tense.
1. Active: English __________________________________________________.
Passive: English __________________________________________________.
2. Active: Some people _____________________________________________.
Passive: Some people ____________________________________________.
3. Active: Movies __________________________________________________.
Passive: Movies __________________________________________________.
4. Active: A national leader ___________________________________________.
Passive: A national leader __________________________________________.
5. Active: COVID-19 _________________________________________________.
Passive: COVID-19 _________________________________________________.

Exercise 6 16
The End