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How do you identify active and passive voice?
key idea
- If a sentence is in active voice, the subject performs the action. The dog bit the intruder.
- If a sentence is in passive voice, the subject receives the action. The intruder was bitten by the dog.
- In passive voice, the verb phrase includes a form of to be plus a past participle.
What is an example of active voice?
Active voice examples Monkeys adore bananas. The cashier counted the money. The dog chased the squirrel. All three sentences have a basic active voice construction: subject, verb, and object.
What is the example of active voice?
What is the meaning active voice?
Active voice is a grammar term used to classify sentences in which the subject of the sentence is the one actively performing the action of the verb. Active voice is contrasted with passive voice, in which the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the verb’s action.
Why use active voice instead of passive?
The main reason you should generally use active voice rather than passive voice is that the active voice enlivens your writing, whereas overuse of the passive voice can render it dull and lifeless.
How to change passive voice to active voice?
If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a “by the…” phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly.
When to use the active voice?
When to use the active voice. Typically, the active voice is preferable to the passive voice, as it requires fewer words and expresses a clearer relationship between the verb and its agent. The active voice is generally thought of as the default voice in spoken and written English.
When is it appropriate to use the passive voice?
Moreover, the passive voice is appropriate when you want the emphasis of the sentence to be on the action, rather than on the person who performed the action. To shift the emphasis to the person acting, we use a prepositional phrase beginning with by.