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Active vs. Passive Verbs

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Title: Active vs. Passive Verbs


1
Active vs. Passive Verbs
  • Create more powerful sentences
  • with active verb forms.

2
Why Worry About Verbs?
  • Active verbs create strong sentences.
  • Ricardo aced the examination.
  • Passive verbs make weak sentences.
  • The examination was aced by Ricardo.

Does the stranded man have an active girlfriend?
3
What is the Active Voice?
  • In the active voice, the subject performs the
    action.
  • For example
  • Joseph draws a picture.
  • Joseph is the subject and he is doing something
    (drawing).

4
What is the Passive Voice?
  • In passive voice the subject is acted on.
  • For example The picture was drawn by Joseph.
  • In this case, the drawing is the subject and it
    is being acted upon by Joseph.

Was the photographer hurt by the wild cow?
5
When Do We Use Passive?
  • Use passive voice when you do not wish to
    emphasize the subject of the sentence.
  • Smoking is prohibited. (passive)
  • The management prohibits smoking. (active)
  • The passive keeps the management from being the
    bad guys.

In this office scene, whos the bad guy?
6
What if the agent is unimportant?
  • Also use passive when the person or thing acting
    is unknown or unimportant.
  • Poisonous gases were found in six factories.
  • This passive sentence is about finding gases, not
    who found them.

How important does the girl feel?
7
When do we use active voice?
  • Use active voice all the time, unless you are
    required or have very specific reasons for doing
    otherwise.
  • Active voice leads to more concise writing.
  • It clarifies just who it is that is doing the
    action identified.
  • Example The thief plans to steal from the open
    house.

Who feels excited about the open house?
8
How Do We Avoid Passive?
  • Active sentences use verbs, not noun forms.
  • The boss announced the party.
  • Not The announcement about the party was made by
    the boss.
  • The ISA meets Wednesday.
  • Not The ISA meeting will be Wednesday.

What announcement are the men imagining?
9
Can You Change Nouns to Verbs?
  • The scientists couldnt find a conclusion.
  • They held discussions on the topics.
  • No one could form a proposal for a plan.
  • They only made a translation of earlier studies.
  • The scientists couldnt __.
  • They __ the topics.
  • No one could __ a plan.
  • They only __ earlier studies.

Which statements are weak and which strong?
10
Can You Change Nouns to Verbs?
  • The scientists couldnt find a conclusion.
  • They held discussions on the topics.
  • No one could form a proposal for a plan.
  • They only made a translation of earlier studies.
  • The scientists couldnt conclude.
  • They discussed the topics.
  • No one could propose a plan.
  • They only translated earlier studies.

The active ones are much stronger.
11
Can You Make Passive Active?
  • Another way of preserving active voice is by
    placing the noun doing the action before the
    verb.
  • The seeds were scattered by Jesse.
  • ? Jesse __ __ __.
  • A good harvest is expected by him.
  • ? He __ __ __ __.

What is Jesse harvesting?
12
Is Passive the Past Verb Tense?
  • Many people confuse the passive voice with the
    past tense.
  • It is true that the most common passive
    constructions also happen to be past tense (e.g.
    "I've been framed").
  • Yet "voice" is about who, while verb "tense"
    concerns when. 
  • Past tense
  • The professor taught the class about passive.
  • The students learned the lesson about passive.
  • Passive voice
  • The class is taught by the professor about
    passive.
  • The lesson about passive was learned by the
    students.

13
How do passives use BE verbs?
  • Passives use BE verbs plus the past participle
  • Regular verbs form the past participle just like
    the past -ed form.
  • The boy was impressed by Ms. Jones.
  • Irregular past participles are made with en
  • The pizzas were eaten by bears.

How passive are the zoo bears?
14
Can we revise sloppy passives?
  • Passive sentences do identify the doer of an
    action, so they can lead to sloppy or misleading
    statements especially in technical writing.
  • Compare how clear and direct the passive
    sentences become when they are rephrased as
    imperative sentences.
  • Which alternate is better?
  • A. To drain the tank, the grill should be
    removed, or the storage compartment can be
    flooded.
  • B. Drain the tank in one of the following ways
  • remove the grill
  • flood the storage compartment

15
Can you create passive voice?
  • The printer __ (power) by a battery.
  • Many __ (convince) that using a cell phone while
    driving is dangerous.
  • Supplements __ (consider) foods and not drugs.
  • About 500 people __ (expect) to graduate this
    year.
  • 5. All rooms at the motel __ (equip) with
    refrigerators.
  • 6. Accommodations are expensive but __ (reduce)
    by 20 or more after September.
  • 7. I doubt that such a policy __ (need) at the
    moment.
  • 8. Three types of RNA __ (involve) in protein
    synthesis.

16
Here is the passive voice
  • The printer was powered by a battery.
  • Many are convinced that using a cell phone while
    driving is dangerous.
  • Supplements are considered foods and not drugs.
  • About 500 people are expected to graduate from
    Dalton State this year.
  • 5. All rooms at the motel are equipped with
    refrigerators.
  • 6. Accommodations are expensive but are reduced
    by 20 or more after September.
  • 7. I doubt that such a policy is needed at the
    moment.
  • 8. Three types of RNA are involved in protein
    synthesis.

17
Can you use passive verbs?
  • 9. Archimedes ___ the math constant pi.
  • was discovered
  • discovered
  • has discovered
  • is discovering
  • 10. Bell _____ the telephone in 1876.
  • A. is invented
  • B. has invented
  • C. invented
  • D. was invented
  • 11. "The Last Judgement" ___ by Michelangelo
    between 1536 and 1541.
  • A. painted
  • B. was painted
  • C. was being painted
  • D. has been painted
  • 12. The first volume of the Lord of the Rings
    _____ in 1954.
  • A. was published
  • B. has been published
  • C. is published
  • D. published

18
Here are the passive verbs
  • 9. Archimedes ___ the math constant pi.
  • was discovered
  • discovered
  • has discovered
  • is discovering
  • 10. Bell _____ the telephone in 1876.
  • A. is invented
  • B. has invented
  • C. invented
  • D. was invented
  • 11. "The Last Judgement" ___ by Michelangelo
    between 1536 and 1541.
  • A. painted
  • B. was painted
  • C. was being painted
  • D. has been painted
  • 12. The first volume of the Lord of the Rings
    _____ in 1954.
  • A. was published
  • B. has been published
  • C. is published
  • D. published

19
Can you use passive verbs?
  • 13. Many animals __ since Dolly the sheep.
  • A. have been cloned
  • B. had been cloning
  • C. were cloned
  • D. clones
  • 14. That area __ by war for years.
  • A. is being troubled
  • B. has been troubled
  • C. trouble
  • D. is troubling
  • 15. New technology __ due to market saturation.
  • A. delays
  • B. is delayed
  • C. was delayed
  • D. is delaying
  • 16. The Park Service __ for years by crowding at
    the Grand Canyon.
  • A. has been embarrassed
  • B. embarrasses
  • C. embarrassed
  • D. is being embarrassed

20
Here are the passive verbs
  • 13. Many animals __ since Dolly the sheep.
  • A. have been cloned
  • B. had been cloning
  • C. were cloned
  • D. clones
  • 14. That area __ by war for years.
  • A. is being troubled
  • B. has been troubled
  • C. trouble
  • D. is troubling
  • 15. New technology __ due to market saturation.
  • A. delays
  • B. is delayed
  • C. was delayed
  • D. is delaying
  • 16. The Park Service __ for years by crowding at
    the Grand Canyon.
  • A. has been embarrassed
  • B. embarrasses
  • C. embarrassed
  • D. is being embarrassed

21
Can you create passive voice?
  • 17. Which planet (call) __ the red planet?
  • 18. Our solar system (compose) __ of how many
    planets?
  • 19. In 1957 a rocket (launched) __ into space by
    whom?
  • 20. The first woman (send) __ into space by
    which nation?
  • Venus, Mars, Uranus, or Mercury
  • One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight,
    or Nine.
  • The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.
  • The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.

22
Here is the passive voice
  • 17. Which planet is called the red planet?
  • 18. Our solar system is composed of how many
    planets?
  • 19. In 1957 a rocket was launched into space by
    whom?
  • 20. The first woman sent into space by which
    nation?
  • Venus, Mars, Uranus, or Mercury
  • One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight,
    or Nine.
  • The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.
  • The USA, China, Japan, France, Brazil, or Russia.

23
How do we avoid BE verbs?
  • Houses were destroyed by the storm.
  • The cake was eaten by me.
  • Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Joseph
    Priestley.
  • The kitten was chosen by the girl.
  • The storm __ __.
  • I __ __ __.
  • Joseph Priestly __ __ __ ___.
  • The girl __ __ __.

Which sentences are more clear?
24
How do we avoid BE verbs?
  • Houses were destroyed by the storm.
  • The cake was eaten by me.
  • Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Joseph
    Priestley.
  • The kitten was chosen by the girl.
  • The storm destroyed houses.
  • I ate the cake.
  • Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen in 1774.
  • The girl chose the kitten.

The active sentences are more clear.
25
What are five action tips?
  • Good writers prefer the active voice.
  • Make sure the subject is acting and not being
    acted upon.
  • Use the verb form of nouns with suffixes.
  • Place subjects in front of the action they
    perform.
  • Reduce the use of BE forms of verbs.

Make sure your sentences are full of something by
using the active voice!
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