The Passive

Active vs. Passive Voice

On this page, we’ll explore the key differences between active and passive voice. We’ll provide examples of both, highlighting how the focus shifts from the doer of the action to the receiver in passive sentences.

Active Voice

• Active voice sentences are structured in a way that emphasizes the doer of the action. The subject of the sentence performs the action, and this construction is direct and straightforward.
• Example: “John painted the masterpiece.”
• In this example, “John” is the subject and is performing the action of “painted.”

More Example:

Active Voice Formula:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Object]

1. John painted the masterpiece.
2. She writes beautiful poetry.
3. They are building a new bridge.
4. He will cook dinner tonight.
5. The children are watching a movie.

Passive Voice:

• Passive voice sentences, on the other hand, shift the focus from the doer of the action to the receiver of the action. The subject of the sentence becomes the receiver, and the doer is often mentioned with “by” or omitted.
• Example: “The masterpiece was painted by John.”
• In this example, the focus is on “The masterpiece” (the receiver of the action), and “by John” indicates the doer of the action.

More Examples:

Passive Voice Formula:

[Object of the action] + [Auxiliary verb “to be”] + [Past participle of the main verb] + [Optional: Agent introduced by “by”]

1. The masterpiece was painted by John.
2. Beautiful poetry is written by her.
3. A new bridge is being built by them.
4. Dinner will be cooked by him tonight.
5. A movie is being watched by the children.

here’s a concise summary table comparing active and passive voice using the examples provided

In active voice, the subject performs the action, while in passive voice, the focus shifts to the receiver of the action, and the agent (doer) is introduced with “by” or omitted.

When to Use Active vs. Passive Voice:

• Active voice is typically used when the doer of the action is important or when you want to convey information directly and clearly. It is often used in academic and scientific writing.
• Passive voice is used when the focus should be on the action itself or the receiver of the action. It can be useful in formal writing or when the doer is unknown or less important.

Matching Exercise Active vs. Passive Voice

Instructions for Matching Exercise: Active vs. Passive Voice

In this exercise, you will be presented with two groups of randomly arranged sentences labeled as Active Voice and Passive Voice.
Your task is to match a sentence from Active with a corresponding sentence from Passsive.
Carefully read and analyze each sentence in both groups, and make connections between the active voice sentences in Group A and their passive voice counterparts in Group B.
Take your time to ensure accurate matches.
This exercise will help you practice identifying and understanding both active and passive sentence structures.

Note: while it is probably time saving copying and pasting, you are encouraged to type the answer in word by word

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