1. Active and Passive Voice Sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning

2. The Basics How do we find the subject of a sentence? Who or what is doing the verb (action)

3. Passive Voice The subject of the sentence receives the action Sally caught the ball. - ACTIVE The ball was caught by Sally. – PASSIVE The essay is being written by the student. –PASSIVE The student is writing the essay. - ACTIVE

4. Active Voice The subject of the sentence performs the action The student wrote the essay. (A) The essay was written by the student. (P) The student writes the essay. (A)

5. Passive Voice Passive voice occurs when you make the receiver of an action into the subject of a sentence. In other words, whoever or whatever is performing the action of the sentence, is not the subject.

6. Passive Voice Indirect They are often taken to interesting places by their friends. (P) Their friends often take them to interesting places. (A)

7. Active Voice Direct Their friends often take them to interesting places.

8. Passive Voice More wordy sentences, less concise

9. Active Voice Less wordy sentences, more concis Topics for the next essay are being considered by the students. (P) The students considered topics for the next essay. (A)

10. Changing from Passive to Active Find the subject Change the verb accordingly

11. Practice: The essay was written by Shelia. The big, green apples were left on the table by the professor.

12. Active Voice Shelia wrote the essay. The professor left the big, green apples on the table.

13. Practice: The apple was eaten by Charlene.

14. Active Voice Charlene ate the apple.

15. Can you tell the difference? Mistakes were made by us. Most of the class read The Outsiders.

16. Additional Resources http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actp ass.html http://www.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp