4HG Active and passive voice Flashcards
Active and passive voice.
Active Voice
* Usage: In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb. It is more direct and often clearer.
* Structure: Subject + verb + object
* Examples:
1. The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).
2. She (subject) wrote (verb) a letter (object).
Active and passive voice.
Passive Voice
* Usage: In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon by the verb. It is used when the focus is on the action or when the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
* Structure: Object + form of “to be” + past participle + (by subject) [optional]
* Examples:
1. The mouse (object) was chased (form of “to be” + past participle) by the cat (by subject).
2. A letter (object) was written (form of “to be” + past participle) by her (by subject).
Active and passive voice.
Key Points
Converting Active to Passive:
- Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
- Make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence.
- Use the appropriate form of the verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb.
- Optionally, include the original subject at the end of the sentence preceded by “by”.
Examples of Conversion:
* Active: The chef cooked the meal.
* Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
* Active: They will deliver the package tomorrow.
* Passive: The package will be delivered tomorrow (by them).
Active and passive voice.
Why Use Passive Voice?
-
Focus on Action: When the action itself is more important than who performed it.
Example: The cake was eaten (focus on the fact that the cake is gone). -
Unknown or Unimportant Subject: When the doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
Example: The window was broken (it doesn’t matter who broke it). -
Formality: Passive voice is often used in formal writing or scientific contexts.
Example: The experiment was conducted by the researchers.
