Understanding Passive and Active Voice
Voice uses the verb to show whether the subject is performing or experiencing the action. There are two kinds of voice:
Active voice: If the subject does the work himself or herself, it is in active voice.
Passive voice: If something is done for or to the subject, it is in passive voice.
Example:
Subject Verb Object
Ms. Fell teaches Geography. Active
Geography is taught by Ms. Fell Passive
Some more simple examples:
Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I help you.
Passive: You are helped by me.
Active: Do you write stories?
Passive: Are stories written by you?
Active: Which newspaper do you read?
Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
Active: He does not tease her.
Passive: She is not teased by him.
Active: I do not write novels.
Passive: Novels are not written by me.
The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects.
The old man sat in a corner.
The child sleeps.
The wind blows.
The dog barks.
The fire burns.
He laughed aloud.
You should use a passive voice if the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action. You might use passive voice if...
the actor is unknown or irrelevant, we want to be vague about who is responsible, you are talking about a general truth, you want to emphasize the person or thing that is being acted on
Example: My Iphone was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my Iphone was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Be careful when you use passive sentences as they often sound wordy and indirect. They can make the reader work unnecessarily hard.
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/style-and-editing/passive-voice
http://www.write.com/writing-resources-articles/general-writing/grammar/active-voice/
http://www.studyandexam.com/passive-voice-for-tense.html
http://www.talkenglish.com/Grammar/active-passive-voice.aspx
http://www.learnenglish786.com/active-passive-voice/active-and-passive-voice.html
http://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/english-active-and-passive-voice/
http://www.englishrules.com/writing/2005/active-and-passive-voice/
Active voice: If the subject does the work himself or herself, it is in active voice.
Passive voice: If something is done for or to the subject, it is in passive voice.
Example:
Subject Verb Object
Ms. Fell teaches Geography. Active
Geography is taught by Ms. Fell Passive
Some more simple examples:
Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I help you.
Passive: You are helped by me.
Active: Do you write stories?
Passive: Are stories written by you?
Active: Which newspaper do you read?
Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
Active: He does not tease her.
Passive: She is not teased by him.
Active: I do not write novels.
Passive: Novels are not written by me.
The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects.
The old man sat in a corner.
The child sleeps.
The wind blows.
The dog barks.
The fire burns.
He laughed aloud.
You should use a passive voice if the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action. You might use passive voice if...
the actor is unknown or irrelevant, we want to be vague about who is responsible, you are talking about a general truth, you want to emphasize the person or thing that is being acted on
Example: My Iphone was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my Iphone was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Be careful when you use passive sentences as they often sound wordy and indirect. They can make the reader work unnecessarily hard.
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/style-and-editing/passive-voice
http://www.write.com/writing-resources-articles/general-writing/grammar/active-voice/
http://www.studyandexam.com/passive-voice-for-tense.html
http://www.talkenglish.com/Grammar/active-passive-voice.aspx
http://www.learnenglish786.com/active-passive-voice/active-and-passive-voice.html
http://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/english-active-and-passive-voice/
http://www.englishrules.com/writing/2005/active-and-passive-voice/