Using an Active voice or Passive voice is a fundamental distinction in the English language, a fundamental distinction in English, a distinction that causes problems for many writers - including native English speakers!
What is the active voice?
The active voice means when I want to mention the subject, that the sentence has a subject working on its action, for example:
- His mother bore him in Canada.
We know who gave birth, so we mentioned the subject “the mother”. But if I do not mention the subject in the sentence or mention it at the end of the sentence, the sentence will turn into the passive voice.
What is the passive voice?
The sentence is in the passive form when I do not want to mention the subject, or I do not need to mention the person or the subject, for example:
- He was born in Canada.
He was born in Canada, and we do not need to say who gave birth to him (the mother), and if you mention the subject "mother" the sentence will turn into a predicate.
Active and passive voice comparison
As you read the following sample sentences, you will begin to learn the difference between them.
| Active voice | Passive voice |
|---|---|
| The teacher helps the students. | The students are helped. |
| The cashier counted the money. | The money was counted by the cashier. |
| The man threw the bottle up in the air. | The bottle was thrown up in the air. |
| The hunter killed the lion. | The lion was killed by the hunter. |
| Someone has cleaned the windows. | The windows have been cleaned. |
| I gave him a book for his birthday. | He was given a book for his birthday. |
| Someone sent her a cheque for a thousand euros. | She was sent a cheque for a thousand euros. |
| They called off the meeting. | The meeting was called off. |
| His grandmother looked after him. | He was looked after by his grandmother. |
| They will send him away to school. | He will be sent away to school. |
| Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. | At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. |
| Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. | The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. |
| Sue changed the flat tire. | The flat tire was changed by Sue. |
| We are going to watch a movie tonight. | A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. |
| I ran the obstacle course in record time. | The obstacle course was run by me in record time. |
| The crew paved the entire stretch of highway. | The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew. |
| Mom read the novel in one day. | The novel was read by Mom in one day. |
| I will clean the house every Saturday. | The house will be cleaned by me every Saturday. |
| The company requires staff to watch a safety video every year. | The staff are required by the company to watch a safety video every year. |
| Tom painted the entire house. | The entire house was painted by Tom. |
| The teacher always answers the students' questions. | The students' questions are always answered by the teacher. |
| The choir really enjoys that piece. | That piece is really enjoyed by the choir. |
| A forest fire destroyed the whole suburb. | The whole suburb was destroyed by a forest fire. |
| The two kings are signing the treaty. | The treaty is being signed by the two kings. |
| The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the office every night. | Every night, the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew. |
| Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter. | Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry. |
| The wedding planner is making all the reservations. | All the reservations are being made by the wedding planner. |
| Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale. | Two dozen cookies will be baked by Susan for the bake sale. |
| The science class viewed the comet. | The comet was viewed by the science class. |
| The director will give you instructions. | Instructions will be given to you by the director. |
| Thousands of tourists visit the Grand Canyon every year. | The Grand Canyon is visited by thousands of tourists every year. |
| The homeowners remodeled the house to help it sell. | The house was remodeled by the homeowners to help it sell. |
| The saltwater corroded the metal beams. | The metal beams were corroded by the saltwater. |
| The kangaroo carried her baby in her pouch. | The baby was carried by the kangaroo in her pouch. |
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