1. Active Voice
and
Passive Voice
Sentence Structure
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html

2. Sentences can be written or
spoken in the active or
passive voice.

3. So, what is the difference
between the active and passive
voice?

4. Active Voice
 Subject of sentence
comes before verb
 The subject does the
action
http://www.mindconnection.com/library/writing/activevoice.htm

5. Passive Voice
 The subject comes after
the verb
 The subject receives
the action
http://www.eslbase.com/grammar/passive

6. Active Voice
Subject + Verb + Receiver or Direct Object

7. Active Voice
(Subject)
Jack London
(Verb)
wrote
(Direct Object)
To Build a Fire

8. Passive Voice
Receiver or Direct Object + Verb + Subject

9. Passive Voice
(Direct Object)
To Build a Fire
(Verb)
was written
(Subject)
by Jack London

10. Passive Voice Verb Form
 Use “to be” Linking Verbs- is, are, was ,were…
 Linking Verb is connected to Past Participle Verb
 Past Participle Verb is Transitive

11. Verb Forms
Simple Present Simple Past Past Participle
see saw seen
lift lifted lifted
bring brought brought
give gave given
hold held held
break broke broken

12. Important: Verb Understanding
 Transitive Verbs
 Express existence, action,
or occurrence
 Have objects that receive
the action of the verbs
 E.g., see, lift, bring, give,
hold, broke
 Intransitive Verbs
 Express existence,
action, or occurrence
 Do not have objects
that receive the action
 E.g., arrive, go, lie,
sneeze, sit, die
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html

13. Passive Voice: Verb Form
To Build a Fire was written by Jack London
Linking Verb
(to be)
Past Particle
(transitive verb)

14. Why Use Active Voice?
To center attention on the subject
The author, Jack London is most important

15. Why use Passive Voice?
To center attention on the object
The book, To Build a Fire, is most important

16. More Examples!

17. Active Voice
 My dog ateate your cat.
 The students tooktook the final exam.
 Tom cleanscleans the kitchen everyday.
 Mike grewgrew tomatoes and peppers in his garden.
 The tutors in the English Center helphelp the students.
 My brother teachesteaches math at Olive Peirce Middle
School.

18. Passive Voice
 Your cat was eatenwas eaten by my dog.
 The final exam was takenwas taken by the students.
 Everyday, the kitchen is cleanedis cleaned by Tom.
 Tomatoes and peppers were grownwere grown by Mike in his garden.
 The students are helpedare helped by the tutors in the English
Center.
 Math is taughtis taught by my brother at Olive Peirce Middle
School.

19. For fun, a few active and passive voice quizzes!
 Quiz 1
 Quiz 2
 Quiz 3