"Today, we’re going to explore two important sentence structures in English: active voice and passive voice.
Understanding the difference between these two can help you improve both your writing and speaking skills. Let’s dive in and see how they work!"
1. What is Active Voice?
In the active voice, the subject is the doer of the action, and the object is the receiver of the action.
Structure of Active Voice: Subject + Verb + Object
- Example:
- "Jack(subject) plays (verb) the game (object)."
- In this sentence, the subject ("Jack") is performing the action ("plays") on the object ("the game").
2. What is Passive Voice?
In the passive voice, the focus is placed on the action or the object rather than the doer of the action.
Structure of Passive Voice:
Subject + Form of "to be" (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) + Past Participle of the Main Verb + (by + Agent)
The "by" phrase (the agent) is optional and is typically omitted when the doer is unknown or not important.
- Example:
- "The game (subject) is played (verb) by Jack (agent)."
- Here, the action (playing) is happening to the subject ("the game"), and the agent ("Jack") is optional or secondary.
3. Active vs Passive Voice:
- Active Voice:
- Focuses on who or what is performing the action.
- More direct, clear, and concise.
- Often preferred in everyday communication, especially when clarity is important.
- Passive Voice:
- Focuses on the action or the object of the action, rather than the doer.
- Often used in scientific or formal writing when the doer of the action is unknown or less important.
- Can sound less direct or overly formal in some contexts.
4. How to Convert from Active to Passive Voice:
To convert an active voice sentence into passive voice, follow these steps:
1. Select the subject, verb, and object in the first sentence.
2. Move the object of the first sentence to the subject position of the second one .
3. Change the verb to a form of the verb "to be" (based on the tense of the active sentence) and add the past participle of the main verb .
4. Make the subject of the active sentence the agent of the action in the passive sentence .
- Example:
- Active voice: "The chef (subject) prepared(verb) the dessert (object)."
- Passive voice: "The dessert (subject) was prepared (verb) by the chef (agent)."
5. Tense Changes in Passive Voice:
When converting to passive voice, the tense of the verb changes according to the tense in the active voice:
1. Present Simple Tense
- Active: Subject + Verb (base form)
- Example: Chloe invites her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + am/is/are + past participle (verb 3)
- Example: Her friend is invited to dinner by Chloe.
2. Present Continuous Tense
- Active: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
- Example: Chloe is inviting her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + am/is/are + being + past participle
- Example: Her friend is being invited to dinner by Chloe
3. Present Perfect Tense
- Active: Subject + has/have + past participle
- Example: Chloe has invited her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + has/have + been + past participle
- Example: Her friend has been invited to dinner by Chloe.
4. Past Simple Tense
- Active: Subject + verb (past form)
- Example: Chloe invited her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + was/were + past participle
- Example: Her friend was invited to dinner by Chloe.
5. Past Continuous Tense
- Active: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
- Example: Chloe was inviting her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + was/were + being + past participle
- Example: Her friend was being invited to dinner by Chloe.
6. Past Perfect Tense
- Active: Subject + had + past participle
- Example: Chloe had invited her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + had + been + past participle
- Example: Her friend had been invited to dinner by Chloe.
7. Future Simple Tense
- Active: Subject + will + base verb
- Example: Chloe will invite her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + will + be + past participle
- Example: Her friend will be invited to dinner by Chloe.
8. Future Continuous Tense
- Active: Subject + will + be + verb-ing
- Example: Chloe will be inviting her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + will + be + being + past participle
- Example: Her friend will be being invited to dinner by Chloe.
9. Future Perfect Tense
- Active: Subject + will have + past participle
- Example: Chloe will have invited her friend to dinner.
- Passive: Subject + will have + been + past participle
- Example: Her friend will have been invited to dinner by Chloe.
6. When to Use Active vs. Passive Voice
Active Voice:
- Preferable when the subject is clear and the emphasis is on the doer or agent.
- Makes sentences more straightforward, clearer, and engaging.
- Example: "The boy kicked the ball."
Passive Voice:
- Often used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or should remain anonymous.
- Used when the focus is on the action or the result.
- Common in formal or scientific contexts.
- Example: "The ball was kicked."
Task: Convert to the other voice.
1. They are building a new bridge.
2. The chef prepares dinner every night.
3. She will complete the project by Friday.
4. The letter was written by Maria yesterday.
5. The movie will be shown on TV tonight.
6. A cake was baked by Noah .
Answers:
1) A new bridge is being built by them.
2) Dinner is prepared by the chef every night.
3) The project will be completed by her by Friday .
4) Maria wrote the letter yesterday
5) They will show the movie on TV tonight.
6) Noah baked a cake
Recapitulation of the lesson
To sum up, both active and passive voices are useful in different contexts. By practicing both, you can become a more versatile writer and speaker. Keep these concepts in mind as you work on improving your English!