Activevs.PassiveVoice课件.pptVIP

Active vs. Passive Voice University Learning Center UP: PC 247 / BB: ACI 160 Developed by Jeniffer Viscarra Why should writers think about their verbs? “Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum. Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.” What is Active Voice? In the Active voice, the subject performs the action. For example: Joseph draws a picture. Joseph is the subject and he is doing something (drawing). What is passive voice? In passive voice the subject is acted upon. For example: The picture was drawn by Joseph. In this case, the drawing is the subject and it is being acted upon by Joseph. When to use passive voice Use passive voice when you do not wish to emphasize the subject of the sentence. Example: Smoking is prohibited. (passive) The management prohibits smoking. (active) The passive sentence takes attention away from management, so they do not have to be in the role of the “bad guys.” Passive Voice (con’d) Also use passive voice when you wish to emphasize what happened and the person or thing acting is unknown or unimportant. Example Poisonous gases were found in six factories. The use of passive emphasizes the finding of gases, not who found them. Note: Because passive voice often leads to awkward or wordy constructions, use passive voice sparingly and with good reason. When to use active voice Use active voice unless you are required or have very specific reasons for doing otherwise. Active voice generally leads to more concise writing. It clarifies who is performing the action. How to avoid passive voice Many English verbs have been changed into useful nouns with the use of a suffix. Announce – announcement Propose - proposal Depart – departure Meet – meeting For active voice sentences use the verb instead of the noun form of these kinds of words. Rewrite the following sentences by changing nouns to verbs. The two scientists could not arrive at a conclusion