Comparing Active and Passive Voice
This page delves deeper into the differences between active and passive voice, providing examples and explaining when to use each construction.
Definition: Active voice sentences focus on who or what is performing an action, while passive voice sentences emphasize the action or the recipient of the action.
Let's compare active and passive constructions:
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Active: "L.M. plays Michael Scofield."
Passive: "Michael Scofield is played by L.M."
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Active: "W.M. plays Michael Scofield."
Passive: "Michael Scofield is played by W.M."
Highlight: Passive voice is used when the focus of a statement is more on the action than on the person performing it.
Here's a breakdown of how sentences change from active to passive:
Active sentence:
Subject doer + Verb + Object recipientofaction
Example: "Sandra uses my computer every day."
Passive sentence:
Subject recipientofaction + be + past participle + by+doer
Example: "My computer is used every day bySandra."
Vocabulary: Past participle - The form of a verb, typically ending in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n, used in forming perfect and passive tenses.
Example: In the sentence "My computer is used every day," 'is used' is the passive construction, where 'is' is a form of the verb 'to be' and 'used' is the past participle of 'use'.
Remember, the passive voice is formed by using a form of "be" + the past participle of the main verb. This construction allows for flexibility in emphasizing different aspects of an action or event.