Express Yourself with Confidence: Unraveling Active and Passive Voice in English

Hello to all English language explorers! Today, we’re deciphering the mysteries of active and passive voice, vital tools for making your English communication dynamic and effective.

Firstly, let’s decode the active voice. In active voice sentences, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. It brings directness and energy to your writing. For instance, consider the sentence “Mary reads the book.” In this case, Mary (the subject) is actively engaged in reading (the action).

Let’s look at a few more examples:

• “The dog chased the cat.”
• “I finished my homework.”
• “The chef is preparing the meal.”

In contrast, the passive voice occurs when the action is performed on the subject. It is useful when the action is more important than who or what is performing it. For example, “The book is read by Mary” focuses on the book (the subject) which is being read (the action).

Here are some additional examples of passive voice:

• “The cat was chased by the dog.”
• “My homework was finished.”
• “The meal is being prepared by the chef.”

To convert a sentence from passive to active voice, identify the subject, the verb, and the object. Next, rearrange the sentence to make the subject execute the action. For example, the passive sentence “The letter was mailed by Susan” can be converted into “Susan mailed the letter” in active voice.

Understanding the appropriate usage of active and passive voice is a powerful asset in English communication. It brings diversity and precision to your expression.

Now, let’s test your understanding with a short multiple-choice quiz:

 

QUIZ START

#1. Which sentence is in the active voice?

The ball was thrown by me.

She was given a gift.

The letter was written by him.

He planted the tree.

#2. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

They painted the wall.

The wall was painted by them.

She baked a cake.

He washed the car.

#3. Convert this active voice sentence to passive: “She is cooking dinner.”

Dinner is being cooked by her.

She was cooked dinner.

Dinner was cooked.

Dinner is being cooked.

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#4. Convert this passive voice sentence to active: “The book was read by her.”

She read the book.

The book read her.

She was read the book.

The book is read.

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#5. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

He was visited by his friends.

His friends visited him.

They visited their friends.

His friends were visited.

#6. Which sentence is in the active voice?

The match was won by us.

The song was sung by her.

The car was driven by him.

They built the house.

#7. Convert this active voice sentence to passive: “He broke the window.”

The window broke.

He was broken the window.

The window was broken by him.

The window is broken.

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#8. Convert this passive voice sentence to active: “The room is cleaned by her every day.”

She cleans the room every day.

The room cleans her every day.

She is cleaned the room every day.

Every day, the room is cleaned.

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#9. Which sentence is in the active voice?

The car was washed by him.

The song was sung by them.

The paper was written by her.

They play the game.

#10. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

She buys the groceries.

The groceries were bought by her.

He writes a letter.

They throw the ball.

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Results

Great job!  You definitely were not passive in your attempt.

Good effort.  Review your notes and try again!

Keep up your learning journey and become a more confident communicator in English!