Use Active & Passive Voices Correctly in English

What Does It Mean For Your Writing?

With one quick glance, the difference between passive and active voice might not seem too important. But if you think about all the times you’ve read articles, blog posts, or books that have a passive voice, then you will understand how it can affect your reader’s experience. While passive voice is less common than active voice on the Internet today, it still has a negative effect when used. And if you use active voice more often, you might be able to create a more captivating writing experience for your readers.

What is the difference between an active voice and passive voice?

Passive voice is when a subject does the action of the verb. For example,

“The cat was caught by the dog.” This sentence would be in the passive voice because the dog caught the cat.
Active voice is when the subject performs the action of the verb. For example

“The dog caught the cat.” This sentence would be in the active voice because the dog did the catching.
There are several reasons why you might use one form of voice over another.

Passive voice can make a sentence sound more polite or less direct. Active voice can make a sentence sound more forceful and concise.

How to make your writing more engaging

Active voice is more engaging because it sounds like the person doing the action is talking to you. Passive voice sounds like a third party is doing the action. Inactive voice sounds like a document or speech that has been edited and removed all the emotion.

First, try using active voice in your writing. This will make your writing sound more personal and engaging. Second, make use of specific verbs to show what is happening instead of just saying “he wrote” or “she spoke.” For example, say “He typed his name” rather than “He wrote his name.” This shows that he is actually typing, and gives the reader a sense of what he is feeling as he does so.

Finally, make sure that your writing contains enough emotion to keep readers interested. Remove all the unnecessary words and replace them with stronger verbs to give your writing an emotional impact. For example, say “I was surprised when I received the email” rather than “I was surprised when I received an email.” This shows that you are surprised, and makes the reader feel like they are right there with you as you experience the event. Informative Essays

Informative essays are great for students who need more evidence of their understanding of a topic. This means that they won’t just show their knowledge by relating facts in an overall persuasive essay, but also support the idea that they have through specific examples and explanations. If you want to write an informative essay, it is best to start with some very clear research. Try using internet sources as well as books- especially if you want them to be referenced in.

 

How to use active voice in a sentence

Active voice is when the subject of a sentence or paragraph speaks or performs the action of the verb. In active voice, the subject is always in the present tense and the verb is always in the present simple tense. How-to-be-more-confident-in-yourself-and-your-abilities/Here is an example of an active sentence: Jane studies for hours each day.

Jane studies is an active verb and study is an active noun. The subject, Jane, is speaking and doing something – she is studying. The verb, studies, is also in the present simple tense which means it happens constantly or at once. This sentence shows that Jane has been studying for hours each day. This is an example of a passive sentence: Jane is studied for hours each day. Jane is being studied is an active sentence but someone else (in this case the teacher) studied Jane for hours each day. The subject, Jane, does not perform the action of the verb (studies) and she does not speak. The verb, studies, has been changed to be in the past tense so it shows that others have acted or performed this action on her. Jane has been studied for hours each day.

Ways to save passive voice in sentences

Passive voice is often used when the speaker does not have to actively participate in the event. For example, “The cat was sleeping” is passive voice because it does not require the use of any verbs. Passive voice can also be used when the speaker wants to emphasize that something happened without their involvement. For example, “The flowers were watered” is passive voice because it uses the auxiliary verb “were” instead of “was watered.” Passive voice can also be used when there are more than two participants involved in the event and it is difficult to determine who is responsible for what.

Active voice is often used when the speaker wants to take control of the situation. For example, “I kicked the ball” is active voice because it requires a verb to happen. Active voice can also be used when there are more than two participants involved in the event and it is easier to determine who is responsible for what.

Passive voice can be effective if it is used correctly, but it can sometimes be confusing for readers. Active voice is simpler and easier to understand, so it should be used whenever possible.

The next step is to have each writer complete a brief paragraph explaining what they wrote. The paragraphs can be written on the board or typed into your word processor and presented to the class.

How to use active voice in longer sentences

Active voice is the best way to communicate your ideas when writing. It allows you to be more expressive and engages the reader more because it puts the actions of the speaker at the forefront.

Passive voice, on the other hand, can be used when you don’t want to focus on the speaker’s actions. Instead, you want to focus on what is being said. Passive voice can be more concise, but it can also make your writing seem less powerful. Here are some tips for using active voice in longer sentences:

  1. Start by identifying who is doing what. In active voice, always identify who is doing what and why they are doing it. This will help your reader understand your message better.
  2. Use verbs that characterize action or behavior. verbs like “talk,” “read,” “write,” and “eat” are good verbs to use when writing in active voice because they help describe what people are doing.
  3. Make sure your verbs match the subject matter of your sentence. For example, if you are writing about a person who is reading a book, use verbs like “reads” or “looks at .”
  4. Use “I” or “we” when the subject is one person or a group of people. For example, instead of writing, “you should study hard,” write, “I think you should study hard.
  5. Avoid using words like “but,” “yet,” and “and.” These words are often used to start sentences with so they don’t disrupt the flow of the sentence.
  6. Avoid using phrases like “actually,” “I don’t know,” and “I’ll have to find out.”
  7. Do not use easy grammar shortcuts like “for example,” “that is,” or “moreover.” These are often used to end sentences with because they are lazy ways of ending a sentence and can distract readers from the main point of your writing.
  8. Use only one word synonyms. For example, when saying that your friend is not a good writer, you do not write “my friend isn’t a good writer,” but rather “he isn’t a good writer.” This helps avoid ambiguous wording and will often be better received by readers.
  9. Avoid writing in ALL CAPS! Here’s how to write in all caps: DON’T DO THIS
  10. Do not use the words “and” or “but.” Instead true to the English language, use “and” or “but.” When you write, “I went to the store and bought bread because I was hungry” you are writing in vague terms. Instead write something more specific like, “I went to the store and bought bread because I was hungry so I ate it.” In addition, if you are not sure that your readers can follow what link you’re trying to make, don’t do it at all.
  11. Don’t use ALL CAPS EVERYWHERE! I know, you want to make your point in big bold letters but if you’re trying to write in a certain tone of voice it won’t work. The best way to achieve this is to keep the caps for important words and phrases but use them sparingly on the rest.
  12. Avoid writing like this: “I WENT TO THE STORE AND BOUGHT BROWN BREAD I WAS HUNGRY SO I EATEN IT

Tips for making passive voice work harder

The passive voice can be a frustrating and difficult to master form of writing. But when used correctly, it can be an incredibly powerful tool for making your writing clear and concise. Here are five tips for using the passive voice more effectively:

  1. Make sure your verbs are active. In the passive voice, the verbs are usually in the second person (“He was beaten”), but they need to be active (“He is being beaten”).
  2. Use clear and concise language. The passive voice can help you avoid long sentences and complicated vocabulary, which can make your writing easier to understand.
  3. Use specific pronouns. The passive voice often uses third-person pronouns (“He was beaten”), but you can also use first-person pronouns (“I was beaten”) to emphasize that the action is happening to the subject rather than to someone else.
  4. Use modifiers to make the passive voice sound stronger. You can use adverbs such as always, constantly, or never to make the passive voice sound more forceful.
  5. Pit one form of verb against the other in your mind to see which works better in a given situation

active passive voice

The Difference Between Passive and Active Voice: What Does It Mean For Your Writing?

By now, you’ve probably heard the terms “passive voice” and “active voice” thrown around a lot in your writing classes and in your own writing. But do you really know what they mean? In this blog post, we’re going to break down the basics of these two voices and what they mean for your writing.

The passive voice is usually used when an action is done on behalf of the subject (in other words, the subject is acted upon rather than performing the action themselves). For example, let’s say you want to write a sentence in which someone is asking a question: in this case, the subject would be “they” and the verb would be “were asking.” In this sentence, the passive voice would be used because the person asking the question is being acted upon rather than acting themselves.

The active voice, on the other hand, usually involves using oneself as the subject. For example, let’s say you wanted to write a sentence in which someone is giving a speech: in this case, the subject would be “they” and the verb would be “were giving.” In this sentence, the passive voice is used because the person speaking is being acted upon rather than acting themselves. In contrast to active and passive voices, which are major tools in writing, there are also other types of language which can be used to achieve a similar effect on the reader but can be designed differently to accommodate different purposes. For example, you can often use the word “as” in sentences.

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