Active Voice

What is Active Voice?

Active voice is a grammatical structure in which the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. This structure makes sentences clear, direct, and more engaging.

Definition of Active Voice According to Other Sources:

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary: A way of organizing a sentence so that the subject is the person or thing that performs the action, rather than the person or thing that is affected by it.

Cambridge Dictionary: The form of a verb in which the subject performs the action rather than being affected by it.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: A grammatical voice in which the subject of a sentence is the doer of the action expressed by the verb.

**Active Voice** refers to a sentence structure where the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. The focus is on the subject doing the action, as opposed to the passive voice, where the action is performed on the subject.

### Structure of Active Voice:

**Subject + Verb + Object**

Here, the **subject** is the one who does the action, the **verb** is the action performed, and the **object** is the recipient of the action.

### Examples:

• 1. **She (subject) reads (verb) books (object).**
• 2. **The dog (subject) chased (verb) the ball (object).**
• 3. **They (subject) built (verb) a house (object).**

In these examples, the subject is actively performing the action (reading, chasing, building), and the object is receiving the action.

**Active voice** is when the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. In other words, the subject is the doer of the action.

### Example of Active Voice:

- **She** wrote the letter.

Here, **"She"** is the subject, and she is performing the action of **"writing"** the letter.

### How to identify Active Voice:

• 1. Look for the **subject** of the sentence.
• 2. Check if the **subject** is doing the action (verb).
• 3. The focus is on the **subject** performing the action rather than receiving it.

### More examples of Active Voice:

• - The teacher **explained** the lesson.
• - **John** baked a cake.
• - **The dog** chased the ball.

In these examples, the subjects (teacher, John, dog) are actively performing the actions (explained, baked, chased).

**Active voice** and **Passive voice** are two ways of expressing actions in sentences. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between them:

### **Active Voice**:

• - In active voice, the **subject** of the sentence performs the action.
• - The structure of an active sentence is typically: **Subject + Verb + Object**.

**Example**:

• - **Active**: *The teacher (subject) explains (verb) the lesson (object).*

- The teacher is doing the action of explaining the lesson.

### **Passive Voice**:

• - In passive voice, the **object** of the active sentence becomes the **subject** of the sentence.
• - The action is performed on the subject by someone or something else.
• - The structure of a passive sentence is: **Subject (the object of the active sentence) + Auxiliary verb (form of "be") + Past participle of the verb + By (optional agent)**.

**Example**:

• - **Passive**: *The lesson (subject) is explained (verb) by the teacher (agent).*

- The lesson is the focus, and the teacher (the agent) is not necessarily mentioned.

### Key Differences:

1. **Subject Focus**:

• - Active: Focus is on the subject (who or what is performing the action).
• - Passive: Focus is on the object or the receiver of the action.

2. **Sentence Structure**:

• - Active: Subject → Verb → Object.
• - Passive: Object (becomes the subject) → Auxiliary verb + Past participle → By (agent).

3. **Use**:

• - Active voice is often more direct and engaging, commonly used in daily communication.
• - Passive voice is used when the agent (doer of the action) is unknown, less important, or implied. It’s also common in formal or scientific writing.

**Example Comparison**:

• - **Active**: *The dog (subject) chased (verb) the cat (object).*
• - **Passive**: *The cat (subject) was chased (verb) by the dog (agent).*

Using the **active voice** has several benefits:

1. Clarity: Active voice makes sentences clearer because the subject of the sentence performs the action. This direct approach makes it easier for readers to understand who is doing what.

Example:

• The dog chased the ball* (clear and straightforward).

2. Conciseness: Active voice tends to be more concise than passive voice. The sentence structure is typically shorter, avoiding unnecessary words.

Example:

• She answered the phone* (active) vs. *The phone was answered by her* (passive).

3. Engagement: Sentences in active voice are usually more dynamic and engaging, making the writing feel more lively and energetic. This helps keep the reader's attention.

Example:

• The team scored the winning goal* (active) vs. *The winning goal was scored by the team* (passive).

4. Emphasis on the Subject: Active voice highlights the subject as the doer of the action, which can be useful when the focus is on the subject's role or action.

Example:

• The teacher explained the lesson* (focus on the teacher).

5. Improved Readability: Active voice generally improves the readability of your writing. It is more straightforward and less wordy, making it easier to follow.

Example:

• She wrote the letter* (active) vs. *The letter was written by her* (passive).

6. Stronger Tone: Active voice often makes your writing sound more assertive and confident, which can be important in persuasive writing or professional communication.

Example:

• I will complete the project* (active) vs. *The project will be completed by me* (passive).

In general, the active voice is preferred in most forms of writing because of its clarity, directness, and impact.

To change a sentence from passive voice to active voice in English, you need to identify the subject, verb, and object, and then rearrange the sentence so the subject performs the action (instead of being the receiver of the action).

### Steps to change from Passive to Active Voice:

• 1. **Identify the subject, verb, and object in the passive sentence.**
• 2. **Make the object of the passive sentence the subject of the active sentence.**
• 3. **Change the verb to its active form (sometimes you might need to change the tense).**
• 4. **Place the original subject (if mentioned) after the verb, or omit it if unnecessary.**

### Example:

• Passive Voice: The cake was baked by Sarah.
• Active Voice: Sarah baked the cake.

### Explanation:

• - **Subject (Passive)**: "The cake"
• - **Verb (Passive)**: "was baked"
• - **Object (Passive)**: "by Sarah"

In the active voice, "Sarah" becomes the subject, the verb "was baked" changes to "baked," and the object "the cake" comes after the verb.

**Active voice** means that the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. Here’s how active voice works in different tenses:

1. Present Simple Tense

Structure: Subject + Base Verb (s/es for third person singular)

- **Example**:

• - She **writes** a letter.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - I **am writing** an email.

3. Present Perfect Tense

Structure: Subject + have/has + Past Participle

- **Example**:

• - They **have finished** their homework.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + have/has + been + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - He **has been reading** a book.

5. Past Simple Tense

Structure: Subject + Past Verb

- **Example**:

• - She **wrote** an article.

6. Past Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + was/were + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - They **were playing** football yesterday.

7. Past Perfect Tense

Structure: Subject + had + Past Participle

- **Example**:

• - He **had left** before I arrived.

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + had + been + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - I **had been waiting** for an hour.

9. Future Simple Tense

Structure: Subject + will + Base Verb

- **Example**:

• - She **will write** a letter.

10. Future Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + will + be + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - They **will be traveling** next week.

11. Future Perfect Tense

Structure: Subject + will + have + Past Participle

- **Example**:

• - I **will have completed** the task by tomorrow.

12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure: Subject + will + have + been + Present Participle (-ing form)

- **Example**:

• - By the end of the year, they **will have been working** here for five years.

Active voice is used when the subject of the sentence performs the action. It's often preferred for its clarity, directness, and stronger tone. Here's when you should use active voice:

1. **Clarity**: When you want to make it clear who is performing the action.

Example:

• The teacher explained the lesson.* (The teacher is clearly the one doing the explaining.)

2. **Directness**: When you want to make the sentence more straightforward and concise.

Example:

• She completed the report.* (This is more direct than the passive version: *The report was completed by her.*)

3. **Focus on the Subject**: When you want to emphasize the subject performing the action.

Example:

• The dog chased the ball.* (The focus is on the dog.)

4. **Dynamic or Action-Oriented Writing**: In narrative writing, when you want to create a sense of movement or energy.

Example:

• They built the house in six months.* (It’s active and dynamic, focusing on the builders.)

5. **Most Common Usage**: Active voice is used more frequently in everyday writing and conversation compared to passive voice.

**Example of Active vs Passive Voice**:

• - Active: *The chef cooked the meal.*
• - Passive: *The meal was cooked by the chef.*

In the active voice, the subject (chef) is actively performing the action (cooking), making the sentence more engaging and easier to understand.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when using the active voice:

1. Incorrect word order: In active voice, the subject should come first, followed by the verb and then the object.

• ✘ She quickly the homework finished.
• ✓ She quickly finished the homework.

2. Using passive structure in active voice: In active voice, the subject (the teacher) should be performing the action (taught).

• ✘ The teacher was teaching the lesson.
• ✓ The teacher taught the lesson.

3. Overcomplicating sentences: Simple and direct sentences in active voice are usually clearer and more effective.

• ✘ I was going to the store when I noticed that the store had run out of apples.
• ✓ I noticed that the store ran out of apples when I went to the store.

4. Omitting the subject: In active voice, the subject should always be explicitly stated.

• ✘ Was cooking dinner when he arrived.
• ✓ He was cooking dinner when he arrived.

5. Subject-verb agreement errors: The subject and verb must agree in number (singular/plural).

• ✘ She go to the office every day.
• ✓ She goes to the office every day.

6. Incorrect tense usage:

• ✘ They will finishing the report tomorrow.
• ✓ They will finish the report tomorrow.

Here are some practice exercises for converting sentences into active voice:

Exercise 1: Convert the following sentences into active voice.

• 1. The book was read by Sarah.
• 2. The cake was baked by my mother.
• 3. The homework was completed by the students.
• 4. The report was written by the manager.
• 5. The song was sung by the choir.

Exercise 2: Identify whether the sentence is in active or passive voice.

• 1. The teacher explained the lesson.
• 2. The ball was kicked by the player.
• 3. The children played in the park.
• 4. The letter was sent yesterday.
• 5. The project was completed on time.

Exercise 3: Rewrite these passive voice sentences in active voice.

• 1. The car was washed by Tom.
• 2. The window was broken by someone.
• 3. The article was published by the journalist.
• 4. The decision was made by the committee.
• 5. The dinner was prepared by the chef.