CST Prep Passive Voice

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Act ive Voice vs. Passive Voice (#25Gramm ar Girl here.Today's topic is active voice versus passive voice.Here's Brian from Iowa:

"It drives me crazy w hen people write in passive voice. H ow can I teach people how totell the difference between passive and active voice and stay away from passive voice?Thanks."A lot of you have asked me to explain passive voice and how to avoid it.I'll start with active voice b ecau se it's simpler. In an active sente nce, the subject is doingthe action. A very straightforward example is the sentence "Steve loves Amy." Steve is thesubject, and he is doing the action: he loves Amy, the object. Another example is the titleof the M arvin G aye song I Heard It through the Grapevine. I is the su bject, the one who isdoing the action. I is hearing it, the object of the sen tence.In passive voice the target of the action gets promoted to the subject position. Instead ofsaying, "Steve loves Am y," I would say, "Amy is loved by Steve." The subject of thesentence becomes Amy, but she isn't doing anything. Rather, she is just the recipient ofSteve's love. The focus of the sentence has changed from S teve to Amy. If you wanted tomake the title of the M arvin Gaye song p assive, you wou ld say It Was Heard by Methrough the Grape vine, not such a catchy title anym ore.A lot of people think that all sentence s that contain a form of the verb to be are in passivevoice, but that isn't true. For exam ple, the sentence "I am holding a pen" is in active voice,but it uses the verb a m , wh ich is a form of to be. The pass ive form of that sentence is "Thepen is being held by me."Ano ther important point is that pa ssive sentences aren't incorrect; it's just that they oftenaren't the best way to phrase your thoughts. Sometimes passive voice is awkward andother times it's vague.When you put sentences in passive voice, it's easy to leave out the agent doing the action.For example, "Amy is loved" is passive. The problem with that sentence is that you don'tknow who loves Amy. In fact, politicians often use passive voice to intentionally obscurethe idea of who is taking the action. Ronald Reagan famously said, "Mistakes were m ade"when referring to the Iran-Contra scandal. Other examples of passive voice for politicalreasons could include "Bom bs were dropped" and "Shots were fired." Since I startedwriting this episode, I've become more aware of passive voice, and it seems as if I hearpoliticians use it every day.So, these are som e of the reasons to avoid passive voice: the form can lead to aw kwardsentences and ob scured mea ning. Also, passive voice is wordy. You can tighten up yourwriting a lot if you use active voice more often than passive.http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx

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EXERCISE 1From: http://www.towson.edu/ows/exerciseact-pass2.htmActive-Passive Voice -Directions: Chang e each passive voice sentence into the active voice. Type your newsentences into the boxes below each item. When you are finished, hit the "Check M yWork" button at the bottom of the p age to check your answers.1 . A piece of plastic had been swallowed by the child.

2 . Two sep arate peop le were given rides in the new models by the designer.

3 . Our dog is frightened by loud thunderstorms.

4.The store was kept open until 11:00 p.m. by the overtired workers.

5. The ba ll is hit straight into the bleachers by the batter.

6. New insecticides are produced each year by chemical companies.

7.The old shed was painted bright blue by the man's son.

8. Resources for the project were not included in the budget by the legislature.

9. The vibrant colors in the painting are immediately noticed by museum goers.

lO.The story is presented in a dispassionate way by the author.

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Exercise # 2 - Passive Sentenceshttp://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/passive_sentencesl.htmExplanation: Passive voiceRewrite the sentences using Passive voice.Example: Peter writes a letter.

Answer: A letter is written. O r A letter is written by Peter.

1) Julia rescued three cats.

2) The students handed in the reports.

3) Maria crashed into the blue car.

4) Alex learned the poem.

5) Steven has forgotten the book.

6) The mechanic has not repaired the DVD recorder.

7) They play handball.

8) Sue puts the rucksack on the floor.9) The girls had lost the match.10) The teacher is not going to open the window.

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Exercise #3: Passive sentences in the Simple Pasthttp://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/sentences_simple_past.htmExplanation: PassiveRewrite the given sentences in Passive voice.Example: Frank built a house.

Answer: A house was built, or A house was built by Frank.

1) She bought four apples.

2) We won the match.3) The man stole the blue car.

4) The police arrested the thieves.

5) Jack swam the 200 metres.

6) The dog bit the old lady.

7) Tom and Max ate five hamburgers.

8) Oliver taught the children.

9) Victoria rode the brown horse.

10) Grandmother told good stories.

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Exercise # 4 - Rewrite the give n sentences in Passive vo ice .Example:Frank builds a house.

Answer: A house is built, or A house is built by Frank.

1) M r. Jones watches the film.

2) The people speak English.

3) He reads comics.4) W e play vol leybal l .

5) They sing the song.

6) I take photos.

7) She does the housework.

8) The policemen help the children.

9) He writes text messages.

10) Mother waters the flowers.

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Exercise #5Rewrite the given sentences in Passive voice. Sometimes there are two possible answers(two objects in the active sentence).Do not use contracted/short forms.Example:Tim g ave Lisa some flowers.

Answer: Some flowers were given to Lisa by Tim. orLisa was given some flowers by Tim.

1) They don't speak English in this shop.2) Kevin asked Dennis a question.3) Somebody built the house last year.4) She gives him a box.5) Max will look after him.6) The waiter brought Fred a big steak.7) Somebody broke into our bungalow last Friday.8) The teacher told us a joke.9) They will meet Doris at the station.10) Michael has not sent me a text message.http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/passive_sentencesl.htm

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Exercise #6Decide whether the sentences are written in Active or Passive, and write "Active" or"Passive" beside each one, accordingly.

1 . They listen to music.2 . She is reading an e-mail.3. These cars are produ ced in Jap an .4. Alan teaches Ge og rap hy.5. Ge rm an is spoken in Austria.6. Lots of houses we re destro yed by the earth qu ake .7 . Hen ry Ford invented the assembly l ine.8. The bus driver was hurt.9 . You should open your workbooks.1 0 . Houses have been built.

Exercise # 7Decide whether the sentences are written in Active or Passive, and write "Active" or"Passive" beside each one, accordingly.

1 . Boys like to play soccer.2 . This room has been painted blue.3. Cricket is pla ye d in Aus tralia.4 . I am given a book.5. W e h ave lost our keys.6. You might see dolphins here .7. The report must be com pleted by next Friday.8. They w er e singing a song .9 . A letter wa s written to her.1 0 . The bike is being repaired.

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ANSWERSEXERCISE #11 . The child had swallowed a piece of plastic.2. The designer gave two separate people rides in the new models.3 . Loud thunderstorms frighten our do g.4 . The overtired workers kept the store open until 11:00 p.m.5. The batter hits the ball straight into the bleachers6. Chem ical companies produce new insecticides each year.7 . The man's son painted the old shed bright blue.8. The legislature did not include in the budget resources for the project.9. Museum goers immediately notice the vibrant colors in the painting.1 0. The author presents the story in a dispassionate way.* * *EXERCISE #21 . Three cats were rescued by Julia.2 . The reports were handed in by the students.3. The blue car was crashed into by Maria.4. The poem was learned by Alex.5. The book was forgotten by Steven.6. The DVD recorder has not been repaired by the mechanic.7. Handball was played by them.8. The rucksack was put on the floor by Sue.9. The match had been lost by the girls.1 0. The window is not going to be opened by the teacher.

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EXERCISE #31 . Four apples were bought by her.2 . The match was won by us.3. The blue car was stolen by him.4. The thieves were arrested by the police.5. The 200 metres were swum by Jack.6. The old lady was bit by the dog.7. Five hamburgers we re eaten by Tom and M ax .8. The children were taught by Oliver.9. The brown horse was ridden by Victoria.1 0. Good stories were told by Grandmother.* * *EXERCISE # 41 . The film is watched by Mr. Jones.2. English is spoken by the peop le.3. Comics are read by him.4. Volleyball is played by us.5. Songs are sung by them.6. Photos are taken by me.7. Housework is done by her.8. Children are helped by policemen.9. Text messages are written by him.1 0. Flowers are watered by Mother.* * *EXERCISE #51 . English is not spoken by them in this shop.2. Dennis was asked a question by Kevin.3. The house was built by somebody last year.4. A box is given to him by her.5. He will be looked after by Max.6. A big steak was brought to Fred by the waiter.7. Ou r bungalow was broken into by somebody last Friday.8. A joke was told to us by the teacher.9. Doris will be met by them at the station.1 0. A text message has not been sent to me by M ichae l.* * *

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EXERCISE #61 . active2. active3. active4. active5. passive6. passive7. active8. active9. active1 0. passive* * *EXERCISE #7

1 . active2. passive3. passive4. active5. active6. active7. passive8. active9. passive10.active* * *