Side Note: The use of “to be” verbs ( is, are, were, etc.) is a big tip off that a sentence may be passive (though not always because you can’t completely avoid using them). You want them to perform for you.Īctive Voice: The instructor graded the midterm exams. In a passive sentence, the person or thing acted on comes first, and the actor is added at the end, introduced with the preposition by. the subject of your sentence) a lot of money to act in your sentence. Side Note: Imagine that you are the director of your sentence, and you have paid your star (a.k.a. Make them the subject (star) of your sentence.What’s the action in the sentence? (graded).These steps help spot a passive sentence and revise it into the active voice: Passive Voice:The midterm exams were graded by the instructor. Remember, you want to be “active” not “passive” in your writing. Instead, writers prefer the active voice because the subject of the sentence is actually doing the action (thus making the sentence more commandingand confident). To describe a condition in which the actor is unknown or unimportantĮvery year, thousands of people are diagnosed as having cancer.Writers try to avoid the passive voice when possible because the passive voice often leads to wordier and less powerful sentences. The procedures were somehow misinterpreted. After long debate, the proposal was endorsed by. The data processing department recently presented what proved to be a controversial proposal to expand its staff. To keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage To emphasize the action rather than the actorĪfter long debate, the proposal was endorsed by the long-range planning committee. There are sometimes good reasons to use the passive voice. Also, our clients choose this option when they have a series of. You can indicate a specific writers ID if you have already received a paper from him/her and are satisfied with it. If the subject of the sentence is somewhat anonymous, see if you can use a general term, such as “researchers,” or “the study,” or “experts in this field.” If you want your order to be completed by one of the best writers from our essay writing service with superb feedback, choose this option.Rewrite the sentence so that the subject buried in the “by” clause is closer to the beginning of the sentence. If you find one, the sentence may be in the passive voice. Look for a “by” phrase (e.g., “by the dog” in the last example above).Here are some tips and strategies for converting sentences from the passive to the active voice. In scientific writing, passive sentences are often identified by the absence of an active subject performing the action in the sentence. If youve read that post, you hopefully have a good handle on the basic definition and difference between active voice and passive voice sentences. Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that heart attacks can be caused by high stress. A couple weeks ago, we explored how to use passive and active voice in business writing. Passive: It is believed by the candidate that a ceiling must be placed on the budget by Congress.Īctive: Researchers earlier showed that high stress can cause heart attacks. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.Īctive: The candidate believes that Congress must place a ceiling on the budget. In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action. Passive voice sentences often use more words, can be vague, and can lead to a tangle of prepositional phrases. Generally, try to use the active voice whenever possible.
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