Use of Passive and Active Voice

UNDERSTANDING THE USE OF

PASSIVE VOICE

1
What are Active and Passive voice?
• Active and passive voice refers to whether the
subject or the object in the sentence performs
the action of the verb
• In active voice the subject performs the action
of the verb
• In passive voice the object performs the action
of the verb

2
 Active Voice
• The subject performs the action of the verb
• Example:

The student presented the talk.

The subject
The action of the verb

Created by Alice Frye, Ph.D., Department of

Psychology, University of Massachusetts, 3
Lowell
 Active Voice
• The subject performs the action of the verb
• Example:

The article summarized the research

The subject
The action of the verb

4
 Passive Voice
• The object performs the action of the verb

The talk was presented by the student

The action of the verb The object

5
 Passive Voice
• The object performs the action of the verb
• Example:

The research was summarized by the article

The object
The action of the verb

6
Active Voice

7
Passive Voice

8
 Exercises
• The government plans a new road
• My grandfather built this house
• The lady cleaned the office
• People speak Portuguese in Brazil
• Everybody loves Mr. Smith
• The child ate the cake
• The man repaired the computer