Changing Verb Voice (Active/Passive)
Practice
Definitions
Active Voice - indicates that the subject is doing the action.
Passive Voice - indicates that the subject is being acted upon. A
passive voice verb is formed by a combination of a form of the verb to
be and the past participle.
Why would a writer want to change a verb from active to passive or passive to
active voice? After writing and revising an essay, the writer might want to
have a variety of sentence structures. For example:
1. Changing two simple, related
sentences to a compound sentence or to a complex sentence.
Bill went to the store. He
bought five cans of soup.
2. Change to a compound:
Bill went to the store and he bought
five cans of soup.
3. Change to a complex:
When Bill went to the store, he
bought five cans of soup.
and/or
Changing an active sentence to
passive - Doing this is all right once or twice in a writing, but do
not do this often because the composition will lack interest and
energy. This can only be done with an active voice sentence that has a
direct object.
Example of an active voice
sentence: Bill threw the ball.
To change it to passive, do the
following steps:
1. Take the direct object (ball) and
make it the subject of the passive voice sentence. The ball...
2. Look at the tense of the
verb. In this sentence the tense of the verb, throw, is past
tense: threw. Use the past tense of the verb to be (was) and
the past participle ofthrow (thrown), The ball
was thrown...
3. Take the subject of the active
voice sentence and make it the object of the preposition by. The
ball was thrown by Bill.
If, in the active voice sentence,
the writer does not have a subject, such as in a request or command, he/she
could make up a subject, if desired.
Example of active voice sentence: Copy the paper.
Passive voice: The paper is copied. (or) The paper is copied
by me.
and/or
Changing the passive voice sentence
to active - A writer would want to do this if there are too many passive voice
sentences. If the sentence is in passive voice, do just the opposite:
The tests were handed out by the
teacher.
1.Change subject to direct object,
for example, the tests.
2. Look at the verb. If the
verb form, to be, is past, change the main verb to the past.
In the example, the verb were is past tense, so use the past
of hand (handed) handed out (keep the adverb near
the verb) the tests.
3. Take object of preposition, by (and
delete the preposition), and make it the subject:
The teacher handed out the tests.
The sentence is now in active voice.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
More than many other
types of essays, descriptive essays strive to create a deeply involved and
vivid experience for the reader. Great descriptive essays achieve this affect
not through facts and statistics but by using detailed observations and
descriptions.
What
do you want to describe?
As you get started on
your descriptive essay, it's important for you to identify exactly what you
want to describe. Often, a descriptive essay will focus on portraying one of
the following:
- a person
- a place
- a memory
- an experience
- an object
Ultimately, whatever
you can perceive or experience can be the focus of
your descriptive writing.
How
should you write your description?
As you write your
descriptive essay, the best way to create a vivid experience for your readers
is to focus on the five senses.
- sight
- sound
- smell
- touch
- taste
When you focus your
descriptions on the senses, you provide vivid and specific details that show your readers rather
than tell your readers what you
are describing.
Quick
Tips for Writing Your Descriptive Essay
Planning your
descriptive essay:
- What or who do you want to
describe?
- What is your reason for writing
your description?
- What are the particular
qualities that you want to focus on?
Drafting your descriptive
essay:
- What sights, sounds, smells,
tastes, and textures are important for developing your description?
Revising your
descriptive essay:
- Have you provided enough
details and descriptions to enable your readers to gain a complete and
vivid perception?
- Have you left out any minor but
important details?
- Have you used words that convey
your emotion or perspective?
- Are there any unnecessary
details in your description?
- Does each paragraph of your
essay focus on one aspect of your description?
- Are you paragraphs ordered in
the most effective way?
