Changing Verb Voice (Active/Passive) Practice

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?