Active and Passive Voice | Learn English | EasyTeaching

Summary

The script explains the difference between active and passive voice in English grammar. Active voice is used when the subject performs the action, while in passive voice, the subject receives the action. Examples are given to illustrate the concept, such as 'Shona cleans the house' (active) versus 'The house is cleaned by Shona' (passive). The script also covers when to use passive voice, like when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or when focusing on the action's result. It concludes with an exercise for viewers to identify and convert sentences between active and passive voice.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Active voice is used when the subject of the sentence performs the action.
• 🌐 Passive voice is used when the subject of the sentence receives the action.
• 🔄 In passive voice, the subject and object of the active sentence are switched.
• 👤 The agent, or the doer of the action, may be omitted in passive voice sentences.
• 🏡 Example of active voice: 'Shona cleans the house.' Here, Shona is the subject and agent.
• 🏠 Example of passive voice: 'The house is cleaned by Shona.' Here, the house is the subject, and Shona is the agent.
• 🐦 Another example of active voice: 'The birds ate all the seed.' The birds are the subject and agent.
• 🌱 Corresponding passive voice: 'All the seed was eaten by the birds.' The seed is now the subject.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Passive voice is often used when the agent is unknown or unimportant.
• 🏆 It can also be used when the action's result is more important than the agent.
• 💡 Passive voice can make statements more polite, such as 'We haven't been served' instead of 'You haven't served us'.

Q & A

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, while in passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The subject and agent are the same in active voice, but different in passive voice.

Can you provide an example of a sentence in active voice?

Yes, 'Shona cleans the house' is an example of an active voice sentence where 'Shona' is both the subject and the agent performing the action.

How is the passive voice formed?

To form passive voice, the subject and object of an active voice sentence are switched, and the verb is changed to a form of 'to be' plus the past participle. Additionally, the agent is often introduced with the word 'by'.

What is the role of the agent in a sentence?

The agent is the person or thing that performs the action in a sentence. In active voice, the agent is the same as the subject, while in passive voice, the agent may be mentioned after the word 'by' or sometimes omitted.

Why might someone choose to use passive voice in writing?

Passive voice can be used when the performer of the action is unknown or unimportant, when the result of the action is more important, or to be more polite. It shifts the focus from the doer to the receiver of the action.

Is there a situation where the agent is often left out in passive voice?

Yes, when the performer of the action is obvious or not important, the agent is often left out. For example, 'The bridge was built in the 1700s' does not mention who built the bridge because it's either unknown or not the focus of the sentence.

Can you give an example of a sentence in passive voice where the agent is omitted?

Certainly, 'All the seed was eaten' is a passive voice sentence where the agent (who or what ate the seed) is not mentioned.

What is the significance of the word 'by' in passive voice sentences?

The word 'by' is used in passive voice sentences to indicate the agent or doer of the action. It follows the verb 'to be' and precedes the agent, as in 'The house is cleaned by Shona'.

How does the meaning of a sentence change when switching from active to passive voice?

Switching from active to passive voice can change the focus of the sentence from the doer of the action to the receiver or the result of the action, which can affect the emphasis and tone of the message.

Why is it said that passive voice is more polite in certain contexts?

Passive voice can be more polite because it often avoids directly blaming or focusing on the doer of an action. For example, 'We haven't been served' is less direct and potentially less confrontational than 'You haven't served us'.

Can you provide an example of a sentence where the result of the action is emphasized using passive voice?

Sure, 'Hundreds of people have had their homes destroyed by the storm' uses passive voice to emphasize the destruction of homes rather than who or what caused the storm.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Active and Passive Voice Explained

This paragraph explains the difference between active and passive voice in English grammar. It begins with defining the subject and agent within a sentence, where the subject comes before the verb and the agent is the 'actor' performing the action. The active voice is used when the subject and agent are the same, as in 'Shona cleans the house.' The paragraph then contrasts this with the passive voice, where the subject and agent are different, as in 'The house is cleaned by Shona.' The focus is on how the subject becomes the object and vice versa when switching from active to passive voice. It also discusses when to use passive voice, such as when the agent is unknown or unimportant, the action's performer is obvious, or when emphasizing the action's result over the performer. Examples are given to illustrate the concepts.

05:04

📝 Practice with Active and Passive Voice

This paragraph is a continuation of the explanation and serves as a practical exercise for the viewer. It prompts the viewer to identify whether given sentences are in active or passive voice and to rewrite them in the opposite form. The paragraph provides guidance on how to transform sentences, including omitting the agent when it is unknown or unimportant. It also suggests leaving out the 'by' phrase for brevity in passive sentences. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to write their own sentences in both active and passive voice and to share them in the comments section for further practice.

Keywords

💡Active Voice

Active voice is a verb form where the subject of the sentence performs the action. It is the default and most common way of writing sentences in English. In the video, active voice is exemplified by the sentence 'Shona cleans the house,' where 'Shona' is the subject and also the agent performing the action. The use of active voice is more direct and is often preferred for its clarity and brevity.

💡Passive Voice

Passive voice is a verb form where the subject of the sentence receives the action. It is used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or when the focus is on the action itself rather than who is performing it. In the transcript, 'The house is cleaned by Shona' is an example of passive voice, where 'the house' is the subject receiving the action, and 'Shona' is the agent performing the action, but the focus is on 'the house'.

💡Subject

The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that performs or receives the action. It is typically the first element in a sentence. In the context of the video, subjects in active voice perform actions ('Shona cleans the house'), while in passive voice, subjects receive actions ('The house is cleaned by Shona').

💡Agent

The agent is the person or thing that performs the action in a sentence. It is also referred to as the 'doer' or 'actor.' In active voice sentences, the subject and agent are the same, as in 'Shona cleans the house,' where 'Shona' is both the subject and the agent. The concept of the agent is crucial for understanding the difference between active and passive voice.

💡Verb

A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs are essential to the structure of a sentence, as they link the subject to the action. In the script, verbs like 'cleans' and 'was eaten' help to illustrate the difference between active and passive constructions.

💡Object

An object is a noun, pronoun, or phrase that receives or is affected by the action of the verb. In active voice, the object follows the verb ('the birds ate all the seed'), but in passive voice, the object becomes the subject ('All the seed was eaten by the birds'). The shift of the object's position is a key indicator of the change from active to passive voice.

💡Action

Action in the context of the video refers to the verb's activity that is performed by the subject in active voice or received by the subject in passive voice. Understanding actions is fundamental to distinguishing between active and passive sentences, as it helps to identify who or what is involved in performing or receiving the action.

💡Rewrite

Rewriting in this context means changing a sentence from active voice to passive voice or vice versa. The video script encourages viewers to practice this skill by providing examples and asking them to rewrite sentences. For instance, the sentence 'The manager serves the customer' can be rewritten in passive voice as 'The customer is served by the manager.'

💡Polite Form

The video mentions that passive voice can be used to be more polite in certain contexts. For example, 'We haven't been served' is more polite than 'You haven't served us.' This use of passive voice helps to soften the directness of the statement, which can be important in formal or service-oriented situations.

💡Result

Result in the context of the video refers to the outcome or consequence of an action. Passive voice often focuses on the result of an action rather than who performed it. For example, 'Hundreds of people have had their homes destroyed by the storm' emphasizes the destruction of homes rather than who or what caused the destruction.

Highlights

Active voice is used when the subject and agent are the same.

Passive voice is used when the subject and agent are different.

In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of performing it.

The subject of a sentence always comes before the verb.

The agent is the person or thing that performs the action.

In active voice, the subject performs the action.

When changing from active to passive voice, the subject becomes the object and the object becomes the subject.

Passive voice can be used when the performer of the action is unknown or unimportant.

Passive voice is often used when the performer of the action is obvious.

The result of the action is more important than who caused it in passive voice.

Passive voice can be used to be more polite in certain contexts.

Active voice is more common in everyday writing and speech.

Examples are given to illustrate the difference between active and passive voice.

The focus in passive voice shifts from the performer to the result of the action.

The agent is often left out in passive voice sentences.

Instructions are provided to practice identifying and converting between active and passive voice.

A website, easyteaching.net, is suggested for further help with active and passive voice.

Transcripts

active and passive voice

to understand active and passive voice

it can be helpful to understand the

difference between the subject of a

sentence

and the agent the subject of the

sentence always comes before the verb

subject then verb then object

for example shona cleans the house

the verb is cleanse we know that the

subject comes before the verb

therefore the subject of this sentence

is shona

the agent is the person or thing that

performs the action

we can think of the agent as the actor

within a sentence

can you see who or what is performing

the action in this sentence

that's right shona that means that in

this sentence

the subject and the agent are the same

when this is the case

active voice is being used in passive

voice

this is not the case our original

sentence has been rewritten here in

passive voice

the house is cleaned by shona

we know that the subject comes before

the verb the verb in this sentence is

cleaned so the subject of this sentence

is the house

now see if you can find the agent

remember the

agent is the person or thing that

performs the action

that's right the agent is shona in the

first sentence

the subject and the agent were the same

in passive voice

the subject and the agent are different

inactive voice the subject of the

sentence performs the action

in passive voice the subject of the

sentence receives the action

when we change from active voice to

passive voice

the subject becomes the object and the

object

becomes the subject

let's take a look at another example the

birds

ate all the seed the subject of this

sentence

the birds is performing the action the

subject

and the agent are the same that means

this sentence is active voice

to change this sentence to passive voice

we switch the subject and the object

all the seed is placed at the beginning

of the sentence

it is now the subject the birds

is placed at the end of the sentence in

the position of the object

we also need to add the word by

we then use the matching form of the

verb to be in combination with the past

participle of the verb

which in this case is was eaten

all the seed was eaten by the birds

we know this sentence is written in

passive voice because the subject is now

receiving the action

rather than performing the action

in passive voice the focus shifts from

the personal thing performing the action

to the result of the action for this

reason

the agent is often left out altogether

for example we could write all the seed

was eaten

in everyday writing and speech active

voice is more common than passive voice

but passive voice is important let's

have a look at when passive voice is

used

when the performer of the action is

unknown or unimportant

for example the bridge was built in the

1700s

we can see the subject the bridge is

receiving the action

therefore this sentence is written in

passive voice

the sentence has no object

who built the bridge is not important in

this sentence

or perhaps who built the bridge is not

known

we often use passive voice when the

performer of the action is obvious

here's an example toby was promoted last

week

toby the subject of the sentence is

receiving the action

who performed the action promoting him

is not stated

because it's obvious it was his boss

we choose passive voice when the result

of the action is more important than

who or what caused the action

an example hundreds of people have had

their homes destroyed by the storm

passive voice focuses on the result of

the action

passive voice can be used when we want

to be more polite

as an example we haven't been served

is more polite than you haven't served

us

read each of the following sentences and

see if you can work out which

are written in active voice and which

are written in passive voice

pause here while you work

here is the subject in each sentence

here is the agent or actor in each

sentence

in these sentences the subject and the

agent are the same

this means they are active voice these

sentences

are passive voice

now rewrite each sentence changing those

inactive voice to passive voice

and vice versa pause while you work

the first the manager serve the customer

the second mark's phone was stolen

because the agent is unknown it's best

to leave out the

by someone but you could include it

the third dinner is being cooked by

julie

the fourth she has seen the movie three

times

and the last one the winner was

announced

write one sentence in active voice and

one sentence in passive voice

and leave them in the comments below

if you're stuck for ideas use this to

help

easyteaching.net