Active and Passive Voice | Learn English | EasyTeaching
Summary
TLDRThe 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
🗣️ 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.
📝 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Active Voice
💡Passive Voice
💡Subject
💡Agent
💡Verb
💡Object
💡Action
💡Rewrite
💡Polite Form
💡Result
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
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