{"id":821,"date":"2016-08-09T20:49:31","date_gmt":"2016-08-09T20:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/styleguide\/?post_type=chapter&p=821"},"modified":"2023-07-31T19:42:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T19:42:06","slug":"practice-activities-active-and-passive-voice","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-guidetowriting\/chapter\/practice-activities-active-and-passive-voice\/","title":{"raw":"Practice Activities: Active and Passive Voice","rendered":"Practice Activities: Active and Passive Voice"},"content":{"raw":"

Passive\u00a0to\u00a0Active<\/h2>\r\nConvert these passive voice sentences into the active voice:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Alana's experiments were crushed by the Geology lab door.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. The passive voice has\u00a0likely been heard of by you.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Rebecca's favorite spot in the lecture hall had been taken by the time she got to class.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. When the passive voice is overused, you often end up with writing that feels flat and abstracted.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"529218\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"529218\"]\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. The Geology lab door crushed Alana's experiments.<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. You\u2019ve likely\u00a0heard of the passive voice.<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Because there's a descriptive phrase, there are a few options when revising this sentence:\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • Someone [or \"Kevin,\" for example] had taken Rebecca's\u00a0favorite spot in the lecture hall by the time she got to class.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • By the time Rebecca got to class, someone [\"Kevin\"] had taken\u00a0her favorite spot in the lecture hall.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When you overuse the passive voice, you often end up with writing that feels flat and abstracted.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n

        Active or Passive<\/h2>\r\nRead the following sentences. Are they using the passive effectively? Or should they be rewritten as active sentences?\r\n
          \r\n \t
        1. Maren\u00a0was hit\u00a0by several branches as she slid down the hill.<\/li>\r\n \t
        2. A lot of discussion about whether technology is hurting or helping our ability to communicate has been inspired by this increase in X subscriptions.<\/li>\r\n \t
        3. Listeners are encouraged by the lyrics to cast aside their fear and be themselves.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"670930\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"670930\"]\r\n
            \r\n \t
          1. Yes, this sentence uses the passive effectively. Since the\u00a0subject of this sentence\u2014several branches<\/em>\u2014can\u2019t actually do anything, it\u2019s best to put the emphasis on\u00a0Maren<\/em>, the person the actions were done to.<\/li>\r\n \t
          2. This sentence does not use the passive well. The passive voice has made the sentence a lot more complicated then it needs to be. The active would read something like this:\r\n
              \r\n \t
            • This increase in X subscriptions has inspired a lot of discussion about whether technology is hurting or helping our ability to communicate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Either voice could be appropriate here.\u00a0If you want to focus on the listeners, the passive voice is correct. If you want to focus on the lyrics, the sentence should be changed to the active voice.\r\n
                \r\n \t
              • Passive:<\/strong> Listeners are encouraged by the lyrics to cast aside their fear and be themselves.<\/li>\r\n \t
              • Active:<\/strong> The lyrics encourage listeners to cast aside their fear and be themselves.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]","rendered":"

                Passive\u00a0to\u00a0Active<\/h2>\n

                Convert these passive voice sentences into the active voice:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Alana’s experiments were crushed by the Geology lab door.<\/li>\n
                2. The passive voice has\u00a0likely been heard of by you.<\/li>\n
                3. Rebecca’s favorite spot in the lecture hall had been taken by the time she got to class.<\/li>\n
                4. When the passive voice is overused, you often end up with writing that feels flat and abstracted.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n