Active voice is a grammatical term that refers to the form of a verb in which the subject of the sentence performs or carries out the action expressed by the verb. In other words, when a sentence is in active voice, the subject is doing the action, rather than receiving it.
Examples:
- The dog chased the cat. (In this sentence, “the dog” is the subject and it is doing the action of chasing “the cat”.)
- She wrote the novel. (In this sentence, “she” is the subject and she is doing the action of writing “the novel”.)
The definition of active voice is widely used in English writing and speech as it makes sentences more clear, direct, and engaging. It is particularly helpful when you want to emphasize who or what is performing the action in a sentence.
Here are some situations where you might want to use active voice:
When you want to emphasize the actor or subject:
- Active voice: The company designed a new product.
- Passive voice: A new product was designed by the company.
When you want to make your writing more concise and clear:
- Active voice: The professor explained the concept to the class.
- Passive voice: The concept was explained to the class by the professor.
When you want to make your writing more engaging and direct:
- Passive voice: The book was read by me.
- Active voice: I read the book.
Two different ways of constructing a sentence in English.
Active Voice
In an active voice sentence, the subject of the sentence is doing the action expressed by the verb. The sentence is structured in such a way that the subject of the sentence is the agent or doer of the action.
Example:
- Active voice: The cat chased the mouse. In this sentence, the subject (the cat) performs the action (chased) on the object (the mouse).
Passive Voice
In a passive voice sentence, the object of the sentence receives the action expressed by the verb. The sentence is structured in such a way that the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action.
Example:
- Passive voice: The mouse was chased by the cat. In this sentence, the object (the mouse) receives the action (chased) by the subject (the cat).
The functions of active and passive voice are different, and they are used for different purposes. Here are some examples:
Active voice:
- Emphasizes the doer of the action, making the sentence more direct and clear.
- Is useful for simple and straightforward sentences.
- Can be more engaging and interesting to the reader.
Example:
- Active voice: The chef cooked the meal. This sentence emphasizes the chef as the one responsible for cooking the meal.
Passive voice:
- Emphasizes the action and the receiver of the action, making the sentence more objective.
- Is useful for when the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
- Can be more formal and impersonal.
Example:
- Passive voice: The meal was cooked by the chef. This sentence emphasizes the action (cooking the meal) and the receiver of the action (the meal), and it’s not important who the chef is.
In summary, active voice and passive voice are two different ways of constructing a sentence in English. Active voice emphasizes the doer of the action, while passive voice emphasizes the receiver of the action. They are used for different purposes, and which one to use depends on the intended emphasis and purpose of the sentence.
Definition of Active voice
Active voice refers to the grammatical structure of a sentence in which the subject of the sentence performs or carries out the action expressed by the verb. In other words, when a sentence is in active voice, the subject is doing the action rather than receiving it. Active voice is commonly used in English writing and speech to make sentences more clear, direct, and engaging, and to emphasize who or what is performing the action in a sentence.
Usage of active voice
Active and passive voice have different functions (and definitions) and are used in different situations. Here are some common situations where active voice is used:
-
To emphasize the doer of the action:
- Example: The teacher explained the lesson.
- In this sentence, the focus is on the teacher and what they did (explained the lesson).
-
To create a clear and direct sentence:
- Example: The dog chased the cat.
- This sentence is clear and easy to understand, with the subject (dog) performing the action (chased).
-
To create an engaging and interesting sentence:
- Example: The musician played the guitar.
- This sentence creates interest by focusing on what the musician did (played the guitar).
How to change passive voice to active voice
To change a sentence from passive voice to active voice, follow these steps:
- Identify the subject and object of the sentence.
- In a passive sentence, the object of the sentence becomes the subject in an active sentence.
- Find the verb and change it to the corresponding active form.
- In a passive sentence, the verb is often in the past participle form (“was eaten,” “was seen,” “was written,” etc.). To change to active voice, change the verb to the corresponding active form (e.g. “ate,” “saw,” “wrote,” etc.).
- Add an appropriate subject.
- In an active sentence, the subject is the doer of the action. You need to add a subject that is doing the action in the sentence.
- Remove the auxiliary verb (if there is one) and add any necessary prepositions.
- In some passive sentences, an auxiliary verb (such as “was” or “is”) is used. This should be removed in the active sentence. Additionally, you may need to add a preposition (such as “by” or “with”) to indicate who or what is performing the action.
Example:
- Passive: The cake was baked by the chef.
- Active: The chef baked the cake.
In this example, we changed the subject from “cake” to “chef,” changed the verb “was baked” to “baked,” and added an appropriate subject. We also removed the auxiliary verb “was” and added the preposition “by” to indicate who performed the action in the passive sentence.
It’s important to note that not all passive sentences can or should be converted to active voice. Passive voice is sometimes preferred in certain situations, such as when the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant, or when the focus is on the action rather than the doer.
10 example of sentences in active voice
- The dog chased the ball.
- She wrote a book about her travels.
- The chef cooked a delicious meal for her guests.
- The students presented their research findings to the class.
- The baby cried for hours last night.
- The company launched a new product last week.
- The singer performed a beautiful song on stage.
- The artist painted a stunning portrait of her friend.
- The teacher graded the exams quickly and efficiently.
- The children played happily in the park.