Looking forward to knowing a brief definition of active voice with examples. In this post, I gonna share with you a complete guide about active voice.
Active voice is a grammatical voice that describes a sentence where the subject performs the action described by the verb. Here are some more examples of active voice:
Active voice with Examples
- The boy kicked the ball. (The subject “boy” is performing the action of “kicking”)
- The company released new software. (The subject “company” is performing the action of “releasing”)
- The teacher gave the students homework. (The subject “teacher” is performing the action of “giving”)
- The car drove down the street. (The subject “car” is performing the action of “driving”)
- The musicians played a concert. (The subject “musicians” is performing the action of “playing”)
- The chef cooked a delicious meal. (The subject “chef” is performing the action of “cooking”)
- The dog barked at the mailman. (The subject “dog” is performing the action of “barking”)
- The company launched its website. (The subject “company” is performing the action of “launching”)
- The doctor treated the patient. (The subject “doctor” is performing the action of “treating”)
- The athlete won the competition. (The subject “athlete” is performing the action of “winning”)
- The company is planning to expand its operations (The subject “company” is performing the action of “planning”)
- The workers are building a new bridge (The subject “workers” is performing the action of “building”)
- The children are laughing and playing (The subject “children” is performing the action of “laughing” and “playing”)
- The author wrote a novel (The subject “author” is performing the action of “writing”)
- The singer performed on stage (The subject “singer” is performing the action of “performing”)
You can see in these examples the subject is the one who performs the action expressed by the verb.
What is an active voice?
Active voice is a grammatical voice that describes a sentence where the subject performs the action described by the verb. In an active voice sentence, the subject is the doer of the action. The subject is doing something and the verb describes that action. In an active voice sentence, the subject is usually placed before the verb, and the direct object, if there is one, comes after the verb. Here are some examples of active voice:
- The dog chased the cat. (The subject “dog” is performing the action of “chasing”)
- She sings beautifully. (The subject “she” is performing the action of “singing”)
- He finished the project on time. (The subject “he” is performing the action of “finishing”)
- They won the game. (The subject “they” is performing the action of “winning”)
- I am writing a letter. (The subject “I” is performing the action of “writing”)
How to change passive voice to active voice?
To change a sentence from passive voice to active voice, you will need to identify the subject and the verb, and then make sure that the subject is performing the action described by the verb. Here are the steps you can follow to change a passive voice sentence to an active voice sentence:
- Identify the subject and the verb of the sentence: In a passive voice sentence, the subject is typically the receiver of the action and is often preceded by a form of the verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been).
- Move the subject of the sentence to before the verb: In an active voice sentence, the subject should come before the verb.
- Change the verb form if necessary: In a passive voice sentence, the verb is typically in a form of the past participle, but in an active voice sentence, it should be in the present or past tense.
- Remove the auxiliary verb “to be” and the preposition “by” (if they exist)
For example, the passive voice sentence “The cat was chased by the dog” can be changed to an active voice sentence by identifying the subject “dog” and verb “chase”, moving the subject to before the verb, changing the verb form to present tense and removing the auxiliary verb “was” and the preposition “by”. The active sentence would be “The dog chases the cat”
Another example, the passive sentence “The project was finished on time by him” can be changed to “He finished the project on time”
It’s important to note that not all sentences can be changed to active voice, but it is a good practice to use active voice when possible as it makes sentences more clear and more direct.
What is the difference between an active and passive voice?
The main difference between active and passive voice is the way the subject and verb are used in a sentence. In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action described by the verb. The subject comes before the verb and the verb is in the present or past tense. In contrast, in passive voice, the subject of the sentence is affected by the action described by the verb, and it comes after the verb or is omitted. The verb is often in a form of the past participle and is often accompanied by the auxiliary verb “to be” (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been).
Active voice is considered to be more direct and clear, while passive voice is considered to be more formal and indirect. Active voice is also more concise and less wordy than passive voice.
Here are some examples to illustrate the difference:
Active Voice: “The dog chased the cat.”
- The subject “dog” is performing the action of “chasing”
Passive Voice: “The cat was chased by the dog.”
- The subject “cat” is affected by the action of “chasing,” and the doer “dog” is introduced by the preposition “by”
Active Voice: “He finished the project on time.”
- The subject “he” is performing the action of “finishing”
Passive Voice: “The project was finished on time by him.”
- The subject “project” is affected by the action of “finishing,” and the doer “him” is introduced by the preposition “by”
Active Voice is more direct and less wordy but passive voice is more formal, it is important to be aware of the context and use the appropriate voice to make your writing more effective.