D.

Roberts EN 10-12

Active vs. Passive Voice

A sentence written in the active voice follows the pattern:
Subject → Predicate → Object The dog bit the mailman.
A sentence written in passive voice follows the pattern:
Object → Predicate → Subject The mailman was bitten by the dog.
There are situations in which either form may be preferable. However, in general, it is better to
write using active voice if, for no other reason, it is more concise. (Note the number of words
necessary to express the same idea in the two examples above. Passive voice is wordy.)
That said, there are times when passive voice is convenient—for example, when you want to
end your sentence with the subject or, when the subject is unknown. In fact, it is possible to
compose a passive voice sentence without using a subject at all: The mailman was bitten. The
dog’s defense lawyer can do this and avoid placing his client at the scene of the crime.
However, grammatically-speaking, he will have broken a fundamental rule of grammar: A
sentence requires both subject and predicate in order to be considered complete: I breathe.
You pray. They watch. We predict. (Objects are common, but not grammatically necessary.)
Another problem is that passive voice is often used to hide information and deflect blame.
Passive voice easily lends itself to deviance and is often applied to keep the full truth hidden.
(Note the underlined passive voice in the previous constructions. What subject is performing
those actions?)
Students sometimes favour the passive voice if they are not quite sure what they are writing
about. They can compose something that looks like a sentence but that is, in reality, only an
incomplete idea. Often, the subject that should be performing the sentence’s action is missing.
When you catch yourself writing sentences like: “The character has been scared,” or “The door
had been left ajar,” ask yourself “By what?” or “By whom?” There’s a part of the story still
missing. (That is, unless you are intentionally trying to create an air of mystery by not revealing
pertinent information.)
Revise the following sentences so that they are expressed using active voice. Begin by identifying
the sentence’s components: subject, predicate, and object, and then follow the formula.
1. My homework (O) was eaten (P) by the dog (S).

2. The terrible sentence structure was fixed by me!

 3. The protagonist is totally demoralized by her failure to succeed.

4. A cure for cancer has recently been discovered by a group of scientists.

5. For some time, Brian was cruelly bullied by his classmates.

6. For as many years as they have been an NHL team, the Canucks have been kept from
winning the Stanley Cup by a profound lack of talent.

7. Despite our effort, the town was flooded.

Revise the following sentences so that they are expressed using passive voice (and then remove
the subject):

8. The corrupt judge let the repeat offender off with a warning.

9. My family did not love me when I was young.

10. A lack of studying and practice has led me to this terribly regrettable situation.

11. When the inept Canucks defense turned over the puck yet again, they gave Connor
McDavid a glorious scoring opportunity that ended up in the back of their net.

12. The crushing weight of Mary Lou’s left foot, transmitted through her three-dollar K-Mart
high-heels, immediately brought tears to Biff’s eyes.

13. For the umpteenth time, the high-school English student completely bungled the
sentence.