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Passive Voice Be Verbs • • • • • • • • is am are was were be being been Passive Voice • A sentence written in passive voice occurs when the subject of the sentence is not acting, but is being acted upon. Passive Voice • A sentence written in passive voice occurs when the subject of the sentence is not acting, but is being acted upon. – Jared was hit by a car. – Jared was eaten by a sasquatch. – Jared was tossed like a doll into the air. Passive Voice • Another way to identify passive voice is to look for a be verb (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past tense (usually –ed) verb. Passive Voice • Another way to identify passive voice is to look for a be verb (is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past tense (usually –ed) verb. – Jared was hit by a car. – Jared was eaten by a sasquatch. – Jared was tossed like a doll into the air. More Examples • Jared is being eaten by Sasquatch right now! • Jared was given rabies by Sasquatch. • Jared’s life was saved by a quick-thinking forest ranger. • Jared is being driven home in an ambulance. NOT Passive Voice • A be verb with an –ing verb is NOT passive voice. NOT Passive Voice • A be verb with an –ing verb is NOT passive voice. • • • • Jared was eaten by Sasquatch. Jared was eating granola. Jared was being chased by Sasquatch. Jared is going to escape. Reasons to Avoid Passive Voice • It makes sentences unnecessarily wordy. • Wordy sentences tend to be confusing. • It takes the focus off the person doing the action. Reasons to Use Passive Voice • It takes the focus off the person doing the action. Passive voice? A. The man was very sad when his monkey turned on him. B. The monkey, tired of life on a leash, swatted the man. C. The man was thoroughly humiliated by the monkey. Passive Voice? A. The cat was taken unawares in the night. B. When he woke up, the helmet was on his head. C. He resigned himself to his fate. D. He was laughed at by all his friends. Write a scenario using passive voice. Write a scenario using active voice. Write a scenario using passive voice. Write a scenario using active voice. Write a scenario using passive voice. Write a scenario using active voice. Write a scenario using passive voice.