Transcript Active and passive voicex

It’s not just what you say but how you say
it...
Readers do not want to work harder
than they have to. Make it easy for
them.
“Don’t confuse legibility with
communication.”
--David Carson
Revise for clarity
You are taking part in a written conversation. Your essay
may be your reader’s only contact with you. Make a good
impression.
Persuasive writing should be clear,
accessible, and inviting.
Voice
is a form of a verb that shows either the subject
performing the action or the action being
performed upon the subject.
Passive Voice
• A verb is in the passive voice when it expresses
something that happens to the subject.
• Example:
• All over the road was where she was swerving.
Active Voice
• A verb is in the active voice when it expresses an
action taken by the subject, or actor.
Example:
• The driver swerved all over the road.
Active Voice
• I wrote the essay.
• I made a mistake.
• The chef is preparing lunch.
• The essay is due on Friday.
Passive Voice
• The essay was written by me.
• Mistakes were made.
• Lunch is being prepared by
the chef.
• Friday is the day on which the
essay is due.
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Passive Voice
can obscure meaning.
is wordy.
is sometimes awkward.
is sometimes vague.
is boring.
Passive voice avoids responsibility.
Advertising in the passive voice:
• It is what you should do.
• What will do ya is a little dab.
• A break is what you should give me, a break is what you should give me, a break is what you should give me
off of that Kit Kat bar!
• My MTV is wanted.
• The Energizer is outlasted by nothing. Going and going and going is what it keeps on doing.
• It can be done by you. Help is what we can do.
• Like steakburgers are how hamburgers will taste because of A-1.
• It is what I’m lovin’.
• Sara Lee is what nobody doesn’t like.
• Great is how it tastes; filling it is less of.
• Forever is what diamonds are.
Active Voice
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Someone or something does something
Sentences move your reader along
Sentences are simple
Sentences are usually short
Sentences are usually the easiest to read
(Simplicity and brevity make ideas stand
out)
Clarity and ease-of-comprehension are two of the
most important requisites to effective
communication. Active voice can facilitate effective
communication.
The class was addressed by Mr. Wheeler, at which point words of advice regarding active verbs were spoken by
him. It was decided by the rebellious class that the final paper of the semester would be written entirely in
passive voice. Remarks were made by a distraught Wheeler; protests were made by the students. A seat was
gotten out of by one student. His desk was stood upon by him, and a vow was made by him that another active
sentence would never be written by him. He was challenged to a duel. Blood was shed. Butts were kicked. Lives
were lost. Shrieks could be heard. The halls of Henderson were run down by people who were concerned.
When the room was entered by them, carnage was seen by them. When Wheeler was found standing over the
bodies, only these words were spoken by him: "Mistakes were made."
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Passive_Bloodshed.pdf
Mr. Wheeler addressed the class, giving advice about active verbs. The
rebellious class decided to write the final paper entirely in passive voice.
Wheeler made distraught remarks; students protested. One student got out of
his seat. He stood upon his desk and vowed to never write another active
sentence. Wheeler challenged him to a duel. Students bled, kicked butt, and
died. Concerned people heard shrieks and ran down the halls of Henderson.
When they entered the room, they saw carnage. When they found Wheeler, he
said he had made a mistake.
The active voice is straightforward and direct,
creating graceful, clear writing that emphasizes
actors.
Your task...
• Circle any “be” verbs
• Change sentence
construction from
passive to active
• If a sentence lacks
action or fails to
emphasize what’s most
important, rewrite it.
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is
am
are
was
were
be
being
been
Rubric: Criteria for Evaluation
• Chooses highly effective words; focuses
clearly on persuasive task
• Uses clear, consistent organizational strategy
• Contains specific, well-elaborated reasons
that provide convincing support for your
position
• Contains no empty or hedging words; is
straightforward and direct; makes no errors
in grammar, spelling, or punctuation
Rubric: Criteria for Evaluation
• Chooses highly effective words; focuses
clearly on persuasive task
• Uses clear, consistent organizational strategy
• Contains specific, well-elaborated reasons
that provide convincing support for your
position
• Contains no empty or hedging words; is
straightforward and direct; makes no errors
in grammar, spelling, or punctuation
According to The Elements of Style,
“The habitual use of the active voice…
makes for forcible writing. This is true
not only in narrative concerned
principally with action but in writing of
any kind.”