2. Active Voice
• In sentences with transitive verbs, the
subject performs the action, and the
object receives the action.
• When the subject is the doer of the
action, the verb is in the active voice.
• An active verb sends its action forward
to the object.
• Zebras surrounded the bus.
3. Passive Voice
• Sometimes the action of a sentence goes the
other way. Then the subject becomes the
receiver of the action rather than the doer.
• When the subject receives the action, the
verb is in the passive voice.
• A passive verb sends its action back to the
subject.
• The bus was surrounded by zebras.
4. Active and Passive Voices
• When you switch a verb from the active
voice to the passive voice, the sentence
changes in several ways.
5. Active and Passive Voices
• 1). The main verb is now a past
participle, with a form of be-present,
past, or future-used as a helping verb.
• Active: Mrs. Juru led the safari.
• Passive: The safari was led by Mrs.
Juru.
6. Active and Passive Voices
• 2. The object of the active verb
becomes the subject in the sentence
with the passive verb.
• Active: Her son drove the bus.
• Passive: The bus was driven by her
son.
7. Active and Passive Voices
• 3. The subject of the sentence with the
active verb often follows the word by in
the sentence with the passive voice.
• Active: Mr. Watts spotted a giraffe.
• Passive: A giraffe was spotted by Mr.
Watts.
8. Active and Passive Voices
• 4. A sentence with a verb in the passive voice
does not always show the doer of the action.
• Many wild animals were photographed by
our group.
• Many wild animals were photographed.
• No intransitive verb (action or linking) is ever
in the passive voice.
10. Rewrite the sentences in 5-8
• 5. An elephant’s trunk is used for a variety of
purposes, including eating and drinking.
• 6. Food and water are carried to the
elephants mouth by its trunk.
• 7. In order to survive, an adult elephant
needs half a ton of food per day.
• 8. Fifty gallons of water are drunk each and
every day by a full grown adult elephant.
