‘It isn’t what you think ,’ he cried, almost passionately”. “I looked at him, lost in astonishment…’Ah, he talked to you of love!’ I said, much amused. Excerpt from Heart of Darkness by Colin Higgins:.All the sentences of the excerpt are in active voice as well as the verbs are in active mode. She performs different actions that are shown through the verbs: swept in, moved on, had and turned. In the given excerpt the subject is Hilary. Around and around and around she turned, 360 degrees”. “Finally, Hillary swept in and moved down a line of huggers toward a raised platform centered in the room…Her positioning meant that she had to keep turning in order to hug back. Excerpt from Hillary’s Once in a Lifetime by Kathleen Parker:.It is obvious from the above sentences that actions performed by subject “I” are expressed via verbs i-e break and decided. The use of active voice adds directness to the passage. The underlined words in the aforementioned passage are active voices. But I decided that was an idea way before its time”. “You know, at one time, I used to break into pet shops to liberate the canaries. Examples of Active VoiceĮxcerpt from Harold and Maud by Colin Higgins:

As it uses fewer words, it grabs the attention of readers as well. Moreover, the use of active voice enhances the quality of written work. It also helps in building up the interest of the readers in the writing. Active voice contains a smaller number of words which makes it more understandable. Therefore, active voice is the most straightforward way to present the ideas because it gives a clear and direct meaning. Usage of Active Voiceīusiness reports and creative writing demand to be clear, direct and precise. The use of active voice is also preferred in order to make the writing more comprehensible for the readers. Moreover, an active voice contains a less number of words which enhances the quality of writing. It has a clear subject + verb + object structure that is easy to comprehend. The action performed by the subject is stated by the transitive verb. In an active voice sentence, the subject acts upon its verb. The action performed by the subject is expressed through its representative verb. REVISED: The combination of these two elements weakens the argument.A clause or a sentence in which the subject performs an action directly is known as active voice. Example: It is the combination of these two elements that makes the argument weak.

Using forms of to be (e.g., is, are, was, were) leads to wordiness.

PASSIVE VOICE: Thomas Jefferson’s support of the new Constitution was documented in a letter to James Madison.ĪCTIVE VOICE: Thomas Jefferson documented his support of the new Constitution in a letter to James Madison.

PASSIVE VOICE: On April 19, 1775, arms were seized by British soldiers at Concord, precipitating the American Revolution.ĪCTIVE VOICE: On April 19, 1775, British soldiers seized arms at Concord, precipitating the American Revolution.

PASSIVE VOICE: My first trip abroad is one I will always remember.ĪCTIVE VOICE: I will always remember my first trip abroad.

PASSIVE VOICE: My first trip abroad will always be remembered by me.

To change a sentence from passive to active voice, determine who or what performs the action, and use that person or thing as the subject of the sentence. Passive voice often creates unclear, less direct, wordy sentences, whereas active voice creates clearer, more concise sentences. In contrast, active voice produces a sentence in which the subject performs an action. Passive voice produces a sentence in which the subject receives an action. In most instances, put the verb in the active voice rather than in the passive voice.

Active voice sentences