ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

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ACTIVE VOICE
The active voice is characterized by the act of the subject the subject is actively performing the action, and the object is receiving it;
The active voice is more used in various communication situations:
Easy to understand.
More concise and direct.
We think, we naturally speak in the active voice.
Example: 
Active = Subject + Verb + Object 
They (Subject) eat (Verb) pizza (Object). 
Affirmative: Monique ate the whole pizza.
(Subject + Verb+ Object)
Negative: He did not attend the function.
( Subject + Did + Not + Verb + Object )
Interrogative: Did you buy a grammar book last week?
 (Did + Subject + Verb + object )
PASSIVE VOICE 
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action; 
The subject is either less important than the action itself or we don’t know who or what the subject is.
The passive voice in English is composed of two elements:
the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + past participle
Example:
The house was built in 1654. ( we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)
Affirmative: The house was built in 1899.
Negative: The house wasn’t built in 1899.
Interrogative: Was the house built in 1899?
*verb 'to be' + past participle 
When should we use the passive voice?
When we want to change the focus of the sentence
When who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant or obvious
In factual or scientific writing
EXERCISES 
1. (PUC- Rio) The passive voice is used in “Orkut was quietly launched on January 22, 2004”. Find the sentence that is also in the passive voice.
a) Communities have never rejected new members.
b) Good ideas took shape at the end of the session.
c) Some communities have been able to control their growth.
d) Several social groups could be connected by the Internet.
e) Young students are never tired of chatting with friends on email.
2. Fill in the correct passive form of the verb in parentheses.
a) Penicillin ______ by Alexander Fleming in 1928. (discover)
b)When we reached the airport, we found that all the flights____ due to the storm. (cancel)
c)A Picasso ____ from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (steal)
 d)The soundtrack of a movie _____ always _____ after the filming is finished. (is/add)
Identify the subject (agent), verb (action) and object of the action in the following sentences.
a)My dog loves long walks.
b)The proposal to increase the use of renewal energy sources was reviewed by the committee.
c)We provide great facilities and the latest equipment to support children in a safe, fun, exciting and nurturing environment.
d)Cardholders will not be required to pay an admission fee for their attendant carer.
Which of the following sentences use the active voice and which use the passive?
a)The pathways for approval of new undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and changes to existing programs have been revised for 2009 as shown in the table below.
b)Parents should not let children walk a dog on their own, unless they are confident that the child can control the dog in any situation.
c)The application process for University Wide Equity and Commonwealth Indigenous Scholarships for 2010 will be administered through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre.
d)Meeting the needs of Kingston’s culturally and linguistically diverse community is also important to us.