2/20/13

Active Voice vs. Passive Voice - Answers : University of Dayton, Ohio

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ACTIVE VOICE VS. PASSIVE VOICE - ANSWERS

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Identify the sentence as active or passive voice:

1. The girls drive the car around town.
Active. (The girls are the sub ject, and they perform the action named b y the verb .)

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2. An important lesson is learned by the teenagers when they get their first speeding tickets.
Passive. (An important lesson is the sub ject, and it receives the action named b y the verb .)
3. These men are enraged by the new office building in their backyards.
Passive. (The men are the sub ject, and they receive the action named b y the verb .)
4. Good students work very hard to earn excellent grades.
Active. (Good students are the sub ject, and they perform the action named b y the verb .)
Rewrite these sentences in active voice:
1. You are loved and cherished by many people.
Many people love and cherish you. (Switch from passive to active voice b y making the noun or pronoun in the "b y" phrase
the sentence sub ject. "Many people" will b ecome the new sentence sub ject.)
2. All of my friends were stricken with Mono during their first year of college.
All of my friends caught Mono during their first year at college. (Switch from passive to active voice b y using a new verb . In
this case, "were stricken with" is replaced b y "caught.")
3. The bank robbers were tried and convicted by the federal court system.
The federal court system tried the b ank rob b ers and convicted them. (The noun in the "b y" phrase is made the new
sentence sub ject.)
4. The high school graduates were given diplomas and congratulations by the principal.
The high school graduates received diplomas and congratulations from the principal. (The verb phrase "were given" is
replaced b y "received.")
Rewrite these sentences in active voice, keeping the same subject:
1. The New York Yankees were defeated by the Oakland Athletics in the last inning of the game.
The New York Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics in the last inning of the game. ("Were defeated b y" is replaced with
"lost to.")
2. The good little boy was rewarded by his mother for making his bed.
The good little b oy received a reward from his mother for making his b ed. ("Was rewarded b y" is replaced b y "received a
reward from.")

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