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Активный залог (active voice) показывает, что лицо или предмет, выраженное подлежащим, само производит действие.
Содержание
- Что такое залог в английском языке
- Активный залог (active voice)
- Таблица и примеры
Что такое залог в английском языке
Для начала давайте рассмотрим, что такое залог, и зачем он нужен в английском языке.
Залог выражает отношение к действию, то есть он показывает:
- человек/предмет сам совершает действие (я принес письмо)
- человек/предмет испытывает действие кого-то на себе (письмо принесли)
В английском языке выделяют два вида залога:
- Активный залог (Active voice) – действующее лицо само совершает действия.
Клиенты подписали договор (клиенты – действующее лицо, и они совершили определенное действие).
- Пассивный залог (Passive voice) – действующее лицо испытывает на себе действие другого лица.
Договор подписан (договор подписал не сам себя, действие было совершено над ним).
Активный залог (active voice)
Категория залога показывает, производит ли действие лицо (предмет), выраженное существительным или местоимением в функции подлежащего, или же оно само испытывает на себе чье-либо действие.
Активный залог (active voice) показывает, что лицо или предмет, выраженное подлежащим, само производит действие.
- Sam baked a big cake. / Сэм испек большой пирог.
В примере выше лицо, выраженное подлежащим (Sam) самостоятельно производит действие (baked), т.е. является активным. Таким образом, можно сказать, что предложение в целом употреблено в активном залоге.
Другие примеры предложений в активном залоге:
- Jeremy opened the present. / Джереми открыл подарок.
- Susan found her car keys. / Сьюзен нашла свои ключи от машины.
- James climbed the ladder. / Джеймс поднялся по лестнице.
- Kate has knitted this sweater herself. / Кейт сама связала этот свитер.
Таблица и примеры
- Active Voice :They usually visit their granny. — Они обычно навещают свою бабулю.
- Passive Voice:Their granny is usually visited. — Их бабулю часто навещают.
- Active Voice:They are visiting their granny now. — Сейчас они навещают свою бабулю.
- Passive Voice:Their granny is being visited now. — Их бабулю сейчас навещают.
- Active Voice:They have just visited their granny — Они только что навестили свою бабулю.
- Passive Voice:Their granny has just been visited. — Их бабулю только что навестили.
Active voice definition: The active voice is a style of writing where the subject completes the action of the sentence.
What does active voice mean? In the active voice, the subject always “does” the action of the sentence. Chronologically, the subject will come before the verb in the sentence.
Most writing occurs in the active writing voice, as it is generally clearer and more concise.
Examples of Active Voice:
- Lexi mows the lawn.
- Corinne makes pancakes every Sunday.
In each of these sentences, the subject comes before the verb and object. The subject is “doing” the verb in the sentence. This is called the active voice.
If you imagine there is an arrow connecting the subject to the verb, active voice will always have an arrow going to the right.
- Lexi>mows
- Corinne>makes
How to Form the Active Voice
Writing in active voice: Active sentences are formed when the subject completes the action of the sentence.
Whether or not the subject is the first word of the sentence, active voice is used if the subject “does” the verb.
How to Write in Active Voice:
- I walked.
- I>walked
- Today, I walked.
- I>walked
- To the store I walked.
- I>walked
In each of these sentences, the subject is “I.” “I” is doing the action “walked.” “I” chronologically comes before the verb, walked.
How To Form an Active Voice Sentence:
- Start with a subject.
- Add a verb (after the subject).
- Add any modifiers.
Active Voice Example:
- Grandpa
- Grandpa arrived
- Grandpa>arrived
- Yesterday, Grandpa arrived at our house.
Active vs. Passive Voice: What’s the Difference?
The active writing voice is contrasted with the passive voice. The active and passive voices put emphasis on different elements of the sentence.
The active voice occurs when the subject “does” the action of the sentence.
The passive voice occurs when the action is done by what seems like it should be the object.
Passive Voice Example:
- The book was written by Jeanette Walls.
It seems like Jeanette Walls should be the subject.
- Jeanette Walls wrote the book.
However, book, which should be the direct object, is actually the subject of the sentence. A good key indicator for passive voice is a “to be” verb and past participle.
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice:
- Jeannette Walls wrote the book. (active)
- The book was written by Jeanette Walls. (passive)
Should You Avoid Passive Sentences?
Are passive sentences bad? Neither of the above example sentences is incorrect.
The active voice is used more often in writing. However, the passive voice may also be used for stylistic purposes. Furthermore, some phrasings (like “the book was written by”) are more common or acceptable in the passive voice than in the active voice.
Writing in the active voice is more concise, clear, and direct than the passive voice.
It should be noted that strictly writing in the passive voice is not acceptable. Writers who use the passive voice do so intentionally to communicate their purpose.
Active Sentence Examples
Active Example:
- Pete Wilson cut more than $1.9 billion from the 1998-99 budget approved by the Legislature. –The Sacramento Bee
Here’s how it would look as a passive sentence,
- More than $1.9 billion was cut by Pete Wilson from the 1998-99 budget, which was approved by the Legislature.
Active Example:
- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton ran the ball in for a third-quarter touchdown and did some dances that predate his existence on the planet by a couple of decades. –The Washington Post
Let’s take a look at that as a passive sentence,
- The ball was ran in for a third-quarter touchdown by Cam Newton, who did some dances that predate his existence on the planet by a couple of decades.
In many cases, active sentences are a better option in writing—especially news writing. The first example is especially clumsy written in the passive voice.
Exercises with Passive and Active Voice
Are these sentences written in active or passive voice?
- The chicken crossed the road.
- The role of Julius Caesar was acted by Orson Welles.
- My favorite song is sung by Whitney Houston.
- My dad purchased wood to build a new pergola for our backyard.
- The shoes were made in Spain.
Summary: What is an Active Voice?
Define active voice: the definition of active voice is when the subject performs the verb of a sentence.
The active voice is the most common type of writing. It occurs when the subject comes chronologically before the verb and the subject is the thing “doing” the action of the sentence. In active sentences, there is little confusion about which words are the subject, verb, and object.
Answers:
- Active
- Passive
- Passive
- Active
- Passive
Contents
- 1 What is Active Voice in Writing?
- 2 How to Form the Active Voice
- 3 Active vs. Passive Voice: What’s the Difference?
- 4 Should You Avoid Passive Sentences?
- 5 Active Sentence Examples
- 6 Exercises with Passive and Active Voice
- 7 Summary: What is an Active Voice?
Grammatical voice refers to the different grammar terms used to understand the relationship between the action done by the verb and the subjects, or objects, it affects. This explanation is all about the active voice.
Active voice definition
The active voice is used to show that the subject of the sentence is active and is performing an action on an object. In active voice sentences, the subject is the ‘doer’ of the verb. For example, in the sentence ‘The man ate the burger’ the subject (the man) is doing the action (eating).
We form the active voice through word order and the use of verbs. The word order in an active voice sentence looks like this: subject + verb + object. E.g. ‘The mouse ate the cheese’. The mouse (the subject) ate (the verb) the cheese (the object).
Active voice sentences also contain active verbs. These are verbs in the past, present, or future tense that follow a subject. E.g. ‘The woman painted her nails’. Active verbs are opposite to passive verbs, which are past participles that follow the words was/were. E.g. ‘The nails were painted by the woman’.
Active voice examples
The active voice occurs in sentences where the subject acts. This means that the subject will come first in the sentence, followed by the verb and finally the object. Let’s look at some examples of this.
| Subject | verb | Object |
| The early bird | ate | the worm |
| The children | ran | the race |
| The man | threw | the ball |
The active voice tends to follow a linguistic pattern that is referred to as subject-verb-object, this is sometimes shortened to SVO. This is a helpful way to spot the active voice within a text.
Fig 1. The early bird catches the worm
Difference between active voice vs passive voice
Grammatical voice doesn’t only include the active voice. The opposite of the active voice is the passive voice. This is very different to the active voice as here the subject is acted on by the verb. This means that instead of actively ‘doing’ the verb, the subject is instead passive. Below are three examples of passive voice:
- The movie will be watched by the children
- The fish was eaten by the cat
- The tires were changed by the mechanic
As we can see, these sentences are constructed very differently from the ones we saw in the previous example. Let’s look at how these sentences would be formed in the active voice:
- The children will watch the movie.
- The cat will eat fish.
- The mechanic will change the tire.
There is a noticeable difference between how these sentences are constructed. The active voice is far stronger than the passive voice in these examples. This is because of the placement of the subject in the statements. In the active voice, the subject takes on the primary position in the sentence and so is active and dominant in how the sentence is constructed. However, in the passive voice, the subject is placed last and so the sentence becomes less authoritative.
There is also a difference between the verbs in the active and passive voice. Whereas the active voice contains an active verb, the passive voice must contain the following;
-
A conjugated form of the verb ‘to be’, e.g. is, was
-
The main verb in its past participle form, e.g. eaten, written, read.
Here is a handy chart summarising the key differences between the active and passive voice:
| Active Voice | Passive voice |
| The subject comes first in the sentence | The subject comes last in the sentence |
| Direct and clear sentence structure | The structure becomes less clear |
| Can be constructed in any form. | Always made with a conjugated form of the verb ‘to be’ |
| Contains an active main verb | Contains the main verb in its past participle form |
In general, the active voice is used more commonly in everyday speech and writing. The active voice is then very important in how we make sentences every day!
Importance of the active voice
The active voice is the grammatical voice that we use the most in everyday speech. You will find that most of the sentences you write are in the active voice. There are many reasons that the active voice is important to your writing.
The reader will feel present in the work
The active voice is most commonly used in the present and future tense. This puts the reader in the moment. Take this example from Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Raven‘ (1845):
Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Fig 2. The Raven
Through the use of the active voice, the scene becomes more vivid than if the writer used the passive voice. The active voice helps to create a stronger connection to the action/scene for the reader. This is because sentences use both present and past tense verbs. When we consider this alongside the placement of the subject in the sentence, we can see that the imagery evoked becomes a lot clearer.
The active voice places the subject at the forefront of the sentence. The active role it takes means that the action of the sentence is more clearly and strongly depicted.
Active voice makes commands clearer
The active voice is also important in non-fiction. It is present in non-fiction texts such as newspaper articles, recipes, and instruction manuals. The active voice is commonly used here because it makes sentences sound clearer and more direct. It is important in this context as it can be used to create instructions and deliver facts efficiently. Let’s look at an example of this from a newspaper article
A swimmer who was rescued off the coast of Co Kerry on Sunday night has been identified as Ruairí McSorley, who previously went viral online for a TV interview he gave in 2015 in which he became known as «Frostbit Boy». Fenit RNLI and Rescue 115 were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard at 11 am on Sunday after clothes were discovered at Castlegregory beach by a dog walker. Volunteer lifeboat crew with Fenit RNLI spotted a head above water hours later at 8.30 pm and took the swimmer onboard an all-weather lifeboat.
Easy to understand
The active voice follows the simple subject-verb-object (SVO) sentence formula. This makes it easier to understand as the structure is simple. As the active voice allows for clear and simple sentences, it means that concepts can be broken down into their simplest forms. This means that the active voice is especially useful for teaching.
The Active Voice in Literature
The active voice is an important component of how sentences are constructed in Literature. This is because the active voice allows the writer to tell a story in a clear and direct manner. Have a look at the example below from The Great Gatsby (1925)
I rushed out and found her mother’s maid and we locked the door and got her into a cold bath. She wouldn’t let go of the letter. She took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball
Can you see the active voice in this extract? We can see that there are four examples of the active voice here. Let’s use the table below to better understand this:
| Subject | verb | Object |
| I | found | her mother’s maid |
| We | locked | the door |
| She | wouldn’t let go of | the letter |
| She | took | it |
We can see that the active voice is frequently used in this extract. This makes the paragraph direct and easy for the reader to understand. It is also used to create short bursts of information that provide readers with a clear view of the scene depicted. From this example, we can see how important the active voice is when used in literature.
Active Voice — Key takeaways
- The active voice is a type of grammatical voice.
- The active voice occurs in sentences where the subject actively performs the verb.
- Sentences in the active voice will follow the subject-verb-object structure.
- Active voice sentences contain active verbs.
- The active voice is more common than the passive voice, as it is more clear and more direct.
- The active voice is frequently used in both fiction and nonfiction texts.
100 Examples of Active and Passive Voice. Are you confused about when to use active voice and when to use passive voice? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many English learners struggle with this issue. But don’t despair, there is hope! With a little practice, you can master the difference between active and passive voice.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 100 examples of active and passive voice. Study these examples carefully and soon you’ll be using an active and passive voice like a pro!
Difference Between Active and Passive Voice
The active voice is used when the subject of a sentence is the one doing the action.
For example, “The boy caught the ball.”
In this sentence, “the boy” is the subject, and “caught” is the verb.
Passive voice is used when the subject of a sentence is not doing the action.
For example, “The ball was caught by the boy.”
In this sentence, “the ball” is the subject, and “caught” is the verb.
The difference between these two voices is that in the active voice, the subject is doing the action, while in the passive voice, the subject is not doing the action.
Active Voice
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. For example:
- The cashier counted the money.
In this sentence, “The cashier” is the subject, and “Here are some more examples of active voice:” is the verb. We know this because we can ask the question, “Who counted the money?” The answer to that question is “The cashier.”
Here are some more examples of active voice:
- I painted the garage.
- She baked a cake for her brother’s birthday.
- They will plant trees in front of the school.
- We have cleaned up our room.
- You should study for your test tonight.
Passive Voice
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon. For example:
- The money was counted by the cashier.
In this sentence, “The money” is the subject, and “counted” is the verb.
Here are some more examples of passive voice:
- The garage was painted by me.
- A cake was baked for her brother’s birthday by her.
- Trees will be planted in front of the school by them.
- Our room has been cleaned up by us.
- Your test should be studied for tonight by you.
Active Voice and Passive Voice, 100 Examples
| Active | The cashier counted the money. |
| Passive | The money was counted by the cashier. |
| Active | I am painting the garage. |
| Passive | The garage is being painted by me. |
| Active | He planted a tree in the yard. |
| Passive | A tree was planted in the yard by him. |
| Active | They are cleaning the room. |
| Passive | The room is being cleaned by them. |
| Active | She is writing a letter to her parents. |
| Passive | A letter is being written to her parents by her. |
| Active | You are studying for your test. |
| Passive | Your test is being studied for by you. |
| Active | I am going to the store. |
| Passive | I am going to be taken to the store by a friend. |
| Active | He is going to pick up his sister from school. |
| Passive | His sister is going to be picked up from school by him. |
| Active | She is going to the movies with her friends. |
| Passive | She is going to be taken to the movies by her friends. |
| Active | We are eating lunch at the park. |
| Passive | Lunch is being eaten by us at the park. |
| Active | They are playing soccer on the field. |
| Passive | Soccer is being played by them on the field. |
| Active | I am doing my homework. |
| Passive | My homework is being done by me. |
| Active | He is taking a shower. |
| Passive | A shower is being taken by him. |
| Active | She is sleeping. |
| Passive | Sleep is being had by her. |
| Active | The baby is eating solid food. |
| Passive | Solid food is being eaten by the baby. |
| Active | I am reading a book. |
| Passive | A book is being read to me. |
| Active | He is driving to work. |
| Passive | Work is being driven by him. |
| Active | They are walking to school. |
| Passive | School is being walked to by them. |
| Active | I am talking on the phone. |
| Passive | The phone is being talked on by me. |
| Active | He is sleeping in his bed. |
| Passive | His bed is being slept in by him. |
| Active | I am taking a nap. |
| Passive | A nap is being taken by me. |
| Active | She is making dinner. |
| Passive | Dinner is being made by her. |
| Active | He is watching TV. |
| Passive | TV is being watched by him. |
| Active | The ball was thrown by the boy. |
| Passive | The ball was caught by the boy. |
| Active | He hit the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was hit by him. |
| Active | She kicked the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was kicked by her. |
| Active | They passed the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was passed to them. |
| Active | I threw the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was thrown at me. |
| Active | You passed the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was passed to you. |
| Active | The catcher caught the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was caught by the catcher. |
| Active | The center fielder threw the ball to the second baseman. |
| Passive | The ball was thrown to the second baseman by the center fielder. |
| Active | Rebecca will hit the ball. |
| Passive | The ball will be hit by Rebecca. |
| Active | Kaitlyn and James are playing catch. |
| Passive | The catch is being played by Kaitlyn and James. |
| Active | Josh is throwing the football. |
| Passive | The football is being thrown by Josh. |
| Active | We were tackling the runner on the play. |
| Passive | The runner was being tackled by us on the play. |
| Active | They will be blocking for the quarterback. |
| Passive | The quarterback will be blocked by them. |
| Active | Is he going to punt the ball? |
| Passive | Is the ball going to be punted by him? |
| Active | Jennifer caught the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was caught by Jennifer. |
| Active | John and Rebecca are playing soccer. |
| Passive | Soccer is being played by John and Rebecca. |
| Active | Are you going to shoot the basketball? |
| Passive | Is the basketball going to be shot by you? |
| Active | She kicked the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was kicked by her. |
| Active | They passed the ball. |
| Passive | The ball was passed to them. |
| Active | The runner was tagged by the baseman. |
| Passive | The baseman tagged the runner. |
| Active | He hit the ball with his bat. |
| Passive | The ball was hit by him with his bat. |
| Active | It is being thrown by me. |
| Passive | The ball is being thrown by me. |
| Active | They are playing baseball. |
| Passive | Baseball is being played by them. |
Examples of Active and Passive Voice Sentences for Present Tense
| Active: | Tom writes a letter to his friend every week. |
| Passive: | A letter is written to his friend by Tom every week. |
| Active: | She teaches English at a local school. |
| Passive: | English is taught at a local school by her. |
| Active: | They sell organic vegetables at the farmer’s market. |
| Passive: | Organic vegetables are sold at the farmer’s market by them. |
| Active: | The cat chases the mouse around the room. |
| Passive: | The mouse is chased around the room by the cat. |
| Active: | We love to eat ice cream on hot days. |
| Passive: | Ice cream is loved to be eaten on hot days by us. |
Examples of Active and Passive Voice Sentences for Past Tense
| Active: | Sarah completed the project before the deadline. |
| Passive: | The project was completed before the deadline by Sarah. |
| Active: | The police arrested the thief last night. |
| Passive: | The thief was arrested last night by the police. |
| Active: | He repaired the car engine yesterday. |
| Passive: | The car engine was repaired yesterday by him. |
| Active: | The children played in the park for hours. |
| Passive: | The park was played for hours by the children. |
| Active: | The chef cooked a delicious meal for us. |
| Passive: | A delicious meal was cooked for us by the chef. |
Examples of Active and Passive Voice Sentences for Future Tense
| Active: | The company will launch a new product next month. |
| Passive: | A new product will be launched by the company next month. |
| Active: | I will email you the document by tomorrow. |
| Passive: | The document will be emailed to you by me tomorrow. |
| Active: | They will plant trees in the park next week. |
| Passive: | Trees will be planted in the park by them next week. |
| Active: | She will sing a song at the concert next Saturday. |
| Passive: | A song will be sung by her at the concert next Saturday. |
| Active: | We will finish the project before the deadline. |
| Passive: | The project will be finished before the deadline by us. |
Active Voice and Passive Voice Exercise with Answers
Instructions: Rewrite the following sentences in both active and passive voice. Write “A” for active voice and “P” for passive voice in the blank space provided.
Example: The cat chased the mouse.
A: The cat chased the mouse.
P: The mouse was chased by the cat.
————————————
1. The teacher graded the exams.
__ __ The exams were graded by the teacher.
2. The storm destroyed the old building.
__ __ The old building was destroyed by the storm.
3. The waiter served the food to the customers.
__ __ The food was served to the customers by the waiter.
4. The company hired a new employee.
__ __ A new employee was hired by the company.
5. The audience applauded the performers.
__ __ The performers were applauded by the audience.
6. The thief stole my wallet.
__ __ My wallet was stolen by the thief.
7. The doctor prescribed a medication for the patient.
__ __ A medication was prescribed for the patient by the doctor.
8. The team won the championship.
__ __ The championship was won by the team.
9. The construction workers built the bridge.
__ __ The bridge was built by the construction workers.
10. The chef cooked a delicious meal for the guests.
__ __ A delicious meal was cooked for the guests by the chef.
ASNWERS:
1.
A: The teacher graded the exams.
P: The exams were graded by the teacher.
2.
A: The storm destroyed the old building.
P: The old building was destroyed by the storm.
3.
A: The waiter served the food to the customers.
P: The food was served to the customers by the waiter.
4.
A: The company hired a new employee.
P: A new employee was hired by the company.
5.
A: The audience applauded the performers.
P: The performers were applauded by the audience.
6.
A: The thief stole my wallet.
P: My wallet was stolen by the thief.
7.
A: The doctor prescribed a medication for the patient.
P: A medication was prescribed for the patient by the doctor.
8.
A: The team won the championship.
P: The championship was won by the team.
9.
A: The construction workers built the bridge.
P: The bridge was built by the construction workers.
10.
A: The chef cooked a delicious meal for the guests.
P: A delicious meal was cooked for the guests by the chef.
Active vs Passive Voice
About Author
Simi
Meet Simeron Khan, an experienced ESL teacher with a passion for guiding students towards fluency in English. With a knack for making even the most complex grammar rules accessible and enjoyable, Simeron has helped countless learners achieve their language goals.