Fill in the blanks and answer the questions

Question

Key Concepts:
What is active voice?
What is passive voice?

______ voice is recommended most of the time because it's more ________
and _________.
In which situations is it useful to use passive voice?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Which form of a verb is used to indicate past or completed action?
In the sentence Martha slammed the ball into the net, the verb _______ is _______ because it is followed by ___________ which is the direct object and directly receives the action from the verb.
When you find a direct object in a sentence, the sentence is written using ______ voice.
Practice:
Rewrite the following sentences and change passive voice to active voice.
1. The colorful sweater was worn by our dog.
2. The Grand Canyon is visited by thousands of tourists every year.
3. Changes in the DNA were observed by the scientists.

Answer 1

Key Concepts:

What is active voice?
Active voice is a sentence structure where the subject performs the action of the verb.

What is passive voice?
Passive voice is a sentence structure where the subject receives the action of the verb.

Active voice is recommended most of the time because it's more direct and clear.

In which situations is it useful to use passive voice?

1. When the doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
2. When the focus needs to be on the action itself rather than who performed it.
3. When writing in a formal context, such as scientific reports or academic papers.
4. When the speaker wants to emphasize the recipient of the action rather than the actor.

Which form of a verb is used to indicate past or completed action?
The past tense form of a verb.

In the sentence "Martha slammed the ball into the net," the verb slammed is active because it is followed by the ball, which is the direct object and directly receives the action from the verb.

When you find a direct object in a sentence, the sentence is written using active voice.

Practice:

Rewrite the following sentences and change passive voice to active voice.

1. The colorful sweater was worn by our dog.
   Our dog wore the colorful sweater.

2. The Grand Canyon is visited by thousands of tourists every year.
   Thousands of tourists visit the Grand Canyon every year.

3. Changes in the DNA were observed by the scientists.
   The scientists observed changes in the DNA.

Answer 2

Can you give me more examples?
In which situations is it useful to use passive voice?
1.
2.
3.
4.

Answer 3

Certainly! Here are additional examples of when it may be useful to use passive voice:

1. When the actor is not known:

   • Example: "The window was broken."
     (Here, we don't know who broke the window, so passive voice is appropriate.)

2. When the focus is on the action or result rather than the actor:

   • Example: "A cure for the disease was discovered."
     (The emphasis is on the discovery, not who made it.)

3. In formal or scientific writing:

   • Example: "The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions."
     (This is common in scientific reports to maintain an objective tone.)

4. When the actor is less important than the action:

   • Example: "The project was completed ahead of schedule."
     (The completion of the project is more significant than who completed it.)

5. To create a sense of mystery or suspense:

   • Example: "The room was left in darkness."
     (It raises questions about who left it dark.)

6. When you want to emphasize the recipient of the action:

   • Example: "The award was given to her."
     (The emphasis is on her receiving the award, not who gave it.)

These examples illustrate situations where passive voice can effectively convey information without focusing on the subject performing the action.