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Which of the following sentences employs the passive voice?
Answer: “Recently, a law was passed requiring all drivers under the age of 18 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.” One way to recognize the passive voice is to see whether 1) the sentence offers a subject for the verb, and 2) if not, can you insert “by _____” after the verb? The passive voice is considered “passive” because the person or thing actually doing the action is either missing (therefore you add “by _____”) or appears to be the recipient of the verb. Here we’re told that “a law was passed” but we don’t know who passed the law (it didn’t just pass itself). You could, however, add “by congress” after the verb “was passed” and it would tell you who did it. This is a classic example of the passive voice.
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Which of the following sentences employs the passive voice?
Answer:"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." The clause “all men are created equal” uses the passive voice in that the “doer” of the creation is not mentioned, but the recipient of the action of creation (“all men”) is given as the subject of the clause. The passive voice is notable for the use or implication of the phrase “by _______” - here that clause implies that all men are created equal by someone or something, a classic indicator of the passive voice.
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Which of the following sentences employs the active voice?
Answer: “The umpire was angry” The difference between active and passive voice is that with the active voice, the person/thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence, but with the passive voice the person/thing receiving the action is the subject. Note that with “the ball is kicked” the ball doesn’t do the kicking; it’s the subject of the sentence but the recipient of the action so that is passive voice. Similarly with “the rule was broken” - the rule didn’t do the breaking. And “the coach was ejected” is the same - someone (likely the umpire) ejected the coach, but the coach was the recipient of the action. With “the umpire was angry” the umpire is the actor, the person who is actively being angry. So that is the choice using the active voice.
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Which sentence is in the passive voice?
Francisco Goya's painting, "Portrait of the Duke of Wellington" was stolen in 1961 by Kempton Bunton and was missing for four years. The phrase “was stolen” is written in passive voice. If a sentence is in passive voice, the subject receives the action. In passive voice sentences or phrases, the verb phrase includes a form of to be plus a past participle.
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Which sentence is in the active voice?
Nazis stole Pierre Auguste Renoir's "Deux Femmes Dans Un Jardin," painted in 1919, from a Paris bank vault in 1941. If a sentence is in an active voice, the subject performs the action. In the correct answer choice, the phrase “Nazis stole” is in an active voice and the subject (Nazis) is performing the action. The other choices are in a passive voice and the subject is receiving the action.
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Active voice: Sharon ate a dozen shrimp and a juicy steak for dinner today.
Which answer choice below changes the sentence into a passive voice?
At dinner, a dozen shrimp and a juicy steak were eaten by Sharon. This answer choice is written in passive voice. The phrase “were eaten” is in a passive voice and shows the subject being acted upon. The other choices are in active voice and the subject (Sharon) is performing the action: “Sharon ate” or “Sharon had”.
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Read the paragraph below.
Jessie went to the mall and bought a new dress for the school dance. She tried on a few pairs of shoes but didn’t find anything she liked at the first store. At the second store, she found the perfect pair and purchased them. After shopping, Jessie stopped in the food court and two slices of pizza and soda were consumed by her. She met her mother in the parking lot and headed home glad she completed her errands.
Which sentence is written in the passive voice?
After shopping, Jessie stopped in the food court and two slices of pizza and soda were consumed by her. This sentence is in passive voice while the remaining sentences are in an active voice. “Were consumed by her” shows the subject being acted upon rather than the subject acting.
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Read the paragraph below.
Yellowstone National Park will be visited by thousands of people each year. Tourists can see geysers, hike trails, go bird watching, or take nature photographs. The park will be open for all four seasons to allow visitors a chance to see the beauty year-round. The wildlife can be viewed from your vehicle or on foot. Snacks and beverages that will be consumed on picnics are permitted.
Which sentence is written in the active voice?
Tourists can see geysers, hike trails, go bird watching, or take nature photographs. This sentence is in an active voice because of the phrase “Tourists can see”. This shows the subject acting upon something rather than being acted on as in the other choices. The other choices are all a passive voice because of the phrasing “will be”.
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Which answer choice is in the passive voice?
The Savings Bank in Ashville, Ohio was robbed in August 2015 by John Morgan and his girlfriend. Photos of the crooks and the money were taken and posted to social media. This answer choice is in the passive voice, “was robbed” and “were taken and posted” are both passive and the subject is being acted upon. The other choices use active voice word choices, “robbed”, “took photos”, “posted photos” are all showing the subject(s) performing the action.
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Which of the following sentences is written exclusively in the active voice?
In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted on Sumbawa, an island of modern-day Indonesia, and killed 100,000 people. If a sentence is in an active voice, the subject performs the action. In the correct answer choice, the phrases “Mount Tambora erupted” and “killed” are in an active voice and the subject (Mount Tambora) is performing the action. The other choices are in a passive voice and the subject is receiving the action.
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Passive voice: Mannie’s tires on the bike screeched as the brakes were slammed on by him.
Which answer choice below changes the sentence into an active voice?
Mannie’s bike tires screeched as he slammed on the brakes. In the passive voice sentence, the phrase “the brakes were slammed on” shows the subject being acted upon. To change the sentence to active voice the subject must perform the action. In the correct sentence choice, the phrase “he slammed on the brakes” is in active voice and the subject (Mannie/he) is performing the action.
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Active voice: Patrick will present his research at the conference today in front of his peers.
Which answer choice below changes the sentence into a passive voice?
The research will be presented at the conference by Patrick in front of his peers. This answer choice is written in passive voice. The phrase “will be presented” is in a passive voice and shows the subject being acted upon. The other choices are in active voice and the subject (Patrick) is performing the action: “Patrick will present” or “Patrick’s presenting”.
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The Grand Canyon, in Arizona, is visited by thousands of tourists every day.
Which answer choice below changes the passive voice sentence above into the active voice?
In the passive voice sentence the phrase “is visited” shows the subject being acted upon. To change the sentence to active voice the subject must perform the action. In the correct sentence choice the phrase “tourists visit” is in active voice and the subject (tourists) is performing the action.
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