active voice

Active Voice

  • Active voice means the subject performs the action of the verb.

  • Example: Joseph prepared all the documents.

Passive Voice

  • In passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb.

  • Example: All the needed documents were prepared by Joseph.

  • Example: If the actor is unknown, it can be written as: All the needed documents were prepared.

Comparison of Active vs. Passive Voice

  • Passive: The reason he left his job at the bank was because his health began to fail.

  • Active: He left his job at the bank because his health began to fail.

  • Passive: The balloon was blown up by me.

  • Active: I blew up the balloon.

  • Passive: The boat has been destroyed by a hurricane.

  • Active: A hurricane destroyed the boat.

  • Passive: The dragon has been killed by the heroine.

  • Active: The heroine killed the dragon.

Importance of Active Voice

  • Active voice results in more direct writing, using clear and concrete verbs.

  • Passive voice tends to be indirect, often utilizing weak verbs.

Sample Sentences in Passive and Active Voice

  • Passive: The new marketing strategy was implemented.

  • Active: The marketing group implemented the new marketing strategy.

  • Passive: A meeting for Friday was scheduled.

  • Active: The department manager scheduled a meeting for Friday.

  • Passive: The customer service training manual was developed.

  • Active: Irish Smith developed the customer service training manual.

  • Passive: The report will be reviewed by the supervisor.

  • Active: The supervisor will review the report.

Critical Evaluation of Own Writing

  • Reading work aloud allows writers to experience the text as the reader would.

  • It aids in identifying flow, coherence, and surface errors.

Levels of Listening for Revisions

  • Global Level: Ensures overall sense and logical flow.

  • Paragraph Level: Checks for transitions and unity.

  • Sentence Level: Reviews grammar, punctuation, and word choice.

Effective Reading Aloud Steps

  1. Save a copy under a new file name.

  2. Increase font size and print the document.

  3. Find a quiet space.

  4. Read aloud slowly, marking problem areas.

  5. Reread each paragraph to identify issues.

  6. Revise based on evaluations.

Parallel Structure

  • Achieved through consistency in grammatical forms within a sentence.

  • Example of Non-Parallel: The President traveled to several cities, meeting voters, to give speeches, and ask for funds.

  • Example of Parallel: The President traveled to several cities, meeting voters, giving speeches, and asking for funds.

  • Importance: Establishes balance and improves readability.

Modifiers: Proper Placement and Correction

  • Modifiers must be placed close to the words they modify.

  • Dangling and misplaced modifiers create confusion; they should be corrected for clarity.

Unnecessary Words

  • Redundant phrases harm efficiency.

  • Example of Redundant: Quickly speeding.(speeding implies quickness)

  • Revision: Speeding.

Visuals in Documents

  • Visuals (tables and figures) complement text but can stand alone as well.

  • Tables organize data logically, while figures illustrate different types of data (charts, graphs, etc.).