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Assessment and High Standards

Step Up to Writing Secondary

Bonus Tool
10-4-1

4/12/07 1:51:02 PM

The person or thing that does the action may or may not be
named.

The sentence always names who/what is doing the action.

The action always happens to something, and the sentence

always names who/what the action happens to.
Ed was asked a question.
The song was sung by Clarence.
The cookies were dunked.
The sentence always has a to be verb.
The skates were purchased by Eddie.
The book was read by Jodi.
Rain has been predicted by our weather reporter.
The race will be nished by several runners.

The sentence may or may not name who/what the action

happens to (if it happens to anything at all).

Ed grinned.
Claire sang. (What did she sing?)
Ernest was dunking the cookies.

The sentence may or may not have a to be verb.

Isabel and Eddie skate.

Jodi was reading.
Our weather reporter predicted rain.
Terry will nish on time.

The door was slammed shut. (Who shut it?)

The tomatoes were pushed off the shelf.

The tomatoes fell off the shelf.

I slammed the closet door.

The focus of the sentence is on someone or something that

action happens to.

The focus of the sentence is on someone or something that is

doing an action.

Passive Voice

Action happens to the subject of the sentence.

The person or thing that does the action may not be named.
The sentence always names who/what the action is happening to.
The sentence always has a to be verb.

The subject of the sentence does the action.

The sentence always names who/what is doing the action.
The sentence may not say who/what the action is happening to.
The sentence may or may not have a to be verb.

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Active Voice

In sentences written in active voice, the focus of the sentence is on someone or something doing an action. For example, in The hammer hits the
nail the focus of the sentence is a hammer and the fact that it is hitting. The hammer is activeit is doing. Sentences written in passive voice tell
about someone or something that is being acted on. In the passive voice sentence, The nail was hit by the hammer, the focus of the sentence is
the nail and the fact that it is being hit. The nail is passiveits not doing anything.

Active Voice/Passive Voice