logging in or signing up ActiveVoiceRev2010 SWVega Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Share Add to Flag Embed Email Send to Blogs and Networks Add to Channel Uploaded from authorPOINT lite Insert YouTube videos in PowerPont slides with aS Desktop Copy embed code: (To copy code, click on the text box) Embed: URL: Thumbnail: WordPress Embed Customize Embed The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 7 Category: Education License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: December 07, 2010 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 0 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript Improving Style : Improving Style Passive VS Active Voice D. Vega South Western HS The Agent : The Agent Every sentence has an agent. The agent is the noun that performs the verb. Ex: The guitar string snapped in half. Agent: the guitar string Ex: The lights flickered. Agent: lights The Agent : The Agent The agent can be placed anywhere in the sentence. In fact, it does not have to be the subject of the sentence. Ex: The problems were confronted by the Secretary of State. Agent: Secretary of State The Agent : The Agent The agent CAN be the subject as well. Ex: The secretary of state confronted the problems. Agent: Secretary of State The “Secret” Agent : The “Secret” Agent And sometimes the agent is implied/unstated. Ex: The leaky roof was repaired. Who or what is doing the repairing? Agent: the roofing company? Your uncle? Leaky Roof, Inc.? Answer: any of these The roofing company repaired the leaky roof. My uncle repaired the leaky roof Where’s the Agent? : Where’s the Agent? My teeth have lost much of their enamel. The paint was stripped with sandpaper. The girls were lost in the bathroom. Packages are shipped all over the world. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Pas-sive (adj) - tending not to participate actively; letting things happen to one, rather than making them happen Passive Voice : Passive Voice In a passive voice sentence, the subject is passive; in other words, it does not perform the action of the verb. It does not function as the agent of the sentence. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Example: The nail was pounded by the hammer. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Example: The nail was pounded (by the hammer). The subject “nail” does NOT perform the action of the verb. It passively lets the hammer be the agent in the sentence. Active Voice : Active Voice Active (adj) - carrying out an action or process, or able to do so Active Voice : Active Voice In an active voice sentence, the subject is active; in other words, it performs the action of the verb. The subject, then, functions as the agent in the sentence. Active Voice : Active Voice Example: The hammer pounded the nail. Active Voice : Active Voice Example: The hammer pounded the nail. The subject “hammer” acts as the agent and performs the verb’s action, “pounded.” Passive or Active? : Passive or Active? Which of the following sentences uses active voice? The car’s finish was stripped by golf size hail. Golf size hail stripped the car’s finish. Passive or Active? : Passive or Active? Sentence 2 uses active voice. The car’s finish was stripped by golf size hail. Golf size hail stripped the car’s finish. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 1: To eliminate wordiness The hammer pounded the nail. (active voice = 5 words) The nail was pounded by the hammer. (passive voice = 7 words) Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 2: To improve sentence clarity and readability Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Which sentence is clearer and easier to read? The murderer was arrested by the detective who had been shot by him. The detective arrested the murderer who shot him. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Sentence 2 is clearer and easier to read. The murderer was arrested by the detective who had been shot by him. The detective arrested the murderer who shot him. It takes the brain more time to process and understand sentence 1. The reader might have to reread the sentence to make sense of it. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 3: To liven up the sentence Active voice sentences tend to use transitive and intransitive action verbs. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Example: The surfer crouched as the curling wave crashed behind him. Revision Activity : Revision Activity Revise the following paragraph so that sentences use active voice. Revise verbs so that they are “vivid” action verbs that “show” what is happening. Eliminate any wordiness. Use only the words you need to communicate the message/idea. Revise this Paragraph : Revise this Paragraph The night is suddenly filled with the sound of the town fire alarm. Volunteer firefighters are awakened from their slumber by the familiar horn. Immediately, fire gear is put on. Within minutes the air is filled by sirens. A family’s house is covered in flames. It is soon surrounded by the brave volunteers and their fire equipment. The family and pets are immediately rescued. Within two hours, the fire is put out. (approx. 71 words) Revised Paragraph : Revised Paragraph Suddenly, the fire alarm disrupts the night, rousing volunteer firefighters everywhere. Quickly, they don the familiar gear. Within minutes sirens permeate the air. As flames engulf a neighbor’s home, the brave firefighters surround it with their trucks and equipment. Immediately, they rescue family and pets and within two hours, they extinguish the last flames. (approx. 54 words) Revision Activity Reflection : Revision Activity Reflection How many LESS words did your revision use? How much clearer and more readable is your revision? How much livelier are your sentences? 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ActiveVoiceRev2010 SWVega Download Post to : URL : Related Presentations : Share Add to Flag Embed Email Send to Blogs and Networks Add to Channel Uploaded from authorPOINT lite Insert YouTube videos in PowerPont slides with aS Desktop Copy embed code: (To copy code, click on the text box) Embed: URL: Thumbnail: WordPress Embed Customize Embed The presentation is successfully added In Your Favorites. Views: 7 Category: Education License: All Rights Reserved Like it (0) Dislike it (0) Added: December 07, 2010 This Presentation is Public Favorites: 0 Presentation Description No description available. Comments Posting comment... Premium member Presentation Transcript Improving Style : Improving Style Passive VS Active Voice D. Vega South Western HS The Agent : The Agent Every sentence has an agent. The agent is the noun that performs the verb. Ex: The guitar string snapped in half. Agent: the guitar string Ex: The lights flickered. Agent: lights The Agent : The Agent The agent can be placed anywhere in the sentence. In fact, it does not have to be the subject of the sentence. Ex: The problems were confronted by the Secretary of State. Agent: Secretary of State The Agent : The Agent The agent CAN be the subject as well. Ex: The secretary of state confronted the problems. Agent: Secretary of State The “Secret” Agent : The “Secret” Agent And sometimes the agent is implied/unstated. Ex: The leaky roof was repaired. Who or what is doing the repairing? Agent: the roofing company? Your uncle? Leaky Roof, Inc.? Answer: any of these The roofing company repaired the leaky roof. My uncle repaired the leaky roof Where’s the Agent? : Where’s the Agent? My teeth have lost much of their enamel. The paint was stripped with sandpaper. The girls were lost in the bathroom. Packages are shipped all over the world. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Pas-sive (adj) - tending not to participate actively; letting things happen to one, rather than making them happen Passive Voice : Passive Voice In a passive voice sentence, the subject is passive; in other words, it does not perform the action of the verb. It does not function as the agent of the sentence. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Example: The nail was pounded by the hammer. Passive Voice : Passive Voice Example: The nail was pounded (by the hammer). The subject “nail” does NOT perform the action of the verb. It passively lets the hammer be the agent in the sentence. Active Voice : Active Voice Active (adj) - carrying out an action or process, or able to do so Active Voice : Active Voice In an active voice sentence, the subject is active; in other words, it performs the action of the verb. The subject, then, functions as the agent in the sentence. Active Voice : Active Voice Example: The hammer pounded the nail. Active Voice : Active Voice Example: The hammer pounded the nail. The subject “hammer” acts as the agent and performs the verb’s action, “pounded.” Passive or Active? : Passive or Active? Which of the following sentences uses active voice? The car’s finish was stripped by golf size hail. Golf size hail stripped the car’s finish. Passive or Active? : Passive or Active? Sentence 2 uses active voice. The car’s finish was stripped by golf size hail. Golf size hail stripped the car’s finish. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 1: To eliminate wordiness The hammer pounded the nail. (active voice = 5 words) The nail was pounded by the hammer. (passive voice = 7 words) Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 2: To improve sentence clarity and readability Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Which sentence is clearer and easier to read? The murderer was arrested by the detective who had been shot by him. The detective arrested the murderer who shot him. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Sentence 2 is clearer and easier to read. The murderer was arrested by the detective who had been shot by him. The detective arrested the murderer who shot him. It takes the brain more time to process and understand sentence 1. The reader might have to reread the sentence to make sense of it. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Reason 3: To liven up the sentence Active voice sentences tend to use transitive and intransitive action verbs. Why Use Active Voice? : Why Use Active Voice? Example: The surfer crouched as the curling wave crashed behind him. Revision Activity : Revision Activity Revise the following paragraph so that sentences use active voice. Revise verbs so that they are “vivid” action verbs that “show” what is happening. Eliminate any wordiness. Use only the words you need to communicate the message/idea. Revise this Paragraph : Revise this Paragraph The night is suddenly filled with the sound of the town fire alarm. Volunteer firefighters are awakened from their slumber by the familiar horn. Immediately, fire gear is put on. Within minutes the air is filled by sirens. A family’s house is covered in flames. It is soon surrounded by the brave volunteers and their fire equipment. The family and pets are immediately rescued. Within two hours, the fire is put out. (approx. 71 words) Revised Paragraph : Revised Paragraph Suddenly, the fire alarm disrupts the night, rousing volunteer firefighters everywhere. Quickly, they don the familiar gear. Within minutes sirens permeate the air. As flames engulf a neighbor’s home, the brave firefighters surround it with their trucks and equipment. Immediately, they rescue family and pets and within two hours, they extinguish the last flames. (approx. 54 words) Revision Activity Reflection : Revision Activity Reflection How many LESS words did your revision use? How much clearer and more readable is your revision? How much livelier are your sentences?