Examples of Active Voice: Learn the Very Mechanisms of Grammar!
It’s grammar Time!
Actually, in terms of grammar, English is the easiest language to learn. That is, it would have been, if it wasn’t for that Active and Passive Voice thing… Well, it looks like you could use some examples of Active Voice!
Examples of Active Voice: Remember Your Pattern to Follow!
Dig a bit deeper into active voice examples, and you’ll see there’s really nothing to it. All you need is to see on a couple of verbs in sentences. First of all, let’s take an example of a verb and see its active voice forms:
| Simple | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | I fly. | I am flying. | I have flown. | I have been flying. |
| Past | I flew. | I was flying. | I had flown. | I had been flying. |
| Future | I will fly. | I will be flying. | I will have flown. | I will have been flying. |
| Future in the Past | I would fly. | I would be flying. | I would have flown. | I would have been flying. |
Examples of Active Voice and Examples of Passive Voice: Check!
Active Voice, Passive Voice – those two are completely inseparable, like twins. That’s why, to learn about the first, you’ll have to find out something about the second, as well. So make sure you’re familiar with the Passive Voice :
Rules and Examples of Active and Passive Voice Use
- Active Voice says who does stuff, while Passive Voice emphasizes what was impacted:
- Unlike Passive Voice, Active Voice is preferred in spoken language:
- Passive Voice uses “with” for inanimate objects and “by” for animate ones to indicate the doer:
He retells every unfunny joke in this movie.
Every unfunny joke in this movie is retold by him.
I sent you the letter last Friday. (spoken)
The letter was sent to you last Friday. (written)
The wooden toy was carved by John.
The wooden toy was carved with a knife.
You can’t use the Passive Voice form of the verb in any of thePerfect Continuous Tenses:
This guy has been watching me all day long. – I was being/have been watched by this guy all day long.
You can’t use a Passive Voice form of the verb in Future Continuous Tense:
She will be dealing with this business next month. – This business will be dealt with next month.
To be more specific, any form of Passive Voice actually makes you look at the situation from a different perspective – the one of the thing being affected, while any form of Active Voice makes you see the world from the perspective of the doer. Passive Voice is possible only for transitive verbs. And remember – having a direct object is the only thing what makes verbs transitive!
E.g., The policeman saw him. – He was seen by the policeman.
Examples of Active Voice and the Verb “to Be”: Important Notes
When there’s a verb “to be”, it’s always hard to tell the Active and Passive Voices apart. That’s why, along with the examples of Active, Passive Voice, samples will also play a great role in understanding the correct use:
Examples of Passive and Active Voice Using the Verb “to Be”:
In the Active Voice, “to be” rules are easy – you use this verb only to make Continuous and Perfect Continuous Tenses:
| Continuous | Be (am, is, are, was, were) + …ing | You were watching that stupid show all day. |
| Perfect Continuous | Have (has, had) been + …ed | He has been considered the greatest actor. |
When it comes to the real use of “To be,” Passive Voice is always there – like a notional verb in Active Voice:
| Indefinite | Is (am, are, was, were) + Past Participle | The door was opened. |
| Continuous | Is (am, are, was, were) +being + Past Participle | The movie was being shown. |
| Perfect | Have (has, had) + been + Past Participle | The lesson has been learned. |
All in all, the Passive Voice form is just a variety of the many forms of verb “to be”.
So, as you can see, the whole Active – Passive thing is really clear and orderly in English. All you need is to get the form of verb “to be” right.
Examples of Active Voice: Check Recommendations from Experts
Well, you’ve got the idea – all that you need now is a lot of practice! So, you need another set of examples in both voices:
| Examples of Active Voice sentences | Examples of Passive Voice sentences |
|---|---|
| I washed the dishes. | The box was opened. |
| The cat is sitting in the grass. | The house is being built. |
| The show has ended. | The fire has been lit. |
| He has been waiting for you. | The vase has been broken. |
Examples of Active Voice: Useful and Fun Exercises – Check Now!
Examples of Active Voice and Passive Voice: Active and Passive Voice exercises
| Active: name three things… | Passive: Insert one missing word |
|---|---|
|
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Congratulations – now you’re fully equipped to deal with anything regarding the Active Voice. So start your quest into English grammar!
Posted On September 17th, 2012 Essay Writing Tips | No Comments »





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