Writing Lesson 2.32 – Pass the Action, Please!

In its most basic form, a sentence consists of a noun and a verb, an actor and an action, someone doing something.

Jesus wept.

The cat sat.

A quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

We can extend this action by adding a direct object–something that carries the action. This structure tells us, in a very direct way, who did what.

The boy threw a ball.

Grandma baked cookies.

She whistled a tune.

The sentences above are written in active voice,

but in a sentence written in passive voice, the actor is an afterthought and may disappear entirely.

The ball was thrown by the boy.

Cookies were baked by Grandma.

A tune was whistled.

Sounds sorta goofy, huh? A little boring?

Did you notice how the verbs changed? One way to spot a passive sentence is to look for a “helping” verb (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, etc.) in front of the main verb.

To keep your writing exciting, make sure your sentences pass the action!

Exercise:

Below you’ll find some familiar active sentences rewritten in passive voice. Can you put them back in active voice?

• By the sea shore, sea shells were sold by a girl.
• A peck of pickled peppers was picked by Peter Piper.
• May flowers were brought by April showers.
• Nine stitches are saved by one made in time.
• No moss is gathered by a rolling stone.

This week, be alert for examples of passive sentences when you read. See if you can transpose them into active voice to make them more interesting and exciting.