§ 8. Prefer the active voice over the passive.

Exercises

Basic

Edit the following sentences to eliminate the passive voice:

Intermediate

Count the passive-voice constructions in the following paragraphs. Decide which ones you would change to active voice. Change them.

Advanced

Find a published passage--two or three paragraphs--in which more than 50% of the verbs are in the passive voice. Retype it, providing the citation. Then, beneath the original, show your rewritten version.

        or

In the literature on effective writing, find three authoritative discussions of the situations in which the passive voice can be preferable to the active. Consolidate what those authorities say. In how many situations is the passive voice better?


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