Active Voice vs. Passive Voice - Answers

Identify the sentence as active or passive voice:

  1. The girls drive the car around town.
    Active. (The girls are the subject, and they perform the action named by the verb.) 
     
  2. An important lesson is learned by the teenagers when they get their first speeding tickets.
    Passive. (An important lesson is the subject, and it receives the action named by the verb.) 
  3. These men are enraged by the new office building in their backyards.
    Passive. (The men are the subject, and they receive the action named by the verb.)
  4. Good students work very hard to earn excellent grades.
    Active. (Good students are the subject, and they perform the action named by the verb.)

Rewrite these sentences in active voice:

  1. You are loved and cherished by many people.
    Many people love and cherish you. (Switch from passive to active voice by making the noun or pronoun in the "by" phrase the sentence subject. "Many people" will become the new sentence subject.)
  2. All of my friends were stricken with Mono during their first year of college.
    All of my friends caught Mono during their first year at college. (Switch from passive to active voice by using a new verb. In this case, "were stricken with" is replaced by "caught.")
  3. The bank robbers were tried and convicted by the federal court system.
    The federal court system tried the bank robbers and convicted them. (The noun in the "by" phrase is made the new sentence subject.)
  4. The high school graduates were given diplomas and congratulations by the principal.
    The high school graduates received diplomas and congratulations from the principal. (The verb phrase "were given" is replaced by "received.")

Rewrite these sentences in active voice, keeping the same subject:

  1. The New York Yankees were defeated by the Oakland Athletics in the last inning of the game.
    The New York Yankees lost to the Oakland Athletics in the last inning of the game. ("Were defeated by" is replaced with "lost to.")
  2. The good little boy was rewarded by his mother for making his bed. 
    The good little boy received a reward from his mother for making his bed. ("Was rewarded by" is replaced by "received a reward from.")