Page 865 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing
P. 865
Examples of Sentences Rewritten in Active
Voice
Passive: The contract was drawn up by the company’s lawyers.
Because the sentence is in passive voice, you know that the subject,
contract, is acted upon. To switch this sentence to active voice, first
look for the word or phrase that tells who or what acted upon the
subject. In a passive voice sentence, the information will come after
the verb. In this sentence, the company’s lawyers drew up the
contract. Next, make that word or phrase the subject of the sentence.
Finally, change the verb to active voice—in this case, by removing the
helping verb and converting it to simple past tense.
Active: The company’s lawyers drew up the contract.
Sometimes, the by construction will be omitted, and you will need to
mentally fill in the blank to put an actor into the sentence:
Passive: The prisoner was sentenced to life without parole.
The sentence does not say who sentenced the prisoner, but logic tells
you that it must have been a judge. To rewrite the sentence in active
voice, supply the missing judge as the subject of the sentence:
Active: The judge sentenced the prisoner to life without parole.
