Passive voice - essay writing

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 2

Which sentence is more suitable for an essay about the high gas prices?

1. The war in Ukraine caused the high gas prices.
2. The high gas prices were caused by the war in Ukraine.

Today

You know why passive sentences can be useful.

You are able to make sentences passive.

Passive Voice

When to use it:

• The actor is unknown: ...
  
• The actor is irrelevant: ...
  
• You want to be vague about who is responsible: ...
  
• You are talking about a general truth: ...
  
• You want to emphasize the person or thing acted on. ...
  

Active

The war in Ukraine caused the high gas prices. 

Passive

The high gas prices were caused by the war in Ukraine. 

John was eating a snack

Is the subject the actor or the object of the verb? 

Actor: did John eat?

Object: did someone eat John?

I have never been to Wichita.

1. active
2. passive

I have never been arrested.

1. active
2. passive

The tower was built in 1802 by a French artist.

1. active
2. passive

The pizza made me sick

1. active
2. passive

Three people were injured by the fire.

1. active
2. passive

Make these sentences passive:

John's mother raised him in a small town. 

• John was raised (by his mother) in a small town .

Someone painted the building last year.

• The building was painted last year. 

You should not confuse Corona with the common flu. 

• Corona should not be confused with the common flu. 

Practice the passive

Two options: 

1. Challenging
2. (relatively) easy

5 paragraph essay