Active vs Passive Voice

Sample sentences

1. For our research studies we normally produce a preliminary analysis. We then publish the findings and circulate them to various experts. This is exactly what we did when we applied for the current patent. We are therefore very surprised that you have contacted us in this matter. We can assure you that we completed all the relevant documentation. In the meantime we will investigate your claims further.

2. For our research studies a preliminary analysis is normally produced. The findings are then published and circulated to various experts. This is exactly what was done when the current patent was applied for. We are therefore very surprised that we have been contacted in this matter. We can assure you that all the relevant documentation was completed. In the meantime your claims will be investigated further.

Form

Every active sentence has at least two parts:

a subject [1] + an active verb form [2]

We normally produce a preliminary analysis.

[1] [ 2 ]

Every passive sentence has at least two parts:

a subject [1] + a passive verb form [2]

A preliminary analysis is normally produced.

[ 1 ] [ 2 ]

Uses

We use the active verb form in speech and writing to describe actions and events. For example:

e.g. Paper still plays a vital role in our lives – newspapers tell us the events of the day, and books entertain and educate us.

e.g. Paper has been with us since 105 A.D. The Chinese first used it to make records; later it spread to all parts of the world.

We can use the passive in the following situations:

1. We are not interested in the doer.

e.g. Ancient paper was made entirely of rags; modern paper is made from wood pulp -a faster and cheaper alternative.

2. In process descriptions.

e.g. First the logs are stripped of bark, cut into smaller sections, and made into chips. The chips are put into a large tank called a digester and allowed to stew in a chemical mix under pressure. The wood pulp that is created by this process is then washed to remove any chemicals and pressed through screens to remove chunks and foreign objects. The pulp is then drained of water to form a mass that is then bleached and washed again.

The first two corresponding active sentences would be:

e.g. First we strip the logs of bark, then we cut them in to smaller sections, and make them into chips. We then put the chips into a large tank called a digester and allow them to stew in a chemical mix under pressure.

3. In impersonal language.

e.g. The chemicals in this process are toxic: safety clothing must be worn.

This is the typical style of a written order or instruction. The corresponding active sentence would be:

e.g. The chemicals are toxic: wear safety clothing.

Ex. 24. In the following sentences underline the verbs and decide if they are active or passive.

1. A repeater boosts the electrical signal so that longer cables can be used.

2. Men's ties are usually made of silk or polyester.

3. Nearly all paper can be recycled if it is sorted and contaminants are removed.

4. Geothermal energy is produced below the earth's surface.

5. The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions include fossil fuel generating plants and transportation vehicles.

6. Manufacturers choose plastic containers for many different reasons.

7. Oil was formed in underground rocks millions of years ago.

Ex. 25. Here is a list of changes which have taken place in a town between 1960 and today. Use these notes and the verbs given to write sentences to describe these changes.

Model: Four hotels have been built.

1960	today	verb
No hotels Wet land Small library Three factories River polluted Few offices No parks No airport	Four hotels No wet land New library extension No factories River clean New office block Two parks Plans for airport	build drain open close clean build establish plan

Ex. 26. In the following description of how plastics are shaped, put the verbs in brackets in the correct form.

There are many ways of shaping plastics. The most common way is by moulding. Blow-moulding (1) _____ (use) to make bottles. In this process, air (2) _____ (blow) into a blob of molten plastic inside a hollow mould and the plastic (3) _____ (force) against the sides of the mould.

Toys and bowls (4) _____ (make) by injection moulding. Thermoplastic chips (5) _____ first _____ (heat) until they melt and then forced into a water-cooled mould under pressure. This method (6) _____ (suit) to mass production.

Laminating (7) _____ (produce) the heat-proof laminate which (8) _____ (use), for example, for work surfaces in kitchens. In this process, a kind of sandwich (9) _____ (make) of layers of cloth or paper which (10) _____ (soak) in resin solution. They (11) _____ then _____ (squeeze) together in a heated press. Thermoplastics can (12) _____ (shape) by extrusion. Molten plastic (13) _____ (force) through a shaped hole or die. Fibres for textiles and sheet plastic may (14) _____ (make) by extrusion.

Ex. 27. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form, passive or active. Mind the tenses!

The most widely accepted theory for the origin of oil is that plants, animals, and marine organisms died and (1) __________ (sink) to the bottom of oceans, rivers, lakes, and swamps. Over millions of years more bodies (2) __________ (join) the pile and (3) __________ (cover) by mud and sand.

As the deposits (4) __________ (grow) deeper, pressure and heat (5) __________ (create). Slowly, what used to be algae, plankton, or ferns (6) __________ (turn) into a waxy substance called kerogen.

More heat, pressure, and a little chemical reaction and petroleum’s raw material was the result. Trapped under layers of rock, the petroleum (7) __________ (form) reservoirs. By drilling through the rock into the underground oil-bearing layers, the black gold can now (8) __________ (release).

This process, which (9) __________ (call) biotic oil formation, (10) __________ (continue) today. However, the process is so slow that it has almost no impact on the oil reserves that (11) __________ (deplete) today.

There is a competing, though not as popular, theory about the origin of oil. It’s called abiotic oil formation and would be great if it turned out to be true. The notion here is that oil (12) __________ (create) geologically; that it (13) __________ continuously (generate) by natural processes in the Earth’s magma. Abiotic enthusiasts (14) __________ (suggest) the process might (15) __________ (produce) as much oil as (16) __________ currently (extract).

This theory about how oil (17) __________ (create) was popular in the Soviet Union in the late Communist era but it (18) __________ (dismiss) by most Western geologists.

Listening

Ex. 28. Watch the video “Sedimentary Rocks” and answer the following questions.

Vocabulary:

1. rock kit – экипировка геолога

2. conglomerate – конгломерат

3. pebbles – галька

4. to precipitate – осаждаться

5. desiccation – усыхание

6. ripple – рябь

7. the Grand Canyon – Большой Каньон

8. feldspar – полевой шпат

9. cleavage – трещиноватость

10. groin – запруда, бухта

11. flume tank – лабораторная цистерна

1. Who becomes the best geologist, according to the presenter?

2. What are the two classes of geologists?

3. What share of land area is taken by sedimentary rocks?

4. What do all sedimentary rocks have in common?

5. What do desiccation cracks and ripple marks show?

6. What information can sedimentary rocks reveal about the conditions of accumulation?

7. How are the sandstone grains of Grand Canyon rocks described?

8. Why does the geologist compare Grand Canyon rocks with a sand dune and what conclusions does he draw?

9. What does roundness of grains imply?

10. What does good sorting tell about the process of sandstone deposition?

11. What process happens along beaches?

12. What is the trend of sand settling in the laboratory glass tank?

13. Why are thick sand layers leveled off?

14. Why do the sediments change from coarse- to fine-grained in such environment?