Active Voice for Dummies

Active Voice is a way of speaking or writing where the subject of a sentence performs the action described by the verb. When we use active voice, the subject is doing something and is the main focus of the sentence. It's like a superhero taking action and saving the day!

Let's imagine that you and I are playing a game of catch. You throw the ball to me, and I catch it. In this scenario, you are the subject and you are performing the action of throwing the ball, while I am the receiver and being acted upon. If we were to describe this using active voice, we would say, "You threw the ball to me." Here, you are actively doing the action, and I am the one on the receiving end.

Now, let's switch things up and use passive voice. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, rather than performing the action. This can sometimes make sentences longer and more complex. So, if we were to describe our game of catch using passive voice, we would say, "The ball was thrown to me by you." Notice how this sentence is longer and the subject, "the ball," is no longer the main focus.

Using active voice helps us create clearer, more concise sentences that highlight the doer of the action. It adds energy and excitement to our writing, just like a superhero zooming into action! So, in a nutshell, active voice means that the subject of a sentence is actively doing the action, rather than passively receiving it.