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Voice is one of the most tested grammar concepts because it directly affects clarity, emphasis, and tone—three things the AP exam expects you to analyze and control. You're being tested on your ability to recognize how writers make strategic choices: shifting responsibility, emphasizing results over actors, or creating directness and energy. Understanding voice isn't just about identifying sentence patterns; it's about understanding rhetorical effect.
The good news? Once you grasp the underlying mechanics, voice questions become predictable. Don't just memorize that active voice has the subject "doing" something—know why a writer might choose one voice over another and what effect that choice creates. This is the difference between a surface-level answer and one that earns full credit.
Before you can analyze voice strategically, you need to recognize it instantly. These foundational concepts show you how each voice is built grammatically.
Compare: "The committee wrote the report" vs. "The report was written by the committee"—both convey the same information, but active emphasizes who did it while passive emphasizes what was done. If an FRQ asks about emphasis or focus, this distinction is your answer.
Knowing when to use each voice is where grammar meets rhetoric. These aren't arbitrary rules—they're tools for achieving specific effects.
Compare: "Scientists discovered the vaccine" vs. "The vaccine was discovered"—active credits the scientists, while passive emphasizes the discovery itself. Use this example if asked about tone or emphasis in scientific contexts.
The ability to transform sentences between voices proves you understand the mechanics—and it's a common test question. The key is tracking what moves where.
Compare: Converting "The ball was thrown by Maria" to "Maria threw the ball" requires three moves: agent → subject, remove "was," object → end. Practice this process until it's automatic—timed sections reward speed.
These mistakes cost students points. Recognizing them in your own writing—and in passages you analyze—demonstrates mastery.
Compare: "The glass was broken" (passive—something broke it) vs. "The glass broke" (active—the glass performed the breaking, even if accidentally). This distinction trips up many students on identification questions.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Active voice markers | Subject-Verb-Object order, no "to be" + participle |
| Passive voice markers | "To be" + past participle, optional "by" phrase |
| Use active for | Clarity, directness, engaging tone, strong statements |
| Use passive for | Unknown doer, scientific writing, objectivity, emphasizing results |
| Active → Passive | Object → subject, add "to be" + participle, subject → "by" phrase |
| Passive → Active | Agent → subject, remove "to be," former subject → object |
| Common passive error | Overuse creating vague, wordy, or evasive writing |
| Tricky identification | Progressive tense (is running) is NOT passive |
What two structural elements signal that a sentence is in passive voice?
Compare "The experiment was conducted" and "Dr. Lee conducted the experiment"—which emphasizes the action, which emphasizes the actor, and when might each be appropriate?
Why might a politician say "Mistakes were made" instead of "I made mistakes," and what effect does this voice choice create?
Convert this passive sentence to active: "The novel was written by Toni Morrison in 1987." What changes, and what stays the same?
A student writes: "The ball is bouncing" and labels it passive because it contains "is." What's wrong with this identification, and how would you explain the difference?