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Long Night Against Procrastination

Resources used to facilitate our end of semester writing/study session, which is hosted in the library and put on jointly by the library, the student academic success center (SASC), and student life department.

Passive Voice

The First Deadly Sin of Writing: Passive Voice 

  • In most instances, put the verb in the active voice rather than in the passive voice.  

  • Passive voice produces a sentence in which the subject receives an action. In contrast, active voice produces a sentence in which the subject performs an action. 

  • Passive voice often produces unclear, wordy sentences, whereas active voice produces clearer, more concise sentences.  

  • To change a sentence from passive to active voice, determine who or what performs the action, and use that person or thing as the subject of the sentence. 

EXAMPLE 
Passive Voice: Thomas Jefferson’s support of the new Constitution was documented in a letter to James Madison. 

Active Voice: Thomas Jefferson documented his support of the new Constitution in a letter to James Madison. 

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