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Review of Review of tensetense and and voicevoice

• This presentation explains two different characteristics of verbs: tense and voice. Knowing this vocabulary will help you discuss sentence characteristics accurately.

For use with Technical Editing, 3rd ed.

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TTense = ense = TTimeimeVerb tense specifies time of the action

further past past now future

past perfect past tense

present future

The team The team The team The team

had played played plays will play

three games ...

yesterday.

each week.

tomorrow.

…when their rival beat them.

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VoiceVoice = = relationship relationship between the subject and between the subject and the action expressed by the action expressed by the verbthe verb

Does the subject act?

Is the subject acted upon?

 active voice  passive voice

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Active voiceActive voice

• The students took the test on May 7. – subject = students– students performed the action of

taking– active voice

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Passive voice Passive voice

• The test was given in the computer classroom. – subject = test– the test did not act (give) but

received the action of giving– passive voice

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Marks of passive voiceMarks of passive voice

• To be verb (is, are, was, were, have been)

• Past participle– usually an -ed word—completed,

organized, complained– irregular verbs have irregular past

participles—given, taken, written, built

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Examples of passive voiceExamples of passive voice

• Rome was not built in a day. • Apples are fertilized with

organic materials.• Applicants’ race and gender are

not considered.

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Past tense and passive Past tense and passive voicevoice• Past tense and passive voice use

past participles.

• Use other markers to distinguish voice from tense.

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Tense and voice Tense and voice togethertogether

Transitive verbs have both tense and voice.– In active voice, the past participle

identifies past tense. • I completed the project.

– In passive voice, the to be verb identifies tense. • The project will be completed. • The project was completed yesterday.

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Weak verbs and passive Weak verbs and passive voicevoice

Weak verbs may sound passive, but voice always refers to the relation of subject and the action in the verb, not to strength and weakness.These examples use weak verbs but not passive voice.

– This lesson is important. (to be verb) – This course involves grammar. (active

voice)

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Summary: Tense and Summary: Tense and VoiceVoice• Tense = Time

– Verb tense places an action in the past, present, or future.

• Voice = relationship of the subject to the action in the verb– active voice: subject performs the

action– passive voice: subject receives the

action

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