Grammar and Language Workbook

active
voice
, the subject performs the action. (He grabbed the last sandwich.) In a 
passive-voice
sentence, the subject is acted upon. (The last sandwich was grabbed by him.) Active-
voice sentences are stronger than passive-voice sentences. As a general rule, use passive
voice only when the subject performing the action is not known, when the subject is
unimportant, or when you want to emphasize something other than the subject.
 Exercise 1 
Rewrite each sentence below to create one or two sentences that are more
interesting and effective. 
We smelled smoke as we entered the house. We saw flames climbing up the kitchen curtains.
1. A space station has more room than a spaceship. Skylab was a space station built by the United
States. It had separate living quarters, separate work areas, and separate exercise areas.
2. My diploma was given to me at graduation. The principal congratulated me and shook my hand.
3. In Bangkok, Thailand, there is a system of waterways that are used as roads by the people.
People use boats instead of cars to carry goods. Some boats transport people to and from work.
Unit 14, Composition
325
Copyright © by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Name ___________________________________________________ Class _________ Date ____________________
Composition

---

4. We went to the first baseball game of the season. A foul ball was hit into our section. I was
competing with hundreds of other people to snag a foul ball and I actually got one.
5. His landlord doubled the rent. His boss doubled his workload. His paycheck was half of what 
it usually was.
6. Africa’s Sahara grows larger every year. Overgrazing and poor farming methods are eroding the
once fertile soil.