ClearTips: Edit yourself

Switching from passive voice to active: Transpose the subject and the object

There are two usual ways of switching from the passive voice to the active. One is to transpose the subject and the object, cutting out the passive baggage in the bargain. The other is to give the sentence an active subject.

PASSIVE VOICE
ACTIVE VOICE
The bill will have to be approved by Congress.
CHANGE TO
Congress will have to approve the bill.
That book was written by Tom Wolfe.
CHANGE TO
Tom Wolfe wrote that book.

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