Common error exercise - Active and passive voice https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/fyp/html/voiceex.

htm

Common error exercise - Active and passive voice

The following 10 sentences, taken from PolyU students' work, all contain an error in the
use of Active or Passive verbs. Correct the sentences in the answerbox below.
Then click to see the correct sentence and feedback.

Nurses must be trust and accept patients' reports of pain.

Correct sentence:
Nurses must be trust and accept patients' reports of pain.
Redundant auxiliary with active voice. The Present Simple does not use an auxiliary ('be'
or 'have').
The company should consider how much profit can gain by introducing this new
product.

Correct sentence:
The company should consider how much profit can gain be gained by introducing this
new product
Incorrect form of the main verb. 'Profit' is rarely the subject of an active verb.
Profit cannot 'gain' something.
Only 24% of respondents were correctly answered this question.

Correct sentence:
Only 24% of respondents were correctly answered this question
Redundant auxiliary with active voice. The Present Simple does not use an auxiliary ('be'
or 'have').
As the policy comes from rational analysis and base on experience, it is
grounded in fact.

Correct sentence:
As the policy comes from rational analysis and base is based on experience, it is
grounded in fact.
Incorrect form of the main verb. This verb is usually used in the passive.
Nurses' experience in caring for cancer patients in pain may be influenced their
attitudes toward pain management.

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Common error exercise - Active and passive voice https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/fyp/html/voiceex.htm

Correct sentence:
Nurses' experience in caring for cancer patients in pain may be influenced influence their
attitudes toward pain management.
OR
Nurses' experience in caring for cancer patients in pain may be influenced be influenced
by theirbreaks
This attitudes
thetoward pain management
cell wall, so the proteins. release to the lysis buffer.
These two 'corrections' have quite different meanings. Can you recognise in which one
the attitude is the cause, and in which the effect?
NOTE: In the first 'correction' the experience the nurses have may cause a change in their
attitudes – the attitudes will be an 'effect' resulting from their experience – while in the
second 'correction' the way the nurses experience their caring duties may be changed by
Correct sentence:
the attitudes they began with – the attitudes will be a 'cause' of the type of experience they
This breaks the cell wall, so the proteins release are released to the lysis buffer.
have.
Incorrect form of the main verb. The action releases the proteins; the proteins are
(passively) released.
The amplified light wave divide into two parts by the coupler.

Correct sentence:
The amplified light wave divide is divided into two parts by the coupler
Incorrect form of the main verb. Like the proteins in the sentence above, the light is not
active in this situation – it is the coupler which actively divides.)
Surprisingly, only 12.4% of the nurses had been attended a course in pain
management.

Correct sentence:
Surprisingly, only 12.4% of the nurses had been attended a course in pain management.
Incorrect use of the passive with intransitive verbs. It is not possible to use the passive
with intransitive verbs (i.e those with a direct object).
The collected data have coded and checked by comparison with the results of
other researchers.

Correct sentence:
The collected data have was coded and checked by comparison with the results of other
researchers
Incorrect form of the main verb. The passive is required here, not the Present Perfect, so
the 'be' auxiliary is used, not 'have'.
This digital system is used electronic methods to identify customers.

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Common error exercise - Active and passive voice https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/fyp/html/voiceex.htm

Correct sentence:
This digital system is used uses electronic methods to identify customers
Incorrect form of the main verb. The active voice is used here, with a direct object.

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