Active: My friend asked for another helping.
Passive: Another helping was asked for by my friend.
Active: I misplaced my wallet.
Passive : My wallet was misplaced by me.
Active: The administration has selected three finalists for the open position.
Passive: Three finalists for the open position have been selected by the admin-
istration.
Note the simplicity and directness of the first sentence in each pair. The second sentences,
written in the passive voice, are clunky and noticeably longer.
S E N T E N C E S T R U C T U R E A complete sentence requires a noun and verb, and expresses a fully developed thought.
The two most common mistakes at the sentence level are extremes. Sentence fragments stop
too quickly; they are phrases that are not whole thoughts. Run-on sentences don’t stop soon
enough; they include two complete clauses or sentences.
