Which Sentences Are in Active Voice?

Which of the following is (are) in active voice?

As we expected, the host came late.

The company's attorney declined to comment.

The cake wasn't delivered to the right address.

A "no comment" response was made by the attorney.

The pipefitter didn't make the casing tight enough.

Answer:

The sentences "The host came late," "The company's attorney declined to comment," "The chairman adjourned the meeting early," and "The pipefitter didn't make the casing tight enough" are in active voice.

Active voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of a sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. In active voice sentences, the subject is the doer of the action, and the verb reflects that action directly.

In the given options, the following sentences are in active voice:

• "The host came late."
• "The company's attorney declined to comment."
• "The chairman adjourned the meeting early."
• "The pipefitter didn't make the casing tight enough."

In these sentences, the subjects ("the host," "the company's attorney," "the chairman," and "the pipefitter") are directly performing the actions ("came late," "declined to comment," "adjourned the meeting early," and "didn't make the casing tight enough"). The verbs reflect the actions performed by the subjects.

On the other hand, the sentences "The cake wasn't delivered to the right address," "A 'no comment' response was made by the attorney," "Our company was bought out by Acme Industries, Inc.," "These plans were drawn up months ago," and "Without clear direction, much time was wasted trying to decide what to do" are in passive voice.

In passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb rather than performing it.