ACT (Enhanced)EnglishMedium
A student is writing an essay about the importance of environmental conservation. They want to use a strong, active voice to emphasize human responsibility. They have written the following sentence: 'The environment is being damaged by pollution from factories.' Which of the following revisions best uses active voice to highlight human agency?
- AFactories pollute the environment, causing damage.
- BPollution from factories damages the environment.
- CFactories' pollution damages the environment.
- DPollution from factories is damaging the environment.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Factories pollute the environment, causing damage.
Option D uses 'Factories' as the subject performing the action 'pollute,' which directly highlights human agency and responsibility, making it the strongest active voice construction among the choices.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Similar to A, this option makes 'Pollution' the subject, which is active, but less direct in highlighting who is responsible compared to 'Factories pollute.'
- C. This option uses a possessive 'Factories'' but still positions 'pollution' as the primary subject of the action, softening the direct agency.
- D. This option is active but focuses on 'Pollution' as the subject, rather than the direct agents (factories).
Active Voice
Active voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb, making sentences more direct, clear, and forceful.
- Subject performs the action.
- Emphasizes the agent of the action.
- Generally preferred for clarity and conciseness.
Memory trick: Active voice: The subject ACTS. Passive voice: The subject is ACTED UPON.