How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife

Manuel E. Arguilla

June 17, 1911 – August 30, 1944

Manuel E. Arguilla, a writer and a patriot, was born in Nagrebcan, La Union from a poor family. His
parents are Crisanto Arguilla, a farmer, and Margarita Estabillo, a potter. Their mediocre living was not a
hindrance for Manuel to attain his dreams especially in literature. He started writing stories when he was
in high school which was published in magazines. Literary critics accept his unsurpassed realistic and
vivid portrayal of the Ilocano peasants’ labors and way of life. He also used the local color extensively in
his short stories. He died during the World War II in the hands of the Japanese soldiers’.

Active Voice and Passive Voice

‘Voice’ – What Is It?

The term ‘voice’ is a term that is used to denote the form of the verb which shows if the subject in a
given sentence is the doer or receiver of the action. The voice of a verb describes the relationship
between the action and the participants (subject or object) in a sentence.

The Two Voices in the English Language

There are two voices in the English language and they are as follows:

Active Voice

Passive Voice

What is the Active Voice?

The active voice, in a sentence, denotes that the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in the
sentence is the doer of the action. In other words, the subject performs the action or acts upon the verb.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the active voice is defined as “the form of a verb in which
the subject is the person or thing that performs the action”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the
active voice is defined as “a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing
the action or causing the event or process described by the verb.”

What is the Passive Voice?

The passive voice, on the other hand, represents that the subject is one acted upon by the action or verb
in the sentence. It can also be said that the passive voice indicates that the subject in the sentence is no
longer active but passive.

According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the passive voice is defined as “the form of a verb used
when the subject is affected by the action of the verb”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the
passive voice is “formed using ‘be’ and the past participle of a verb. The subject of a passive clause does
not perform the action expressed by the verb but is affected by it.”

Using the Active Voice and the Passive Voice – Points to Remember
There are a few points that you have to bear in mind when using the active voice and the passive voice.
In the English language, the active voice is used generally as they give the information in a direct and
clear manner. Make sure you do not use the passive voice just because you think it sounds better. Use it
only if it is necessary. Remember that the active voice has the subject doing the action and the passive
voice has the subject receiving the action. If you want to communicate your thoughts and ideas clearly
and effectively, especially in a professional setup, it would be best to use the active voice.

A pro tip for you to master the active voice and the passive voice is to know the structure and formula by
which they work.

Active Voice – Subject + Verb + Object

Passive Voice – Object + Verb + Subject

Change of Pronouns

Active Voice Passive Voice

Active Voice

• Denotes that the subject is performing the action.

• The active voice does not require a linking verb to make sense.

• The active voice focuses on the doer of the action.

• Has a direct, clear and strong tone.

• Examples:

• I decorated the hall.

• Devi gave Shanthi a gift.

Passive Voice

• Denotes that the subject is acted upon by the verb or action in the sentence.

• The passive voice uses a linking verb followed by the past participle of the main verb.

• The passive voice comes in handy when the doer of the action is undetermined.

• Has an indirect, weak and subtle tone.

• The hall was decorated by me.

• Shanthi was given a gift by Devi.

There are a few other points that you have to know so that you can use the two voices effectively. They
are as follows:

When converting a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice, the first thing that you have to do is
interchange the subject and the object.

The next part of speech you have to focus on is the verb. When converting the active voice into the
passive voice, you just have to convert the main verb into its past participle or its third form. The third
form of the main verb is the past participle form of the verb.

When you are changing the tense of the main verb, make sure you use an auxiliary verb which maintains
the tense the sentence represents.

Always use the preposition, ‘by’ before the subject in a passive sentence.

If there are any adverbs used in the sentence with the active voice, be sure to include it in the passive
voice as well. Do not just drop it when you convert a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice or
vice-versa.

Examples of the Active and Passive Voice

Given below are a few examples of how to convert the active voice into the passive voice.

Active Voice – Twinkle likes adventure stories.

Passive Voice – Adventure stories are liked by Twinkle.

Active Voice – Latha is learning French this year.

Passive Voice – French is being learned by Latha this year.

Active Voice – Kurt has brought macaroons.

Passive Voice – Macaroons have been brought by Kurt.

Active Voice – Sidharth played cricket.

Passive Voice – Cricket was played by Sidharth.

Active Voice – They were making invitation cards.

Passive Voice – Invitation cards were being made by them.

Active Voice – Becky had packed the bags.

Passive Voice – The bags had been packed by Becky.

Active Voice – Mira will buy the refreshments for the party.
Passive Voice – The refreshments for the party will be bought by Mira.

Active Voice – Sanjay will have given the forms to all the participants.

Passive Voice – The forms will have been given to all the participants by Sanjay.

Writing a Letter

The letters you usually write are personal letters. Such letters include friendly, invitation, acceptance,
refusal, thank-you, congratulations, and cheer-up letters. There will also be occasions when you may
need to write letters of excuse and postcards. Today, electronic mail, or e-mail, has revolutionized our
way of communicating, and it has never been more fast-paced. But whatever type of letter, whether
written with the traditional pen and paper, or done electronically, it should follow acceptable
standards in clarity of thought and accuracy. It should also follow the proper form for its various parts.

The Parts of a Letter

The Heading. Write your address and today's date. Do not forget to include the ZIP (Zoning
Improvement Plan) code that should be written on the last line of the address, before the name of the
city. province, or district.

The Salutation. Sometimes called greeting, the salutation varies with the nature of the letter and the
relationship between the writer and the person to whom the letter is written. For a friendly letter, you
usually write the word Dear, with the first letter capitalized. You also write the name of the person you
are writing to, followed by a comma.

The Body. The body of the letter is where you share whatever information you want to say in your
letter. Here are some suggestions when writing the body of the letter.

• 1. Be courteous. Observe the rules of courtesy and never be rude. Avoid hurting
people's feelings. The letters you write re- veal your personality, so be as careful with
the format of your letter and the tone of your letter as you are with your personal
appearance.

• 2. Write simply and naturally. Write as if you and your friend are talking to each other.

• 3. Make your letter interesting. Make it amusing and lively. Try to be your most
interesting self in your letter.

• 4. Make your letter coherent and easy to read. Try to introduce every new subject in a
new paragraph.

• 5. Review your letter and check for errors before mailing it. Re- write your letter if
there are too many erasures and changes.

The Closing. The closing, or complimentary close, ends the letter. Like the salutation, the closing varies
according to your relationship with the addressee. The first letter is capitalized, and the last word is
followed by a comma. Examples of closing are Sincerely, Truly yours, Always, Love.
Signature. The signature is your name without any punctuation after it. Use your given name or
nickname when writing to relatives or friends. Write your full name if the person you are writing to
does not know you well. If the letter is typed, you can write your signature above your printed name.

Letter Formats

Two formats of letter writing are acceptable:

• The block format aligns all the parts of the letter on the left of the page. This format is
favored in typed letters and is becoming very common even in handwritten letters.

• The modified block format, as shown in the sample letter below, puts the heading,
closing, and signature on the right side of the page.

The Friendly Letter

A friendly letter is a good way to communicate with a friend or relative. Like a conversation, a friendly
letter contains a specific, personal message from you to the person you are communicating with friendly
letter.

Write a personal letter to a friend on a topic of interest to both of you. Make sure to include all the parts
of a letter in your work.

Social Letters

A social letter is a courteous announcement or response concerning a particular event. Social letters may
include thank-you, invitations, congratulations, regret, excuse, or condolence.

Thank-you Letter

In a thank-you letter, try to say something specific about the kindness that the person has done for you.

Invitation and Acceptance/Regret Letters

In an invitation, include specific information about the occasion, the time, and the place, and any other
specific details your guest might need to know. Today however, many people resort to cards or make
personalized ones on the computer, even with colored pictures. Whatever information is needed should
be on the personalized cards.

Always answer an invitation with either a letter of acceptance or a letter of regret letting someone know
that you will not be able to attend. If the letters R.S.V.P. (an abbreviation for "please reply" in French)
appear on the invitation, it's especially important to immediately send back a written reply, whether you
are accepting the invitation or not.

Congratulatory Letter

A congratulatory letter should always sound honest and sincere. It should not be effusive in its intent to
emphasize the accomplishment of the person being congratulated.

Cheer-Up Letter
Most cheer-up letters are sent to help lighten someone's feelings during times of illness, depression,
problems, or loss of a loved one. Thus, this type of letter should be written not only to fulfill a social
obligation or as a matter of courtesy but because the letter sender empathizes and feels for the person
addressed in the letter.

Excuse Letter

The letter of excuse is most common in the school setting. This is usually written by a parent to explain
his/her child's absence from school. It may also be written on such occasions as when one misses an
appointment with somebody and a telephone call will not suffice.

Parts of a Business Letter

Business letters are similar to personal letters, though they are more formal and are never handwritten.

There are six parts to a business letter. The heading includes your address and the date of the letter. The
inside address contains the name and the address of the person to whom you are writing. The salutation
is the greeting. It is almost always Dear and then the person's name, followed by a colon. The body is the
main part of the letter. The closing is the polite ending, such as Yours truly, Sincerely, and Sincerely yours.
The signature is handwritten directly below the closing and below the signature, type or print your
name.

Similar to the personal letter, you also use either the block form or the modified block form when writing
a business letter. When you use the block form, every part of the letter begins at the left margin, and
paragraphs are not indented.