Try your hand at recognizing and changing the passive voice constructions in the following sentences. First, underline each passive voice construction; then, rewrite the sentence, making it active. Be prepared to discuss why the passive might be the better choice in some of the sentences.

1. An order for 5,000 T-shirts was placed by the Student Association.

2. Requests for class transfers will be accommodated if the request is made in person, the receipt of payment for the class is shown, and a $1 processing fee is paid.

3. Data were selectively collected to allow computation of the unique ratios utilized by “corporate raiders” in assessing a buyout candidate.

4. Detailed information on filling out the form is presented forthwith.

5. It has been decided that your proposal does not follow the RFP guidelines as outlined and, therefore, it must be rejected.

6. To implement the policy, a memorandum will be issued to all management personnel in my division.