UNDERSTANDING ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE

v  Voice is the form a verb takes to indicate whether the subject of the verb performs or receives the action.

v  There are two types of voice:  active voice and passive voice.

Active Voice

v  Active Voice – indicates that the subject of the verb is acting

v  Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.

v  These examples show that the subject is  doing the verb's action.

>        The dog jumped onto the boy.

ü  The dog (subject) is doing the jumping (verb).

>        Kristy will give a book report to the class.

ü  Kristy (subject) is doing the giving (verb).

>        The computer printed my paper.

ü  The computer (subject) is doing the printing (verb).

Passive Voice

v  In a passive voice sentence, the subject and object flip-flop. The subject becomes the passive recipient of the action.

v  Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice.

v  These examples show the subject being acted upon by the verb. 

v  The boy was jumped on by the dog.

ü  Boy (subject)  was being jumped on (verb)

v  A book report will be given by Kristy to the class.

ü  Report (subject) will be given (verb).

v  My paper was printed by the computer.              

ü  Paper (subject) was being printed (verb).

REASONS FOR USING THE PASSIVE VOICE

v  Passive voice is used when the agent (doer of an action) is obvious, unknown, or unnecessary.

J  Oranges are grown in California.

J  Toyotas are made in Japan.

J  Her purse was stolen.

v  Passive voice is used when the agent is known, but the speaker/writer does not want to mention it.

J  She was given bad advice.

J  A mistake has been made.

v  Passive voice is often used when the agent is very general such as people or somebody.

J  English is spoken here.

J  The door should be locked at all times.

v  Passive voice is used when the speaker/writer wants to emphasize a result or emphasize the receiver of the action instead of the performer.

J  Seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake

         =) The earthquake killed 7,000 people.

J  The professor was hit by three snowballs.

         =) Three snowballs hit the professor.

Reasons to Use the Active Voice

v  Most writers prefer to use active voice because it is more direct.

v  Compare

J  Active: The waiter dropped the tray of food.

J  Passive: The tray of food was dropped by the waiter.

v  The active voice is less awkward and clearly states relationship between subject and action.

v  Compare

J  Passive: Your request for funding has been denied by the review committee.

J  Active: The review committee denied your request for funding.

v  The active voice sentence pattern propels the reader forward through your writing thus avoiding weak prose.

When to Use Passive Voice

v  In general, the passive voice is less direct, less forceful, and less concise than the active voice. 

v  Use the passive voice in the following situations:

J  Use passive voice when you do not know or do not want to reveal the performer of an action.

J  Use passive voice when you want to emphasize the receiver of an action.

Examples

v  Awkward Passive:  My bicycle was repainted by John.

v  Deliberate Passive:  My bicycle was repainted.  (The performer is not mentioned and the emphasis is on the bicycle.)

Form of Passive Voice Verbs

v  The passive voice requires a "double verb" and will always consist of a form of the verb "to be" and the past participle (usually the "en/ed/t" form) of another verb.

v  Example:

                Active:  John baked the bread.

                Passive:  The bread was baked by John.  (Was is a form of the verb “be”.)

v  Writers should be familiar with the forms of "to be" , often called linking verbs, so that they can easily identify the passive voice in their work.

v  Review the forms of "to be":

J  am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been

v  Note the forms of "to be" in the examples of the verb "to kick" in various forms of the passive voice:

   is kicked - - - - - >had been kicked

    was kicked - - - - - >is going to be kicked
 is being kicked - - - - - >will be kicked
 has been kicked - - - - - >can be kicked
 was being kicked - - - - - >should be kicked

v  Often passive voice sentences will contain a "by" phrase indicting who or what performed the action.

v   Passive sentences can be easily transformed into active sentences when the object of the preposition "by" is moved to the subject position in the sentence.

v  Examples:

J  Passive: The cookies were eaten by the children.

J Active: The children ate the cookies.

J  Passive: The tunnels are dug by the gophers.

J Active: The gophers dug the tunnels.