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Learn the disparities between active and passive voice with examples and guidelines for proper usage. Discover how to emphasize subjects and actions effectively in writing.
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What are the differences between? • John wrote this story. • The story was written by John.
Jane eats the sandwich • The sandwich is eaten by jane
John wrote this story. • In the first example, John, seems more important because "John", is the subject of the sentence.
The story was written by John. • In the second example, the play seems more important, because "play" is the subject of the sentence.
Active voice: • When the subject performs the action of the verb. • Example: John wrote this story.
Passive voice: • When the subject receives the action of the verb. • Example: The story was written by John.
Notice that the verbs in the passive voice consists of a form of be and the past participle.
Actors perform plays. • Plays are performed by actors. • Ms. Jones bought the painting. • The painting was bought by Mr. Jones.
Your question puzzles me. • I am puzzled by your question. • Loud noises frighten the puppy. • The puppy is frightened by loud noises.
What is Active Voice? • In the Active voice, the subject performs the action. For example: Joseph draws a picture. • Joseph is the subject and he is doing something (drawing).
What is passive voice? • In passive voice the subject is acted upon. For example: The picture is drawn by Joseph. In this case, the drawing is the subject and it is being acted upon by Joseph.
When to use passive voice • Use passive voice when you do not wish to emphasize the subject of the sentence. Example: • Smoking is prohibited. (passive) • The management prohibits smoking. (active) The passive sentence takes attention away from management, so they do not have to be in the role of the “bad guys.”
Passive Voice (con’d) • Also use passive voice when you wish to emphasize what happened and the person or thing acting is unknown or unimportant. Example • Poisonous gases were found in six factories. The use of passive emphasizes the finding of gases, not who found them. Note:Because passive voice often leads to awkward or wordy constructions, use passive voice sparingly and with good reason.
When to use active voice • Use active voice unless you are required or have very specific reasons for doing otherwise. • Active voice generally leads to more concise writing. • It clarifies who is performing the action. Remember: Staying active is a healthy practice, especially in your writing!
Change from active to passive • The dog has harmed the cat once before. • Pooja will present the project at the conference. • Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis. • Over one-third of the applicants to the school failed the entrance exam.
Revise by avoiding to be verbs • Houses were destroyed by the storm. • The cake was eaten by me. • Inexpensive ways for people to have fun are provided by parks. • Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Joseph Priestley. • A kitten was chosen by the family to have as a pet. • Last year 2,000 new units had been produced by the time we introduced the new design.
Possible Answers • The storm destroyed houses • I ate the cake. • Parks provide inexpensive fun. • Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in 1774. • The family chose a kitten as a pet.
Summary • Use active voice unless specified otherwise. • Make sure the subject is acting and not being acted upon. • Avoid to be forms of verbs
