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Active – Passive Voice

Confusing??

Introduction

Passive

Quiz.

Active

Choosing

The 95% "rule"

This is very long, but it is very good. So, please try to read it with understanding. And then you should understand more.

I think of the passive voice as one of the tools available to me as a writer. A handyman has many tools, and some of them are needed more often than others. But just because hammers and screwdrivers are appropriate for more tasks than some of the more exotic tools in his toolbox, that doesn't mean he should just throw away all of the other tools. At some point he is bound to come across a task that calls for that weird little thingamajig he almost never uses, and when that happens, he will use that very thingamajig, not a hammer or a screwdriver. On the other hand, he would be very foolish to try using that odd little tool when all he wants to do is drive a nail or tighten a screw.

Even though it is true that the passive voice is sometimes needed, that doesn't mean it should be used very often. I tell my own students to make sure that at least 95% of their verbs are in the active voice.*****

In fact, even that may be too generous. No passive voice verb should be allowed to stand unless it can justify itself. In other words, every time you use a passive verb, ask yourself why you are using a passive construction there. If you don't have a good reason for it, then rewrite the sentence to use the active voice. Many, even most, of your essays will have no need at all for the passive voice, so keep it tucked away in the bottom of your toolbox and bring it out only to do those jobs that can't be done by the active voice.

Now let’s go to work!

Active Voice, Passive Voice

There are two special forms for verbs called voice:

1. Active voice

2. Passive voice

Active Voice

The active voice is the "normal" voice. This is the voice that we use most of the time. You are probably already familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the object receives the action of the verb:

active

subject verb object

>

Cats eat fish.

In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts. Examples:

The dog bit the boy.

Pooja will present her research at the conference.

Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis.

Watching a framed, mobile world through a car’s windshield reminds me of watching a movie or TV.

In each example above, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.

What do they mean?

Active Verb Tense

Active verb tenses identify the time of the action in your sentences. Make sure not to confuse active verb tenses with the active voice. While writing in the active voice requires the use of active verb tenses, tenses refer to the time of the action, and voice refers to how verbs function with respect to a sentence’s subject. Writing in the active voice is only accomplished through the use of active verb tenses, with each identifying when in time the active action takes place.

How are they created?Active verb tenses do not have a uniform form of construction. Sometimes the base or main verb is used in its simplest form, sometimes the present or past participle form is used and sometimes “to be” verbs are used in addition to a form of the main verb. Each tense is different, so make sure you are using the proper tense and verb construction when writing with active tenses. When using active tense verbs, the subject of the verb is the person or thing doing the action.

Simple present active tense

Simple present tense signifies a current action that is habitual, a generalization or something that is a timeless fact. The base form of the verb by itself or with an “s” or “es” when writing in the third person forms the active form of this tense.

Example 1: Finding solutions to real-world problems teaches the students.

Example 3: All citizens are equal under the U.S. Constitution.

Example 2: The runner from the school’s biggest rival beat her.

Present perfect active tensePresent perfect tense shows an action that takes place in the past but is relevant to the present or flows into the present. “Has” or “have” followed by the past participle of the verb, ending in “ed” or “en” for regular verbs, forms the active form of this tense. Irregular verbs have endings based on the particular verb.

Example 4: The school has notified the dancers regarding their acceptance into the program.

Present progressive active tense

The present progressive tense shows an action that is temporary or an ongoing activity. “Am,” “is” or “are” followed by the present participle (ending in “ing”) forms the active form of this tense.

Example 5: The company is manufacturing the purses overseas.

Simple past active tenseThe simple past tense shows a general or habitual action that occurred in the past, sometimes at a specific time. The base form of the verb with an “ed” ending or the irregular past tense verb is used to create an active form of this tense.

Example 6: The principal reprimanded the students for their actions.

Example 7: The principal taught the students a valuable lesson (irregular past tense verb).

Past perfect active tense

The past perfect tense signifies an action that happened prior to a certain time or prior to a separate action in the past. “Had” followed by the past participle form of the verb, usually ending in “ed” or “en,” is used to create the active form of this tense.

Example 8: The meeting had excited the students since the idea formed for it.

Past progressive active tenseThe past progressive tense signifies an action that is ongoing in the past or one that continues through a certain time in the past. “Was” or “were” followed by the present participle form of the verb (ending in “ing”) creates the active form of this tense.

Example 9: The student meeting was excluding the teachers.

Simple future active tenseThe simple future tense notates an action that is expected to take place at some point in the future. “Will” followed by the base form of the verb creates one active form of this tense. “Is going to,” “am going to” or “are going to” followed by the base form of the verb creates a second active form of this tense.

Example 10: Sarah’s professors will post her grades at the end of the semester.

Example 11: Sarah’s professors are going to post her grades at the end of the semester.

Future perfect active tense

The future perfect tense notates an action that is completed in the future prior to another future action or period in time. “Will have” followed by the past participle form of the verb, usually ending in “ed” or “en,” creates the active form of this tense.

Example 12: Careful lending practices will have improved the economy.

Future progressive active tense

The future progressive tense identifies an action that is going to occur in the future with an emphasis on an action that is continuing. “Will be” followed by the present participle form of the verb (ending in “ing”) creates the active form of this tense.

Example 13: You will be washing your laundry when you go home over spring break.

Passive Voice

The passive voice is less usual than the active voice. The active voice is the "normal" voice. But sometimes we need the passive voice.

In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ." phrase or may be omitted.

The boy was bitten by the dog.

Research will be presented by Pooja at the conference.

Experiments have been conducted to test the hypothesis.

by ?

I am reminded of watching a movie or TV by watching a framed, mobile world through a car’s windshield.

Sometimes the use of passive voice can create awkward sentences, as in the last example above. Also, overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can cause your prose to seem flat and uninteresting. In scientific writing, however, passive voice is more readily accepted since using it allows one to write without using personal pronouns or the names of particular researchers as the subjects of sentences (see the third example above). This practice helps to create the appearance of an objective, fact-based discourse because writers can present research and conclusions without attributing them to particular agents. Instead, the writing appears to convey information that is not limited or biased by individual perspectives or personal interests.

Constructi

on

Uses of Passive

Voice

Myths

Conjugation of

passive

Voice.

Passive

Voice

MythsSo what is the passive voice? First, let's be clear on what the passive voice isn't. Below, we'll list some common myths about the passive voice:

1. Use of the passive voice constitutes a grammatical error.

Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It's a stylistic issue that pertains to clarity—that is, there are times when using the passive voice can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean.

2. Any use of "to be" (in any form) constitutes the passive voice.

The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. Using "to be" can weaken the impact of your writing, but it is occasionally necessary and does not by itself constitute the passive voice.

3. The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something is in first person ("I" or "we") it's also in the active voice.

On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first person. Here's an example: "I was hit by the dodgeball."

4. You should never use the passive voice.

While the passive voice can weaken the clarity of your writing, there are times when the passive voice is OK and even preferable.

5. I can rely on my grammar checker to catch the passive voice.

See Myth #1. Since the passive voice isn't a grammar error, it's not always caught. Typically, grammar checkers catch only a fraction of passive voice usage.

Do any of these misunderstandings sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. That's why I wrote this. It discusses how to recognize the passive voice, when you should avoid it, and when it's OK.

Construction of the Passive Voice

The structure of the passive voice is very simple:

subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)

The main verb is always in its past participle form.

Look at these examples:

subject auxiliary verb (to be)

main verb (past participle)

Water is drunk by everyone.100 people are employed by this company.I am paid in euro.We are not paid in dollars.Are they paid in yen?

The passive forms of a verb are created by combining a form of the "to be verb" with the past participle of the main verb. Other helping verbs are also sometimes present: "The measure could have been killed in committee." The passive can be used, also, in various tenses. Let's take a look at the passive forms of "design."

Tense Subject Auxiliary

Past Participle Singular Plural

Present The car/cars is are designed.

Present perfect The car/cars has been have been designed.

Past The car/cars was were designed.

Past perfect The car/cars had been had been designed.

Future The car/cars will be will be designed.

Future perfect The car/cars will have been will have been designed.

Present progressive The car/cars is being are being designed.

Past progressive The car/cars was being were being designed.

A sentence cast in the passive voice will not always include an agent of the action. For instance if a gorilla crushes a tin can, we could say "The tin can was crushed by the gorilla." But a perfectly good sentence would leave out the gorilla: "The tin can was crushed." Also, when an active sentence with an indirect object is recast in the passive, the indirect object can take on the role of subject in the passive sentence:

Active Professor Villa gave Jorge an A.

Passive An A was given to Jorge by Professor Villa.

Passive Jorge was given an A.

Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be transformed into passive constructions. Furthermore, active sentences containing certain verbs cannot be transformed into passive structures. To have is the most important of these verbs. We can say "He has a new car," but we cannot say "A new car is had by him." We can say "Josefina lacked finesse," but we cannot say "Finesse was lacked." Here is a brief list of such verbs*:

resemble look like equal agree with mean contain hold comprise lack suit fit become

Verbals in Passive Structures

Verbals or verb forms can also take on features of the passive voice. An infinitive phrase in the passive voice, for instance, can perform various functions within a sentence (just like the active forms of the infinitive).

Subject: To be elected by my peers is a great honor.

Object: That child really likes to be read to by her mother.

Modifier: Grasso was the first woman to be elected governor in her own right.

The same is true of passive gerunds.

Subject: Being elected by my peers was a great thrill.

Object: I really don't like being lectured to by my boss.

Object of preposition: I am so tired of being lectured to by my boss.

With passive participles, part of the passive construction is often omitted, the result being a simple modifying participial phrase.

[Having been] designed for off-road performance, the Pathseeker does not always behave well on paved highways.

Use of the Passive Voice

We use the passive when:

1. we want to make the active object more important

2. we do not know the active subject

subject verb object

give importance to active object (President Kennedy)

President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

active subject unknown My wallet has been stolen. ?

Note that we always use by to introduce the passive object (Fish are eaten by cats).

Look at this sentence:

He was killed with a gun.

Normally we use by to introduce the passive object. But the gun is not the active subject. The gun did not kill him. He was killed by somebody with a gun. In the active voice, it would be: Somebody killed him with a gun. The gun is the instrument. Somebody is the "agent" or "doer".

Is passive always bad? No. Often it's useful.

The test will be completed by me.

?? Why not write “I completed the test”??

Or Why not write "The test was completed." This is passive but that's ok if you don't care who completed the test.

On the line, the bolts are adjusted to the correct tightness.Who cares who “tightens the bolts"? Does it matter? No. So passive is ok here.

Cars will be made from plastic in the future.

Here the focus is on cars -- not who makes them and that is appropriate here.

How can you tell if a sentence is passive?

To have a passive sentence, you need 3 elements:

1 BE (is/ are/ was/ were/ been/ be) + 2 VERB + 3 Past Form

was shocked

will be found <past form/irregular

has been determined

is requested

Conjugation for the Passive Voice

We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:

present simple: It is made

present continuous: It is being made

present perfect: It has been made

Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:

infinitive to be washed

simple

present It is washed.past It was washed.

future It will be washed.

conditional It would be washed.

continuous

present It is being washed.

past It was being washed.

future It will be being washed.

conditional It would be being washed.

perfect simple

present It has been washed.past It had been washed.

future It will have been washed.

conditional It would have been washed.

perfect continuous

present It has been being washed.

past It had been being washed.

future It will have been being washed.

conditional It would have been being washed.

Some suggestions

Choosing Active Voice

Choosing Passive

Voice

Changing passive to

active

Changing active to passive

Choosing Active Voice

In most nonscientific writing situations, active voice is preferable to passive for the majority of your sentences. Even in scientific writing, overuse of passive voice or use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences can cause readers to lose interest or to become confused. Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-- clearer and more direct than those in passive voice.

passive (indirect) active (direct):

The entrance exam was failed by over one-third of the applicants to the school.

Over one-third of the applicants to the school failed the entrance exam.

passive (indirect) active (direct):

The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill.

She slammed on the brakes as the car sped downhill.

Your bicycle has been damaged. (agent omitted)

by ?

I have damaged your bicycle.

Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.

passive (more wordy) active (more concise)

Action on the bill is being considered by the committee.

The committee is considering action on the bill.

By then, the soundtrack will have been completely remixed by the sound engineers.

By then, the sound engineers will have completely remixed the soundtrack.

Changing passive to active

If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly. Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the surrounding sentences which provide context.

Passive Voice Agent Changed to Active Voice

The book is being read by most of the class.

Most of the class is reading the book.most of the class

Passive Voice Agent Changed to Active Voice

agent not specified; most likely agents such as "the researchers"

the CIA director and his close advisors

agent not specified; most likely agents such as "we"

by ?

by ?

Results will be published in the next issue of the journal

The researchers will publish their results in the next issue of the journal.

A policy of whitewashing and cover-up has been pursued by the CIA director and his close advisors.

The CIA director and his close advisors have pursued a policy of whitewashing and cover-up.

Mistakes were made.We made mistakes.

Choosing Passive Voice

While active voice helps to create clear and direct sentences, sometimes writers find that using an indirect expression is rhetorically effective in a given situation, so they choose passive voice. Also, as mentioned above, writers in the sciences conventionally use passive voice more often than writers in other discourses. Passive voice makes sense when the agent performing the action is obvious, unimportant, or unknown or when a writer wishes to postpone mentioning the agent until the last part of the sentence or to avoid mentioning the agent at all. The passive voice is effective in such circumstances because it highlights the action and what is acted upon rather than the agent performing the action.

active passive

The dispatcher is notifying police that three prisoners have escaped.

Police are being notified that three prisoners have escaped.

Surgeons successfully performed a new experimental liver-transplant operation yesterday.

A new experimental liver-transplant operation was performed successfully yesterday.

"Authorities make rules to be broken," he said defiantly.

"Rules are made to be broken," he said defiantly.

In each of these examples, the passive voice makes sense because the agent is relatively unimportant compared to the action itself and what is acted upon.

Changing active to passive

If you want to change an active-voice sentence to passive voice, consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb, and then make that agent the object of a "by the..." phrase. Make what is acted upon the subject of the sentence, and change the verb to a form of be + past participle. Including an explicit "by the..." phrase is optional.

Active Voice Agent Changed to Passive Voice

The presiding officerThe presiding officer vetoed the committee’s recommendation.

The committee’s recommendation was vetoed by the presiding officer.

Active Voice Agent Changed to Passive Voice

The leaders

The scientists

The leaders are seeking a fair resolution to the crisis.

A fair resolution to the crisis is being sought. (by the leaders)

In each of these examples, the passive voice is useful for highlighting the action and what is acted upon instead of the agent.

Scientists have discovered traces of ice on the surface of Mars.

Traces of ice have been discovered on the surface of Mars. (by scientists)

Some suggestions

1. Avoid starting a sentence in active voice and then shifting to passive.

Unnecessary shift in voice Revised

Many customers in the restaurant found the coffee too bitter to drink, but it was still ordered frequently.

Many customers in the restaurant found the coffee too bitter to drink, but they still ordered it frequently.

He tried to act cool when he slipped in the puddle, but he was still laughed at by the other students.

He tried to act cool when he slipped in the puddle, but the other students still laughed at him.

2. Avoid dangling modifiers caused by the use of passive voice. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence.

Dangling modifier with passive voice Revised

To save time, the paper was written on a computer. (Who was saving time? The paper?)

To save time, Kristin wrote the paper on a computer.

Seeking to lay off workers without taking the blame, consultants were hired to break the bad news. Who was seeking to lay off workers? The consultants?)

Seeking to lay off workers without taking the blame, the CEO hired consultants to break the bad news.

3. Don't trust the grammar-checking programs in word-processing software. Many grammar checkers flag all passive constructions, but you may want to keep some that are flagged. Trust your judgement, or ask another human being for their opinion about which sentence sounds best.

Quiz

Read each of the following sentences and decide if the are in passive voice or the active voice. Click on you choice.

1. I ate a piece of chocolate cake.

2. The librarian read the book to the students.

3. The money was stolen.

4. They are paid on Fridays.

5. The movie is being made in Hollywood.

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active 6. I washed my car three weeks ago.

7. His hair was cut by a professional.

8. I will introduce you to my boss this week.

9. It would have been fixed on the weekend.

10. The national anthem is being sung by Jason this time.

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active

Passive Active