[NEW] Passive Voice | the passive – NATAVIGUIDES

The passive voice is often maligned by teachers and professors as a bad writing habit. Or, to put it in the active voice, teachers and professors across the English-speaking world malign the passive voice as a bad writing habit.

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What is the passive voice?

In general, the active voice makes your writing stronger, more direct, and, you guessed it, more active. The subject something, or it the action of the verb in the sentence. With the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by some other performer of the verb. (In case you weren’t paying attention, the previous two sentences use the type of voice they describe.)

But the passive voice is not incorrect. In fact, there are times when it can come in handy. Read on to learn how to form the active and passive voices, when using the passive voice is a good idea, and how to avoid confusing it with similar forms.

The difference between active and passive voice

While is all about time references, describes whether the grammatical subject of a clause performs or receives the action of the verb.
Here’s the formula for the active voice:
[subject]+[verb (performed by the subject)]+[optional object]

Chester kicked the ball.

In a passive voice construction, the grammatical subject of the clause the action of the verb. So, the ball from the above sentence, which is the action, becomes the subject. The formula:
[subject]+[some form of the verb ]+[past participle of a transitive verb]+[optional prepositional phrase]

The ball was kicked by Chester.

That last little bit—“by Chester”—is a prepositional phrase that tells you who the performer of the action is. But even though Chester is the one doing the kicking, he’s no longer the grammatical subject. A passive voice construction can even drop him from the sentence entirely:

The ball was kicked.

How’s that for anticlimactic?

When (and when not) to use the passive voice

If you’re writing anything with a definitive subject who’s performing an action, you’ll be better off using the active voice. And if you search your document for instances of was, is, or were and your page lights up with instances of passive voice, it may be a good idea to switch to active voice.

That said, there are times when the passive voice does a better job of presenting an idea, especially in certain formal, professional, and legal discussions. Here are three common uses of the passive voice:

1
Reports of crimes or incidents with unknown perpetrators

My car was stolen yesterday.

If you knew who stole the car, it probably wouldn’t be as big a problem. The passive voice emphasizes the stolen item and the action of theft.

2
Scientific contexts

The rat was placed into a T-shaped maze.

Who places the rat into the maze? Scientists, duh. But that’s less important than the experiment they’re conducting. Therefore, passive voice.

3
When you want to emphasize an action itself and the doer of the action is irrelevant or distracting:

The president was sworn in on a cold January morning.

How many people can remember off the top of their heads who swears in presidents? Clearly the occasion of swearing in the commander in chief is the thing to emphasize here.
In each of the above contexts, the action itself—or the person or thing receiving the action—is the part that matters. That means the performer of the action can appear in a prepositional phrase or be absent from the sentence altogether.

Creative ways to use the passive voice in writing

The above examples show some formal uses of the passive voice, but some writers take advantage of the shift in emphasis it provides for other reasons. Here are moments when the passive voice is a stylistic decision that suits the author’s writing goals.
1
Avoid getting blamed
There are times when you want to get away with something without making it crystal-clear who’s at fault. The classic example:

“Mistakes were made.” —most politicians

Who made them? Is anyone taking responsibility? What’s the solution here? One political scientist dubbed this structure the “past exonerative” because it’s meant to exonerate a speaker from whatever foul they may have committed. In other words, drop the subject, get off the hook.

2
Beat around the bush

Jane Austen is a master of poking fun at her characters so euphemistically that it seems almost polite, and the passive voice is one of her favorite methods for doing that.

were carried to a point of perseverance beyond civility, they could not give offense.” —Jane Austen,

“[He] pressed them so cordially to dine at Barton Park every day till they were better settled at home that, though his entreatiesto a point of perseverance beyond civility, they could not give offense.” —Jane Austen,

Austen could have rephrased this sentence like so:

“Though Mr. Middleton carried his entreaties to a point of perseverance beyond civility, they could not give offense.”

Though maybe she means something closer to:

“Mr. Middleton pushed his invitations beyond the point of politeness and into pushiness, but he still meant well.”

In cases like this, the passive voice allows for more polite phrasing, even if it’s also a little less clear.

3
Make your reader pay more attention to the something

This is like the president getting sworn in: the thing that gets the action of the verb is more important than the people performing the action.

were evoked by historians as an emblem of the city drowned in memories.” —Gabriel García Márquez,

“That treasure lying in its bed of coral, and the corpse of the commander floating sideways on the bridge,as an emblem of the city drowned in memories.” —Gabriel García Márquez,

Here, you could invert the sentence to say “Historians evoked that treasure (and so on).” But that would take the focus away from that oh-so-intriguing treasure and the corpse. And since the historians are less important here, the author makes the choice to stress the key idea of the sentence through the passive voice.

Here’s another famous example that puts the emphasis on what happens to the subject, instead of on what the subject is doing:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” —The Declaration of Independence, 1776

“All men” (and these days, women, too) get boosted to the front of the phrase because their equality and rights are the focus. It makes sense that a statement declaring independence would focus on the people who get that independence, after all.

So writers use it. Can you?

The above examples lean toward the literary side of things, but don’t forget that there are times when the passive voice is useful and necessary in daily life. In each of the sentences below, the passive voice is natural and clear. Rewriting these sentences in the active voice renders them sterile, awkward, or syntactically contorted.
Passive: Bob Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident.
Active: A motorcycle accident injured Bob Dylan.
Passive: Elvis is rumored to be alive.
Active: People rumor Elvis to be alive.
Passive: Don’t be fooled!
Active: Don’t allow anything to fool you!

Passive voice misuse

Sometimes what looks like passive voice isn’t passive voice at all. If you’re not careful, even the most careful eye can mistake the following sentences for passive voice.

Chester’s favorite activity is kicking.
The bank robbery took place just before closing time.
There is nothing we can do about it.
There were a great number of dead leaves covering the ground.

Despite what any well-meaning English teachers may have told you, none of the sentences above are written in the passive voice. The sentence about the leaves, in fact, was (wrongly) presented as an example of the passive voice by none other than Strunk and White in .
Here’s how to remember: using the verb doesn’t automatically put a verb phrase into the passive voice. You also need a past participle. That’s how to keep passive voice masqueraders from fooling you.

Use Grammarly to catch the passive voice

Grammarly catches instances of passive voice in your writing so you know when you need to switch it up. For example, when writing this, Grammarly pointed out that the first phrase was, in fact, written in passive voice. We ignored it, of course, for style reasons.

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The gist here:

• The passive voice isn’t a grammatical error; it’s a matter of style
• Use the active voice if it makes your sentence sound clearer and more natural
• Forming passive voice requires the verb “to be” a past participle
• The passive voice is your friend when the thing receiving an action is the important part of the sentence—especially in scientific and legal contexts, times when the performer of an action is unknown, or cases where the subject is distracting or irrelevant
• When it comes to good writing, don’t be passive—even if your sentences sometimes need to be
• Use Grammarly to help you find instances of passive voice
  

What Is a Passive Sentence? (with Examples)

A passive sentence is a sentence where the subject does not perform the action of the verb. In fact, in a passive

More Examples of Passive Sentences

Here are some more examples of passive sentences:

• Anita was driven to the theatre.

(In this example, Anita did not perform the action of the verb “to drive.” The action was done to her. She was the recipient of the action.)

• Nowadays, black kites are protected.

(The action is being done to the subject “black kites.”)

• The olives are stoned and crushed in this room.

(The actions are being done to the subject “the olives.”)

With a Passive Sentence, Use “By” to Show the Agent

In a passive sentence, the person or thing doing the action (the agent) is usually preceded by the word “by.” For example:

• Anita was driven to the theatre by Carla.
• Nowadays, black kites are protected by law.
• The olives are stoned and crushed in this room by my son.

The opposite of a passive sentence is an

Some Interactive Examples

Here are some interactive examples. In these examples, the agent (i.e., the person carrying out the action) is in bold.

• My cousin tackled the shoplifter.
• Heidi smashed the vase.
• Carl sounded the alarm when David reported the smoke.
• Carl sounded the alarm when David reported the smoke.

What Does “Passive Voice” Mean?

The verb in a passive sentence is said to be in the

• The bed was made by Rachel.
• (In this passive sentence, “was made” is in the passive voice.)
• Rachel made the bed.
• (In this active sentence, “made” is in the active voice.)

Read more about grammatical voice.

A Video Summary

Here is a video summarizing this lesson on active and passive sentences.

A passive sentence is a sentence where the subject does not perform the action of the verb. In fact, in a passive sentence , the action of the verb is done to the subject . For example:Here are some more examples of passive sentences:In a passive sentence, the person or thing doing the action (the agent) is usually preceded by the word “by.” For example:The opposite of a passive sentence is an active sentence . In an active sentence. the subject performs the action of the verb.Here are some interactive examples. In these examples, the agent (i.e., the person carrying out the action) is in bold.The verb in a passive sentence is said to be in the passive voice . Likewise, the verb in an active sentence is said to be in the active voice . For example:Here is a video summarizing this lesson on active and passive sentences.

Why Should I Care About Passive Sentences?

Active sentences come in the form “A affected B.” Passive sentences, however, come in the form “B was affected by A.” As a result, active sentences are the easier to read, and they are often more succinct and direct. Consequently, lots of companies instruct their staff to avoid using passive sentences. This practice is so common that many grammar checkers (be they computer programs or real people) will suggest an active version of your passive sentence. However, if you prefer your passive version, stick with it.

Here are five good reasons to use passive sentences.

(Reason 1) Passive sentences are useful to avoid blame.

Passive sentences are quite useful if you’re trying not to apportion blame.

• The document had been released into the public domain.

(This passive sentence hides the blame.)

Look at the active version:

• Jackie released the document into the public domain.

(Jaaaaackiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

Here are some more examples that do not reveal who was responsible:

• Bad advice was given.
• A serious failing in standing operating procedures had occurred.

(Reason 2) Passive sentences can show a neutral or objective tone.

• It is anticipated that concessions will be offered by both parties.

(This passive sentence expresses a neutral tone.)

(Reason 3) Passive sentences are appropriate when the doer of the action is unimportant, unknown, or obvious.

• Pistachio nuts are grown in Iran.

(The doer of the action (called “the agent”) is unimportant.)

• His parade uniform was stolen.

(The agent is unknown.)

• The thief was arrested.

(The agent is obvious. It’s the police.)

(Reason 4) Passive sentences allow you to put something you want to emphasize at the start of your sentence.

• An estimated 258,000 people were injured in alcohol-related crashes.

(The number of people is the focus of this sentence.)

(Reason 5) A passive construction allows you to use the same subject twice.

• Martin crashed into the barrier and was tossed in the crowd.

(In this sentence, the subject is “Martin.” The verb “crashed” is an active verb. It is followed by “was tossed,” which is a passive verb. This construction allows you to say two things about “Martin” in a natural and efficient way.)

Key Point

• Don’t be dogmatic about avoiding passive sentences because they can be useful for avoiding blame, portraying a neutral tone, or focussing on the recipient of the action of a verb rather than the doer.

Ready for the Test?

Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.

This test can also be:

• Edited (i.e., you can delete questions and play with the order of the questions).
• Printed to create a handout.
• Sent electronically to friends or students.

Here is afor this lesson.This test can also be:

Active sentences come in the form “A affected B.” Passive sentences, however, come in the form “B was affected by A.” As a result, active sentences are the easier to read, and they are often more succinct and direct. Consequently, lots of companies instruct their staff to avoid using passive sentences. This practice is so common that many grammar checkers (be they computer programs or real people) will suggest an active version of your passive sentence. However, if you prefer your passive version, stick with it.Here are five good reasons to use passive sentences.Passive sentences are quite useful if you’re trying not to apportion blame.Look at the active version:Here are some more examples that do not reveal who was responsible: