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Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice

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

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.

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.
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.

You can recognize passive-voice expressions because the verb phrase will always include a form of be, such as am, is, was, were, are, or been. The presence of a be-verb, however, does not necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive voice. Another way to recognize passive-voice sentences is that
they may include a "by the..." phrase after the verb; the agent performing the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this phrase.

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):

The entrance exam was failed by over one-third of the applicants to the school.
The brakes were slammed on by her as the car sped downhill.
Your bicycle has been damaged.

active (direct):

Over one-third of the applicants to the school failed the entrance exam.
She slammed on the brakes as the car sped downhill.
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):

Action on the bill is being considered by the committee.
By then, the soundtrack will have been completely remixed by the sound engineers.

active (more concise):

The committee is considering action on the bill.
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.

passive:

The book is being read by most of the class.
Results will be published in the next issue of the journal.
A policy of whitewashing has been pursued.
Mistakes were made.

active:

Most of the class is reading the book.
The researchers will publish their results in the next issue of the journal.
The CIA director and his close advisors have pursued a policy of whitewashing.
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:

The dispatcher is notifying police that three prisoners have escaped.
Surgeons successfully performed a new experimental liver-transplant operation yesterday.
"Authorities make rules to be broken," he said defiantly.

passive:

Police are being notified that three prisoners have escaped.
A new experimental liver-transplant operation was performed successfully yesterday.
"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:

The presiding officer vetoed the committee's recommendation.
The leaders are seeking a fair resolution to the crisis.
Scientists have discovered traces of ice on the surface of Mars.

passive:
The committee's recommendation was vetoed by the presiding officer.
A fair resolution to the crisis is being sought.
Traces of ice have been discovered on the surface of Mars.

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

Some suggestions

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

Unnecessary shift in voice:

Many customers in the cafe found the coffee too bitter, but it was still ordered frequently.
He tried to act cool when he slipped in the puddle, but he was still laughed at by the other
students.

Revised:

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

Dangling modifier with passive voice:

To save time, the paper was written on a computer.
Seeking to lay off workers without taking the blame, consultants were hired to break the bad news.

Revised:

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


 

 

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