Chapter 9 Active Voice and Passive Voice
Verbs are either active or passive in voice. In the active voice, the subject and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a do-er. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is not a do-er. It is shown with by + do-er or is not shown in the sentence.
Passive voice is used when the action is the focus, not the subject. It is not important (or not known) who does the action.
The window is broken. (It is not known who broke the window, or it is not important to know who broke the window.)
The class has been canceled. (The focus is on the class being canceled. It is not important to know who canceled it.)
The passive voice is often used. (The focus is on the passive voice. It is not important to explain who the writer is.)
Passive voice should be avoided when you want more clarity in writing. However, in some cases, you need to use passive voice to stress the action, not the actor. Also, passive voice can be considered more polite, as it sounds less aggressive or dramatic.
That building was built in 1990.
The car was invented about a hundred years ago.
I was told that Mary moved to a different country.
Your business is appreciated.
She was elected to city council.
It was rumored that the company would lay off a few people soon.
It is recommended that the billing process be shortened.
You can easily rewrite an active sentence to a passive sentence. The object in the active sentence becomes a subject in the passive sentence. The verb is changed to a “be” verb + past participle. The subject of the active sentence follows by or is omitted.
Sam wrote a letter to Jamie.
A letter was written to Jamie by Sam.
The government built a new bridge.
A new bridge was built by the government.
I recommend that you apply for this position.
It is recommended that you apply for this position.
Tense Passive voice form
Present: it is cleaned
Past: it was cleaned
Future: it will be cleaned
Present perfect: it has been cleaned
Past perfect: it had been cleaned
Future perfect: it will have been cleaned
Use the passive voice to:
Call attention to the receiver of the action rather than the performer:
The professor was hit by three snowballs.
Point out the receiver of the action when a performer is unknown or unimportant:
A love letter was slipped under the door.
The signs will be posted.
Avoid calling attention to the performer of the action (known as the “institutional passive”):
The fines will be collected on Monday.
Sentences written in the active voice are easier to understand than sentences written in the passive voice. Switching the passive voice into the active voice is straightforward, but it requires a bit of practice. The tense of the verb to be in the passive voice is always the same as the tense of the main verb in the active voice. In order to use the active voice, you will have to make the subject of the action explicit.
