Active and Passive Voice
Grammar Rules Guide - Chapter 1
The voice of a verb tells whether the subject of the sentence performs or receives the action. In English there are two voices, passive and active.
Active Voice
In the active voice the subject performs the action of the verb: The hikers climbed the mountain. Bob ran home.
Passive Voice
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb: An essay was written by the student.
Forming Tenses of Passive Verbs
The passive voice always consists of two parts: a form of the verb to be plus the past participle:
Present tense - it is painted
Past tense - it was painted
Future tense - it will be painted
Present perfect tense - it has been painted
Past perfect tense - it had been painted
Future perfect tense - it will have been painted
Use the Passive Voice to:
1) Call attention to the receiver of the action rather than the performer: The umpire was hit by a foul ball.
2) Point out the receiver of the action when the performer is unknown or unimportant: An announcement was taped on the door. The winners will be chosen.
3) Avoid calling attention to the performer of the action (known as the institutional passive): The dues will be collected next Friday.
Active and Passive Voice in Writing
The choice between using the active or passive voice in writing is a matter of style, not correctness. However, using the active voice is widely recommended because it is more natural, direct, lively, and succinct. The passive voice is considered wordy and weak in most cases.
Weak (passive): The bunker was blown up by the soldiers.
Strong (active): The soldiers blew up the bunker.
Weak (passive): The movie was enjoyed by Susan because the events of the Civil War were depicted so well by the director.
Strong (active): Susan enjoyed the movie because the director depicted the events of the Civil War so well.
Clues For Identifying The Passive Voice
1) An active verb may or may not have a direct object, but the passive verb almost never does.
2) It is...That construction (It is obvious that... It is noted...)
3) Use of the verbs To Be, Make, or Have (Passive: Your departure should be made quickly. Active: Leave quickly.)
4) Endings that turn verbs into abstract nouns: -ion,-ing,-ment: Passive: When application of force is used, the lid will open. Active: Apply force to open the lid.
Grammar Rules Guide Index
Active and Passive Voice - Chapter 1
Adjective, Adverb, and Noun Clauses - Chapter 2
Adjectives - Chapter 3
Adverbs - Chapter 4
Appositives - Chapter 5
Auxiliary Verbs - Chapter 6
Common and Proper Nouns - Chapter 7
Comparatives and Superlatives - Chapter 8
Complements - Chapter 9
Conjunctions - Chapter 10
Conjunctive Adverbs - Chapter 11
Dangling Modifiers - Chapter 12
Direct and Indirect Objects - Chapter 13
Fused Sentences, Run-Ons, and Comma Splices - Chapter 14
Homophones - Chapter 15
Independent and Dependent Clauses - Chapter 16
Interjections - Chapter 17
Mass and Count Nouns - Chapter 18
Misplaced Modifiers - Chapter 19
Noun and Pronoun Case - Chapter 20
Noun and Verb Phrases - Chapter 21
Nouns - Chapter 22
Parallelism - Chapter 23
Perfect and Progressive Verb Forms - Chapter 24
Prepositional Phrases - Chapter 25
Prepositions - Chapter 26
Principal Parts of Verbs - Chapter 27
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement - Chapter 28
Pronouns - Chapter 29
Regular and Irregular Verbs - Chapter 30
Relative Clauses - Chapter 31
Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Clauses - Chapter 32
Sentence Fragments - Chapter 33
Sentence Types - Chapter 34
Subjects and Predicates - Chapter 35
Verb Mood - Chapter 36
Verbals and Verbal Phrases - Chapter 37
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