Active Voice, Passive Voice

There are two special forms for verbs called voice: 1. Active voice 2. Passive 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: subject active Cats eat verb object
>

fish.

The passive voice is less usual. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb: subject passive Fish verb
<

object

are eaten

by cats.

The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb: subject active passive Everybody Water verb drinks is drunk object water. by everybody.

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 this lesson we look at how to construct the passive voice, when to use it and how to conjugate it.
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: 1

subject Water 100 people I We Are

auxiliary verb (to be) is are am are they

main verb (past participle) drunk employed paid not paid paid by everyone. by this company. in euro. in dollars. in yen?

Use of the Passive Voice

We use the passive when:

we want to make the active object more important we do not know the active subject subject verb was killed has been stolen. object by Lee Harvey Oswald.

give importance to active object (President Kennedy) active subject unknown

President Kennedy My wallet

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".
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 2

Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses: infinitive present past simple future conditional present past continuous future conditional present past perfect simple future conditional present past perfect continuous future conditional It will have been being washed. It would have been being washed. It will have been washed. It would have been washed. It has been being washed. It had been being washed. It will be being washed. It would be being washed. It has been washed. It had been washed. It will be washed. It would be washed. It is being washed. It was being washed. to be washed It is washed. It was washed.

Passive Voice
What this handout is about...

This handout will help you understand what the passive voice is, why many professors and writing instructors frown upon it, and how you can revise your paper, using simple strategies, to achieve greater clarity. Some things here may surprise you. In any case, we hope this handout will help you to understand the passive voice and allow you to make more informed choices as you write.
Myths

So what is the passive voice? First, let's clear up 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 your use of the passive prevents 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 constitute the passive voice by itself.

3. The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something's 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: "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. So we wrote this handout. It discusses how to recognize the passive voice, when you should avoid it, and when it's OK.
Defining the passive voice

A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, the one performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. To rephrase a familiar joke: 4

Why was the road crossed by the chicken? The chicken is the actor in this sentence, but the road is the grammatical subject. The more familiar phrasing places the actor as the subject--a subject doing something: A chicken (actor/doer) crossing the road (object). We use active verbs to represent that "doing," whether it be crossing roads, proposing ideas, arguing arguments, or invading houses (more on that shortly). Passive constructions are easy to spot; look for a form of "to be" (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past participle. (The past participle is a form of the verb often, but not always, ending in "-ed." Some exceptions to the "-ed" rule are words like "paid" and "driven.") Here's a sure-fire formula for identifying the passive voice: form of "to be" + past participle = passive voice For example: The metropolis has been scorched by the dragon's fiery breath. When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage. **NOTE: the passive voice is marked by a form of "to be" + the past participle--not a form of "have" alone + the past participle, as some students believe. So don't let the combination of "have" and "to be" fool you. In the next section, we discuss why you often want to avoid using the passive voice, but let's briefly look at how to change passive constructions into active ones. You can usually just switch the order, making the actor and subject one--putting the doer up front: The dragon scorched the metropolis with his fiery breath. After suitors invaded Penelope's house, she had to think of ways to fend them off. To repeat, the key to identifying the passive voice is to look for both a form of "to be" and a past participle, which usually, but not always, ends in "-ed."
Clarity and Meaning

The primary reason why your instructors frown on the passive voice is that they often have to guess what you mean. Sometimes, the confusion is minor. Let's look again at that sentence from a student's paper on Homer's The Odyssey: When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage. Like many passive constructions, this sentence lacks explicit reference to the actor--it doesn't tell the reader who or what invaded. The active voice clarifies: After suitors invaded Penelope's house, she had to think of ways to fend them off. Thus many instructors--the readers making sense of your writing--prefer that you use the active voice, that you specify who or what is doing the action. Compare the following two examples from an anthropology paper on a Laotian village to see if you agree. (passive) A new [drug] control system was set up. (By whom?) (active) The Lao People's Revolutionary Party gradually set up a system of drug control laws. 5

Here's another example, from the same paper, that illustrates the lack of precision that can accompany the passive voice: Gender training was conducted in six villages, thus affecting social relationships. And a few pages later: Plus, marketing links were being established. In both paragraphs, the writer never specifies the actors of those two actions (Who did the gender training? Who established marketing links?). Thus the reader has trouble appreciating the dynamics of these social interactions, which depend upon the actors conducting and establishing these things. The following example, once again from that paper on The Odyssey, typifies another instance where an instructor might desire more precision and clarity: Although Penelope shares heroic characteristics with her husband, Odysseus, she is not considered a hero. Who does not consider her a hero? It's difficult to tell, but the rest of that paragraph suggests that the student does not consider Penelope a hero (the topic of the paper). The reader might also think the student refers to critics or scholars. One might argue that the meaning comes through here--the problem is merely stylistic. Yet style affects how your reader understands your argument and content. Awkward or unclear style prevents your reader from appreciating the ideas that are so clear to you when you write. Thus knowing how your reader might react enables you to make more effective choices when you revise. So after you identify instances of the passive ("to be" + the past participle), you should consider if your use of the passive inhibits clear understanding of what you mean.
Summarizing history or literary plots with the passive voice: Don't be a lazy thinker or writer!

With the previous section in mind, you should also know that some instructors proclaim that the passive voice signals sloppy, lazy thinking--that those who use it have not thought through a process they are discussing. Imprecision follows. Consider these sentences from papers on American history: The working class was marginalized. African Americans were discriminated against. Women were not treated as equals. Such sentences lack the precision and connection to context and causes that mark rigorous thinking. The reader learns little about the systems, conditions, human decisions and contradictions that led each of those groups to experience their histories. And so the reader--your instructor-questions your understanding of these things. You particularly want to think twice about using passive constructions in thesis statements for these reasons. Strong theses and strong writing in general mark a writer who indicates the relationships between not only larger processes like these three above but also minor actions, such as those of Penelope's storming suitors. In papers where you discuss an author's work--e.g., historians or literary authors--you can also strengthen your writing by not relying on the passive as a crutch to summarize plots or arguments. Instead of writing

It is argued that or Tom and Huck are portrayed as or And then the link between X and Y is made, showing that you can heighten the level of your analysis by explicitly connecting an author with these statements. Anderson argues that Twain portrays Tom and Huck as Ishiguro draws a link between X and Y to show that Thus by avoiding passive constructions in these situations you can demonstrate a more thorough understanding of the material you discuss. You can show that you're not a lazy, sloppy thinker.
Scientific Writing

That advice goes well for papers in the humanities, you note, but what about technical or scientific papers, including lab reports? Many instructors require if not recommend the passive voice in such writing. The rationale for using the passive is that it achieves "an objective tone"--for example, by avoiding the first person. To consider scientific writing, let's break it up into two main types: lab reports and writing about a scientific topic or literature Lab Reports Although more and more scientific journals accept first-person active voice (e.g., "then we sequenced the human genome"), many of your instructors want you to remove yourself from your lab report by using the passive voice (e.g., "then the human genome was sequenced"). Such advice particularly applies to the section on Methods and Materials, where a procedure "is followed." While you might employ the passive voice to retain objectivity, you can still use active constructions in some instances and retain your objective stance. Thus it's useful to keep in mind the sort of active verbs you might use in lab reports. Examples include: supported, indicated, suggested, corresponded, challenged, yielded, showed. Thus instead of writing A number of things are indicated by these results. you could write These results indicate a number of things. or Further analysis showed/suggested/yielded Ultimately, you should find out your instructor's preference regarding your use of the passive in lab reports. Writing about Scientific Topics or Literature Other assignments relate not to your own scientific work but to that of others--such as literature reviews and research on scientific topics. Two main issues arise here: Reporting what other people have specifically done (e.g., research or experiments) or indicating general scientific knowledge (e.g., the body of knowledge coming out of others' research). Often the two go together. In both instances, you can easily use active constructions even though you might be tempted by the passive--especially if you're used to writing your own lab reports in the passive. 7

You decide: Which of these two examples represents clearer style? Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in the United States. (passive) or Research points to heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States. Alternatively, you could write this sentence with human actors: Researchers have concluded that heart disease is the leading caue of death in the United States. The last two sentences illustrate a relationship that the first one lacks. The first example does not illustrate the "who" or "what" that leads us to accept this conclusion about heart disease. Here's one last example from a report that describes angioplasty. Which sounds better? The balloon is positioned in an area of blockage and is inflated. or The surgeon positions the balloon in an area of blockage and inflates it. The point is that you can improve your scientific writing by relying less on the passive. The advice for papers on history or literature equally applies to papers in more "scientific" courses. Just as for writing in the humanities, use of the passive may convey to your reader a sense of uncertainty and imprecision regarding your writing and thinking. The key is to know when your instructor wants you to use the passive voice. For a more general discussion of writing in the sciences, see our handout.
"Swindles and Perversions"

Before we discuss a few instances when one might actually prefer the passive, we should mention one of the more political uses of the passive: to hide blame or obscure responsibility. You wouldn't do this, but you can learn how to become a critic of those who exhibit what George Orwell included among the "swindles and perversions" of writing--vaguely couching one's culpability in the passive voice. For example: Mistakes were made. The Exxon Company accepts that a few gallons might have been spilled. By becoming critically aware of how others use language to shape clarity and meaning you can learn how better to revise your own work. Keep Orwell's swindles and perversions in mind as you read other writers, since some people use the passive to avoid responsibility when they know who's responsible for the action.
So when is it OK to use the passive?

Sometimes it's better to use the passive. Indeed, many style "gurus" would argue that good style depends on variety; thus why shouldn't that apply to the active and passive voices? We agree--but note that variety itself is not the issue. You should be deliberate when choosing between the active and passive. We highlight a few instances when the passive voice is quite useful: 1. To emphasize an object. X number of votes are required to pass the bill.

2. To de-emphasize an unknown subject/actor. Over 120 different contaminants have been dumped into the river. If you don't know who the actor is, then the passive makes more sense. But remember, if you do know the actor, and if the clarity and meaning of your writing would benefit from indicating him/her/it/them, then use an active construction. Yet consider the third case. 3. If your readers don't need to know who's responsible for the action. Here's where your choice can be difficult; some instances are less clear than others. Try to put yourself in your reader's position to anticipate how they will react to the way you have phrased your thoughts.
Summary of Strategies

Identify

Look for the passive voice: "to be" + a past participle (usually, but not always, ending in "ed") If you don't see both components, move on.

Evaluate

Is the doer/actor indicated? Should you indicate him/her/it? Does it really matter who's responsible for the action? Would your reader ask you to clarify a sentence because of an issue related to your use of the passive? Do you use a passive construction in your thesis statement? Do you use the passive as a crutch in summarizing a plot or history, in describing something? Do you want to emphasize the object?

Revise

Switch the sentence around to make the subject and actor one: Put the doer in front of the verb.

Towards active thinking and writing

We encourage you to keep these tips in mind as you revise. While you may be able to employ this advice as you write your first draft, that's not necessarily always possible. As for most writing, clarity comes when you revise, not on your first try. Don't stress about the passive if that stress inhibits you in getting your ideas down. But do look for it when you revise. Actively make choices about its proper place in your writing. Prioritize your use of the passive when you revise: Which instances hide actors or otherwise prevent your reader from understanding the relationships you discuss? There is nothing grammatically or otherwise "wrong" about using the passive voice. The key is to recognize when you should, when you shouldn't, and when your instructor just doesn't want you to. These choices are yours. We hope this handout helps you to make them.
For further reading on the passive voice and how to strengthen your verbs

Anson, Chris M. and Robert A. Schwegler. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers. Second edition. (2000). Pages 118-120; 270-272; 262-64; 369-71; 448. Baron, Dennis. "The Passive Voice can be your friend," Declining Grammar and Other Essays On the English Vocabulary (Urbana: NCTE, 1989), pp. 17-22. Hjortshoj, Keith. The Transition to College Writing. (2001). Pages 119-121. Lanham, Richard. Revising Prose. Fourth edition. (2000). Orwell, George. Politics and the English Language. (1946). Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. Third edition. (1997).Pages 240-243; 326-327; 340-344. Strunk and White. The Elements of Style. Third edition. (1979). Pages 18-19. Trimble, John R. Writing with Style. Pages 55-58. Williams, Joseph. Style: Ten lessons in clarity and grace. Sixth edition. (2000). Chapter 3 and pages 70ff.

Passive

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The instructions have been changed. She will have to be taught. This car was manufactured in Japan by Toyota. Why aren't the exercises being finished on time? Last year 2,000 new units had been produced by the time we introduced the new design. 10

6. Casual clothes must not be worn. 7. $400,000 in profit has been reported this year. 8. The test will be given at five o'clock this afternoon. 9. Students are required to wear uniforms at all times. 10. This rumor must have been started by our competitors. 11. All work will have been completed by five o'clock this evening. 12. We were told to wait here. 13. Lunch was being served when we arrived. 14. Lectures are recorded and posted on the Internet. 15. Portuguese has always been spoken in this village.

Passive Voice

The passive voice is used when focusing on the person or thing affected by an action.

The Passive is formed: Passive Subject To Be Past Particple It is often used in business and in other areas where the object of the action is more important than those who perform the action. For Example: We have produced over 20 different models in the past two years. Changes to: Over 20 different models have been produced in the past two years. If the agent (the performer of the action) is important, use "by" For Example: Tim Wilson wrote "The Flight to Brunnswick" in 1987. Changes to:"The Flight to Brunnswick" was written in 1987 by Tim Wilson. Only verbs that take an object can be used in the passive.

The following chart includes sentences changed from the active to the passive in the principal tenses. Active Passive Time Reference Present Simple

They make Fords in Fords are made in Cologne. Cologne. Susan is cooking dinner. James Joyce wrote "Dubliners".

Dinner is being cooked by Present Susan Continuous "Dubliners" was written Past Simple by James Joyces. Past Continuous

They were painting The house was being the house when I painted when I arrived. arrived.

They have produced Over 20 models have Present over 20 models in been produced in the past Perfect the past two years. two years. They are going to Future A new factory is going to build a new factory Intention be built in Portland. in Portland. with Going to 11

I will finish it tomorrow.

It will be finished tomorrow.

Future Simple

English passive voice

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The passive voice is a form of the verb used when the subject receives the action of the verb, in contrast to the active voice, where the subject performs the action of the verb. In English, the passive voice consists of a form of the verb "to be" plus a past participle. For example, in the sentence The ball was thrown the verb phrase "was thrown" is in the passive voice; "was" is a form of "to be", and "thrown" is the past participle of the verb "to throw." The person or thing who performs the action of a passive verb (known as the agent) does not have to be expressed, but can be included in a prepositional phrase, usually starting with the preposition "by": The ball was thrown by the boy. Many style guides, language educators and cultural critics advise against the use or overuse of the passive voice. Most people who object to it say that it impedes both clarity and brevity, that its use can produce awkward constructions, or that it is generally weaker than the active voice. Writers sometimes intentionally use the passive voice to avoid assigning responsibility for an action, or to imply authority for a point of view. Other writers may use it because its ubiquity in the news media, government, textbooks, academia, law, and encyclopedias makes it "sound better" to them than the active voice (i.e., the opposite construction of the passive voice). These are stylistic issues; a sentence in the passive voice is not "wrong" in that it is not ungrammatical, and can in some cases be a better choice than the active voice.
Structure

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The passive voice is a phraseology or construction of the auxiliary (or "helping") verb be plus a transitive verb. The actor is not the subject of the sentence (or phrase). If the actor is included, it is in a prepositional phrase after the verb. John threw the ball. (active voice) The ball was thrown by John. (passive voice) The ball was thrown. (passive voice) The first construction is in the active voice. The second construction, in the passive voice, is easy to identify because the actor, John, appears in a prepositional phrase, rather than being the subject of the sentence. The ball, the thing he acts upon (called the patient in linguistics), is the subject of the sentence rather than the direct object in the predicate. This construction is easy to change to the active voice. The third construction leaves out the actor, John, entirely. Thus the reader may be left with the question: "Who threw the ball?" This is not common to all passive sentences. In some cases, the subject is unimportant or is easy to determine through context. For example, in the sentence Two suspects were arrested, the reader can easily presume that the arrestor is a police officer.

Identifying the passive voice

Is the actor in a prepositional phrase? Is the actor anywhere other than the subject of the sentence (or clause)? Is the subject being acted upon rather than acting? Does it leave the reader wondering who did it?

In linguistics terminology
Morphologically, the English passive voice is a periphrastic construction consisting of a form of the auxiliary verb be and the past participle of a transitive verb, as illustrated by the following sentences (passives in bold). Often people are helped by their neighbors after fires. Her car was scratched by another in the parking lot. Many will be killed if there is a revolution. This article has been judged unsatisfactory. Ditransitive verbs permit a passive accompanied by a direct object. In the first of the following sentences, "sent" is a verb in the active voice; "was sent" is its passive equivalent: 13

Someone sent a present to her. or Someone sent her a present. A present was sent (to her by someone). She was sent a present (by someone).
Usage

Many usage guides and teachers of English discourage the use of the passive voice because it is believed to obscure the agent or to create unnecessary ambiguity[1]. The passive voice may be vague, or it may obscure the cause but not the effect: Mistakes were made. (passive voice) I made mistakes. (active voice) But this "bureaucratic passive" usage may be very effective when a writer/speaker intentionally wishes to avoid mentioning the party responsible for (or affected by) an untoward occurrence: Taxes were raised. Difficulties were encountered. In other cases, the passive voice is less awkward and the active voice would rarely be used, possibly because the agent is implied: He was born on August 1. (passive voice) rather than: His mother gave birth to him on August 1. (active voice) Sometimes, the passive voice is preferable because a writer wishes to place or maintain emphasis on the patient of the action, not for purposes of deception or concealment, but simply as a matter of style. In such cases, the agent may also be obvious, or explicitly supplied with a by X construction later on. A foul ball hit the umpire. (active voice) The umpire was hit by a foul ball. (passive voice) In related cases, the passive may be used to mainitain better "old/new information flow:" i.e., if the patient is known from previous context, but the agent (etc.) is new information. Compare the following: Another highly valuable precious metal is gold. In prehistoric times, people first discovered this metal. (active voice) 14

Another highly valuable precious metal is gold. This metal was first discovered in prehistoric times. (passive voice) Some people would consider the second pair of sentences to 'flow' better since 'this metal,' referring to 'gold' (i.e., the 'old' information in sentence 2), appears closer to the front of the sentence, more logically connecting it with the previous context and easing the transition to all the newer information about gold, which comes afterward. The passive voice is still commonly used in formal and business communications. Particularly in journalistic writing, science writing, and law, the passive voice is often considered normal, rather than a sign of deception. Similarly, in scientific writing it is sometimes more convenient to use the passive voice with an implied agent, for example: The error was found to result from contamination instead of We found the error to result from contamination. However, contemporary scientific writing is increasingly using the active voice, usually with "we" as the subject. There is also a trend to reduce the use of the passive voice in law, particularly in documents meant for public consumption, such as software licenses.
Ambiguity of Be + Past Participle

The common use of past participles as adjectival complements with be as a linking verb leads to ambiguity between this construction and the passive. Thus They were married ten years ago is ambiguous in that it describes either an event (a couple was joined in matrimony by an authorized party) or a state resulting from such an event. Although usually resolved by context, such ambiguity can be avoided by rewording or by adding omitted information: They were (already) married (when I met them) ten years ago. (state reading) They were married ten years ago (in a civil ceremony/by a justice of the peace).

Introduction The passive voice is an important grammatical structure that appears in every form of written and spoken English. Knowledge of this construction is vital for reading

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and writing English in everyday life. Passive voice constructions can be especially insidious, for failure to understand them correctly can actually lead to a misinterpretation of vital information. This work presents a brief description of the passive voice and how it is used in English language discourse. MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS 1. Passive voice structures are an essential component of English rhetorical structure. 2. The ability to produce correct passive voice structures is an indispensable requisite for success in writing English. 3. The ability to comprehend passive voice structures is an indispensable requisite for success in reading English. 4. The comprehension and production of passive voice structures pose a significant challenge for many students. 5. Failure to understand a passive voice sentence can result in a serious misinterpretation of information. 6. Young students perform better on some types of passive constructions than on others. 7. Under certain circumstances, information in passive voice sentences can be made more accessible to students by being recast into active voice sentences. 8. Course materials can be structured to enhance students comprehension of passive voice structures.

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