More about Passive Voice,Active Voice Vs. 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 by itself constitute the passive voice. 3. Myth: The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something is in first person (“I” or “we”) it’s also in the active v See more WebThe subject of the passive voice sentence performs the action expressed in the verb in this example. Reasons to Avoid Passive Voice Sometimes the use of passive voice can WebThe passive voice places the emphasis on your experiment rather than on you. Note: Over the past several years, there has been a movement within many science disciplines WebSep 16, · What is the passive voice? In general, the active voice makes your writing stronger, more direct, and, you guessed it, Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins WebApr 27, · Passive voice is majorly used while writing assignments that direct the reader's focus onto the specific action taking place rather than the subject. It is also used ... read more
The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the The dog is acting upon the sentence subject the boy , meaning it uses the passive voice. This example sentence includes the passive voice because the subject research is being acted upon presented by another person Pooja. The subject of the passive voice sentence performs the action expressed in the verb in this example. 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 You can recognize passive voice because the verb phrase will include a form of be was, am, are, been, is. Don't assume that just because there is a form of 'be' that the sentence is passive, however. So, the ball from the above sentence, which is receiving the action, becomes the subject. The formula:. The ball was kicked by Chester. A passive voice construction can even drop him from the sentence entirely:. The ball was kicked. 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:. My car was stolen yesterday. The passive voice emphasizes the stolen item and the action of theft. The rat was placed into a T-shaped maze. Who places the rat into the maze? Scientists, duh. Therefore, passive voice. 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.
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. The classic example:. Who made them? Is anyone taking responsibility? In other words, drop the subject, get off the hook. 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. Middleton carried his entreaties to a point of perseverance beyond civility, they could not give offense.
Middleton pushed his invitations beyond the point of politeness and into pushiness, but he still meant well. 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.
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 to achieve greater clarity. Some things here may surprise you. We hope this handout will help you to understand the passive voice and allow you to make more informed choices as you write. So what is the passive voice? Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first person. While the passive voice can weaken the clarity of your writing, there are times when the passive voice is OK and even preferable.
See Myth 1. Typically, grammar checkers catch only a fraction of passive voice usage. Do any of these misunderstandings sound familiar? A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at this passive rephrasing of a familiar joke:. Who is doing the action in this sentence? The chicken is the one doing the action in this sentence, but the chicken is not in the spot where you would expect the grammatical subject to be. Instead, the road is the grammatical subject. The more familiar phrasing why did the chicken cross the road?
Once you know what to look for, passive constructions are easy to spot. When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage. Need more help deciding whether a sentence is passive? Ask yourself whether there is an action going on in the sentence. If so, what is at the front of the sentence? Is it the person or thing that does the action? Or is it the person or thing that has the action done to it? In a passive sentence, the object of the action will be in the subject position at the front of the sentence. As discussed above, the sentence will also contain a form of be and a past participle.
This sentence is passive. You can usually just switch the word order, making the actor and subject one by putting the actor up front:. The dragon has scorched the metropolis with his fiery breath. After suitors invaded her house, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage. 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. The active voice clarifies things:. Thus many instructors—the readers making sense of your writing—prefer that you use the active voice.
They want you to 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 system of drug control laws was set up. By whom? Gender training was conducted in six villages, thus affecting social relationships. In both paragraphs, the writer never specifies the actors for 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 Penelope a hero? The reader might also conceivably think that the student is referring to critics, scholars, or modern readers of The Odyssey. 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, you should consider whether your use of the passive inhibits clear understanding of what you mean.
With the previous section in mind, you should also know that some instructors proclaim that the passive voice signals sloppy, lazy thinking. These instructors argue that writers who overuse the passive voice have not fully thought through what they are discussing and that this makes for imprecise arguments. 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. It is especially important to be sure that your thesis statement is clear and precise, so think twice before using the passive voice in your thesis.
In papers where you discuss the work of an author—e. 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…. By avoiding passive constructions in these situations, you can demonstrate a more thorough understanding of the material you discuss. All this advice works for papers in the humanities, you might note—but what about technical or scientific papers, including lab reports? Many instructors recommend or even require the passive voice in such writing. Although more and more scientific journals accept or even prefer first-person active voice e.
While you might employ the passive voice to retain objectivity, you can still use active constructions in some instances and retain your objective stance. Examples include: support, indicate, suggest, correspond, challenge, yield, show. These results indicate a number of things. In some assignments, rather than reporting the results of your own scientific work, you will be writing about the work of other scientists. Such assignments might include literature reviews and research reports on scientific topics. Often the two go together. passive Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in the United States. or active Research points to heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States.
Researchers have concluded that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The last two sentences illustrate a relationship that the first one lacks. The first example does not tell who or what leads us to accept this conclusion about heart disease. Which sounds better to you? 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. You can improve your scientific writing by relying less on the passive. 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. Before we discuss a few instances when the passive might be preferable, we should mention one of the more political uses of the passive: to hide blame or obscure responsibility.
For example:. 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. Sometimes the passive voice is the best choice. Here are a few instances when the passive voice is quite useful:. This passive sentence emphasizes the number of votes required. Over different contaminants have been dumped into the river. Yet consider the third case. Here are two examples:. and active Dr. Susan Jones delivered baby Sophia at a. The first sentence might be more appropriate in a birth announcement sent to family and friends—they are not likely to know Dr.
Passive Voice: When to Avoid It and When to Use It,What is Active Voice in Essay Writing
WebApr 27, · Passive voice is majorly used while writing assignments that direct the reader's focus onto the specific action taking place rather than the subject. It is also used WebPassive voice is distinguished from active voice by the focal point. or intending. of the sentence. The active voice focal points on the topic. or who is making the action. The WebThe subject of the passive voice sentence performs the action expressed in the verb in this example. Reasons to Avoid Passive Voice Sometimes the use of passive voice can WebThe passive voice places the emphasis on your experiment rather than on you. Note: Over the past several years, there has been a movement within many science disciplines WebThe English language has two voices--the active and the passive. The active voice and the passive voice differ in that a passive verb phrase has an additional auxiliary BE WebSometimes the passive is the more natural choice. Think of the situations where you would read the following and you will see why the passive is the obvious choice: 1. Children ... read more
The police know that the accused is a flight risk. Paying for college may be a difficult process for many. It is still the only treatment available for diabetes. How Human Memory Is Unreliable Due For Memory Distortion And Changes From Other Influences Words 5 Pages. Writing With Style , 2nd ed. In papers where you discuss the work of an author—e. Synthesis Essay On The Cost Of College Education Words 3 Pages.
You can find comma splices and passive voice in my Reflection 6 assignment. College Passive essay Why Colleges Should Be Paid. Creating video releases is a good way for fans to see the product before they attend a match. How Human Memory Is Unreliable Due For Memory Distortion And Changes From Other Influences. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence, passive essay. These choices are yours.
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