Active and Passive Voice
| Learning Objectives: - Differentiate between active and passive voice.
- Rewrite passive sentences into active sentences.
|
LESSON
Writers need to be as concerned with how to write as well as what to write. Just as you can change your voice when you speak, you can also modify your voice in your writing. Depending on which voice you use, readers will respond differently to your words. This lesson will focus on the differences between active and passive voice.
Active voice
Active voiceOne of two styles of writing that compares the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence. In the active voice, the action described by the verb is done by the subject. These sentences have a clear subject taking a clear action. Example of the active voice: The girl broke the plate. is when the subjectIn grammar, a part of speech that refers to the “doer” in the sentence (who or what). A subject is usually a person, place or thing. of the sentenceA group of words, phrases, or clauses that expresses a complete thought. A complete sentence has these characteristics: a capitalized first word, a subject and a predicate, and end punctuation, such as a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation mark (!). is doing something. Here are examples of sentences that use the active voice:
- I broke the plate.
- The dog ate the sandwich.
- The student lost her assignment.
Each of the sentences above has a clear subject: I, The dog, and The student. In these sentences, it is clear that the subjects did something.
The active voice is generally preferable to use because it creates clearer sentences that are livelier and more colorful than sentences that use the passive voice.
Passive voice
In the passive voiceOne of two styles of writing that compare the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence. In the passive voice, the action described by the verb is being done to the subject. A sentence in the passive voice always contains a state of being verb, such as am, is, was, were, or been. Example of passive voice: The plate was broken by the girl., the subject does not do anything. Instead, the subject is acted upon by someone or something else. The passive voice always includes a verb phraseThe part of the sentence containing the verb and any direct or indirect object, but not the subject. Example: She is working in the garden has the verb phrase is working in the garden. that includes a state of being Verbs that show how something is existing. Examples include: is, am, are, was, became. ("to be") verb, such as am, be, been, is, was, and were.
Here are examples of sentences that use the passive voice.
- The plate was broken.
- The sandwich was eaten by the dog.
- The assignment was lost.
There are two main disadvantages with using the passive voice: the meaning of the sentence may not be clear, or the sentence may become awkward.
In the first example, The plate was broken, the use of the passive voice prevents the reader from knowing who broke the plate. In the second example, the phrase, by the dog, tells who ate the sandwich, but it would be much clearer and less awkward to write, The dog ate the sandwich.
However, there are some situations that may warrant the use of the passive voice. If you do not know who performed the action, you may have to use the passive voice. You may also wish to use the passive voice in order to avoid blaming anyone for a mistake. For example, if you dropped a plate and it broke, you could say, I broke the plate. This shows that you took responsibility for performing the action of breaking the plate. However, if you do not want to take the blame for breaking the plate, you could say, The plate was broken.
+ PRACTICAL APPLICATIONIt is important to know the difference between the active voice and the passive voice in writing for college and in writing for a job. In college, you will use the active voice to make your writing clearer and livelier. On a job, you may use the passive voice as a diplomatic way to avoid pointing out people who make mistakes. Consider the following sentence:
The product was shipped late, and the customer complained.
In this sentence, the writer may have decided that it is more polite to focus on the action—the late shipping of the product—instead of on the person who is responsible for the late shipping. Imagine how an employee might feel upon receiving this message: You shipped the product late, and the customer complained. Both sentences give the same information, but the sentence that uses the passive voice is less harsh. This kind of diplomacy is often necessary in the workplace, especially if you are writing to supervisors or to people you do not know very well.
Read the paragraph below that uses both the active and the passive voice. Notice that the verbs that are written in the passive voice have been underlined.
People dream a lot—it is estimated by sleep researchers that six years of the average person's life is spent dreaming. Why people dream is a question that is left unanswered by researchers. It is proposed by some that dreaming helps us in different ways. Dreaming may help people manage feelings and form and store memories. The events and experiences of a person's day serve as the raw material for dreams, which then process the information and images in a way that is useful to the brain. Yet another theory is that dreaming is a crucial survival tool; by experiencing danger in dreams, people are prepared to encounter danger in real life.
Below is the same paragraph revised to contain only the active voice. Notice how the subjects of the sentences are now doing the actions.
People dream a lot—sleep researchers estimate that the average person spends six years of life dreaming. Why people dream is a question that researchers cannot yet answer. Some propose that dreaming helps us in different ways. Dreaming may help people manage feelings and form and store memories. The events and experiences of a person's day serve as the raw material for dreams, which then process the information and images in a way that is useful to the brain. Yet another theory is that dreaming is a crucial survival tool; experiencing danger in dreams prepares people to encounter danger in real life.
Below is a paragraph that uses both the active and the passive voice. Find all of the verbs that are written in the passive voice. Then rewrite the paragraph so that all of the sentences that contain verbs in the passive voice are in the active voice.
A major in exercise science is offered by many colleges and universities. Classes in health, biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics will help high school students be prepared for college coursework. Students who undertake an exercise science major usually complete a bachelor's degree, and many go on to obtain a master's degree. Careers pursued by exercise science majors range from fitness and sports training to clinical research. The average yearly salary of a fitness trainer is $31,000, but higher-than-average work satisfaction is reported by trainers. Many fitness trainers work part time, but that may change in the future. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of fitness training is predicted to increase by twenty-four percent in the next five years.
(Verbs that are written in the passive voice have been underlined.)
A major in exercise science is offered by many colleges and universities. Classes in health, biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics will help high school students be prepared for college coursework. Students who undertake an exercise science major usually complete a bachelor’s degree, and many go on to obtain a master’s degree. Careers pursued by exercise science majors range from fitness and sports training to clinical research. The average yearly salary of a fitness trainer is $31,000, but higher-than-average work satisfaction is reported by trainers. Many fitness trainers work part time, but that may change in the future. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of fitness training is predicted to increase by twenty-four percent in the next five years.
Rewrite the paragraph using active voice:
Many colleges and universities offer a major in exercise science. Classes in health, biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics will help prepare high school students for college coursework. Students who undertake an exercise science major usually complete a bachelor's degree, and many go on to obtain a master's degree. Exercise majors pursue careers that range from fitness and sports training to clinical research. Fitness trainers earn an average yearly salary of $31,000, but they report higher-than-average work satisfaction. Many fitness trainers work part time, but that may change in the future. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the field of fitness training will increase by twenty four percent in the next five years.
Why is it important to know the difference between active and passive voice?
It is important to know the difference between the active and the passive voice because using different voices changes how your writing sounds. If you want your writing to be very clear and direct, it's best to use the active voice. However, if you don't know who did something or if you don't want to blame somebody for a mistake, you may have to use the passive voice.
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