Active and Passive Voice in English Language Explained

Examples of Active and Passive Voice in English

"Voice" is a grammatical category that applies to verbs. Voice in English expresses the relationship of the subject to the action. Voice has two values:

• active: the subject does the action
• passive: the subject receives the action

The active voice describes a sentence where the subject performs the action stated by the verb. It follows a clear subject + verb + object construct that's easy to read. In fact, sentences constructed in the active voice add impact to your writing.

With passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb. It makes for a murky, roundabout sentence; you can be more straightforward with active voice. As such, there are many ways to change the passive voice to the active voice in your sentences.

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.

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.

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

§  the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

§  the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)

§  the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

When the subject of a sentence performs the verb’s action, we say that the sentence is in the active voice. Sentences in the active voice have a strong, direct, and clear tone. 

The active voice is made with subject + main verb + object.

·         Bees make honey.

·         James Cameron directed Titanic.

·         Alex is repairing Bill's bicycle.

The passive voice is made with subject + to be + past participle + by + object.

Note that the active voice object becomes the passive voice subject. In the passive, the main verb is always the past participle.

Positive

·         Honey is made by bees.

·         Titanic was directed by James Cameron.

·         Bill's bicycle is being repaired by Alex.

Negative

We make the negative passive with subject + negative of to be + past participle + by + object.

·         Honey is not made by wasps.

·         Titanic wasn’t directed by George Lucas.

·         Bill's bicycle is not being repaired by Alex.

Question

·         Is honey made by bees?

·         Was Titanic directed by James Cameron?

·         Is Bill's bicycle being repaired by Alex?

Take note: describing a process

We can use the passive voice to describe processes in which the action is more important than the person performing it.

·         The metal sheeting was heated and bent into shape before being cooled, polished, and finally painted.

Spoken English

When using the passive voice, get is sometimes used in place of the verb to be. This is especially common in informal, spoken English.

·         I got fired for being late!

·         These letters get delivered first.

·         Your bike will get stolen if you don’t lock it up.

When to use active and passive voice

Using the active voice conveys a strong, clear tone and the passive voice is subtler and weaker. Here’s some good advice: don’t use the passive voice just because you think it sounds a bit fancier than the active voice.

How to change a sentence in passive voice to active voice

Here is an example of a business communication that could be strengthened by abandoning the passive voice.

An error has occurred with your account, but every attempt was made to remedy it.

That sentence is not incorrect, but it does sound a bit stiff and dishonest. It sounds less trustworthy than it could—almost evasive. Who wants to do business with a company that avoids taking full responsibility by slipping into formal passive voice territory? Face the responsibility head on instead. Own it.

We made an error with your account, but we have made every attempt to remedy it.

To make that sentence active rather than passive, I identified the subject: we. It was “our company” that was responsible.

Use of the passive

When and why do we use passive voice?

There are several times when the passive voice is useful, and usually the decision has to do with the "doer" (agent) or the "receiver" of the action. For example, we use the passive when:

1. we want to emphasize the receiver of the action:

• President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.
  cf: Lee Harvey Oswald killed President Kennedy.

2. we don't know who did the action (the agent):

• My wallet has been stolen.
  cf: Somebody has stolen my wallet.

3. we think the agent is not important or interesting:

• Our house is being painted.
  cf: XYZ Company is painting our house.

4. the agent is obvious:

• I am paid weekly.
  cf: My company pays me weekly.

5. we are making general statements or announcements:

• Passengers are reminded to fasten their seatbelts.
  cf: The Captain reminds passengers to fasten their seatbelts.

6. the agent is everyone:

• The emergency services can be called by dialling 999.
  cf: The public can call the emergency services by dialling 999.

7. we are writing formal or scientific texts:

• Potassium was added and mixed in. The solution was heated to 80°C and then allowed to cool.
  cf: The technician added potassium and mixed it in. The technician heated the solution to 80°C and then allowed it to cool.

8. we want to avoid responsibility for our own actions (typically found in government reports):

• Mistakes were made and unfortunately never rectified.
  cf: The Prime Minister made mistakes and unfortunately never rectified them.

Active Versus Passive Voice

Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing. Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy. Even in scientific writing, too much use of passive voice can cloud the meaning of your sentences.

Sentences in active voice are also more concise than those in passive voice because fewer words are required to express action in active voice than in passive.

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