{"id":132,"date":"2018-11-05T16:17:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T16:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/?p=132"},"modified":"2018-11-05T17:03:23","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T17:03:23","slug":"active-and-passive-voice-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/2018\/11\/05\/active-and-passive-voice-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Active and Passive Voice Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">All too often, I work with students whose professors tell them, \u201cDon\u2019t use passive voice!\u201d \u00a0During these particular consultations, I soon discover that most students have no idea how to distinguish between active and passive voice. \u00a0As a result, they can\u2019t identify when they\u2019re using passive voice, let alone figure out how to revise their sentences using active voice. So, let me try to address this problem right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When a sentence is active, the <\/span><b><i>subject <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is the <\/span><b><i>doer <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of the <\/span><b><i>action<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s take a look at some examples of active voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sally<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reads<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">books<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(direct object) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">parked<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">his <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">car<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(direct object) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0near the library.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">students<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">used<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">computer<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(direct object) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for the presentation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When a sentence is passive, the <\/span><b><i>subject <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is the <\/span><b><i>receiver <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of the <\/span><b><i>action<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and the <\/span><b><i>direct object<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is foregrounded in the sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, let\u2019s use those previous examples to write some sentences in passive voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Books<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (direct object) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">are read<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sally<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">car<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(direct object)<\/span><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">was parked<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">near the library by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Max<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">computer<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(direct object) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">was used<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(action) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">by the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">students<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(subject) <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">for the presentation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, is passive voice wrong? \u00a0Grammatically speaking, passive voice is not wrong. \u00a0However, passive voice is usually not the best way for you to express your thoughts. \u00a0Why? Well, passive voice tends to create awkward and unclear sentences. For instance, I think we can all agree that the sentence, \u201cSally reads books,\u201d is much clearer than \u201cBooks are read by Sally.\u201d \u00a0If your professor tells you that your paper is \u201ctoo wordy\u201d or needs to be \u201cmore concise,\u201d the problem may be that you\u2019re using passive voice instead of active voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Furthermore, passive voice becomes a problem when you forget to mention who or what is performing the action. \u00a0For example, the sentence, \u201cThe car was parked near the library by Max,\u201d can easily turn into \u201cThe car was parked near the library.\u201d \u00a0If you use the latter sentence, then your reader is probably going to ask, \u201cWho parked the car?\u201d You can avoid this problem altogether by writing the sentence in active voice. \u00a0To do this, make sure your subject &#8211; in this case, Max &#8211; is performing the action. When written in active voice, the sentence, \u201cThe car was parked near the library by Max,\u201d becomes \u201cMax parked the car near the library.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To give another example, let\u2019s say I\u2019m writing a literary analysis on Jane Austen\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pride and Prejudice<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and I decide to argue that marriage is a prominent theme throughout the novel. \u00a0In my first body paragraph, I write, \u201cBoth Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy propose to Elizabeth Bennet. \u00a0By the end of the novel, Elizabeth is married.\u201d What\u2019s the problem here? As the reader, you\u2019re not sure who Elizabeth marries &#8211; does she marry Mr. Collins or Mr. Darcy? \u00a0When writing papers, such as literary analyses, it\u2019s usually a good idea to avoid using passive voice. Instead, you want to be explicit about who is performing the action in the sentence. \u00a0In my <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pride and Prejudice <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">book analysis, I should be clear and say,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBoth Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy propose to Elizabeth Bennet. \u00a0At the end of the novel, Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At this point, you\u2019re probably thinking that passive voice is off limits, and you should never use it again. I\u2019m here to tell you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">can<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> use passive voice, but it\u2019s important for you to make<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/study.com\/academy\/lesson\/what-is-rhetoric-definition-devices-examples.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> rhetorical choices <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">about when to do so. \u00a0In other words, passive voice is a useful writing device as long as you use it appropriately. \u00a0With that, let\u2019s discuss three instances when it is perfectly acceptable to use passive voice.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Unknown Actor.<\/i><\/b><b> \u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can use passive voice if the performer of the action is unknown. \u00a0If I\u2019m writing a paper on the history of Stonehenge, I might say, \u201cAccording to archaeologists, Stonehenge was constructed between 3100 and 2800 B.C.\u201d \u00a0In this case, it is acceptable to use passive voice because no one actually knows who built Stonehenge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><b>Scientific Genre. \u00a0<\/b><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When writing a lab report or scientific paper, it\u2019s acceptable to use passive voice because the actor is usually irrelevant or unimportant. \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Furthermore, passive voice helps science writing to sound more objective. \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, in a lab report, I might write, \u201cWater was added to the solution in the test tube.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b><i>Avoiding Responsibility.<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0You can also use passive voice if you want to be vague about who is responsible for performing an action. \u00a0For example, in reference to the Iran-Contra scandal, Ronald Reagan famously said, \u201cMistakes were made.\u201d Who made these mistakes? \u00a0Was it you? The U.S.? Someone else? As you can see, this phrase comes in handy when you\u2019re trying to deflect blame. So, it\u2019s no wonder that subsequent U.S. presidents have often borrowed it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-133 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/972\/2018\/11\/dogmeme-300x194.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"194\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, let\u2019s discuss a strategy to help you recognize passive voice in your writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>When you\u2019re trying to identity passive voice, look for sentences that contain a form of \u201cto be\u201d followed by a past participle.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forms of \u201cto be\u201d include: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">are<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">am<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">was<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">were<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">has<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">been<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">have<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">been<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">had<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">been<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">will<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">be<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">will have been<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">being<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u00a0And, a past participle is a verb form that typically ends in \u201c-ed.\u201d \u00a0For example, the sentence, \u201cThe dog has been trained,\u201d uses passive voice because \u201chas been\u201d is a form of \u201cto be\u201d and \u201ctrained\u201d is a past participle. You may also notice that the subject of the sentence &#8211; who trained the dog &#8211; is not included.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, keep in mind that there are two exceptions to these rules. \u00a0First, not every past participle ends in \u201c-ed.\u201d For instance, the past participle of the verb \u201ceat\u201d is \u201ceaten,\u201d not \u201ceated.\u201d \u00a0Likewise, the past participle of the verb \u201cdrive\u201d is \u201cdriven,\u201d not \u201cdrived.\u201d Second, not every use of the verb \u201cto be\u201d indicates passive voice. \u00a0Let\u2019s use the sentence, \u201cHenry has been feeling unwell,\u201d as an example. The former sentence uses active voice \u2013 not passive voice \u2013 because Henry is performing the action, and there is no past participle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While keeping this strategy in mind, let\u2019s take a look at the following paragraph:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Off camera, the blank, white canvas is covered in a thin layer of liquid white. \u00a0This first step is important because a surface is created to help the colors blend. Then, Indian yellow, yellow ochre, and bright red are used to create the sunset. \u00a0When bright red is used, viewers are warned to be careful because it is a strong, opaque color. Then, phthalo blue and alizarin crimson are mixed to create a lavender color for the sky. After the lavender color is used, the brush is washed and the devil is beaten out of it. \u00a0The clean brush is then used to blend the colors on the canvas. Large clouds are painted into the sky using a fan brush. After the painting is blended again and details are added, mountains are created using a painting knife. Eventually, black, Prussian blue, Vandyke brown, and crimson are mixed, and the mixture is used to create lots of happy, little trees throughout the painting. Finally, different shades of yellow are mixed with sap green and black to create a dark green, which is used to paint the grass.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What do you notice about this paragraph? \u00a0First of all, you have no idea who is performing the actions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recently, I\u2019ve been obsessed with watching old episodes of Bob Ross\u2019 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Joy of Painting <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">on YouTube. I used <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gMEZp47VKC0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cSunset Aglow\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (Season 26, Episode 12) to construct this paragraph. \u00a0If you\u2019re familiar with Bob Ross, then you may have guessed that this paragraph is a summary of an episode. \u00a0For those of you unfamiliar with Bob Ross, you probably asked yourself, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Who is beating the devil out of paintbrushes and painting happy, little trees?\u201d \u00a0These questions are good questions, and I don\u2019t blame you for asking them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you haven\u2019t already guessed, the problem with the former paragraph is that it\u2019s written entirely in passive voice. \u00a0You can tell because there are several unnecessary uses of the verb \u201cto be\u201d which are followed by past participles. To be exact, this paragraph uses \u201cto be\u201d twenty-one times! \u00a0And, there are only three instances when \u201cto be\u201d does not precede a past participle. In addition to overusing \u201cto be,\u201d I think we can all agree that this paragraph is a bit too wordy. \u00a0So, let\u2019s try to fix this problem by rewriting the paragraph in active voice:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Off camera, Bob Ross covers the blank, white canvas in liquid white. \u00a0This first step is important because it creates a surface to help the colors blend. Then, Bob Ross uses Indian yellow, yellow ochre, and bright red to create the sunset. \u00a0When using bright red, he warns viewers to be careful because it is a strong, opaque color. Then, Bob Ross mixes phthalo blue and alizarin crimson to create a lavender color for the sky. \u00a0After he uses the lavender color, Bob Ross washes his brush and beats the devil out of it. He then uses the clean brush to blend the colors on the canvas. Using a fan brush, Bob Ross paints large clouds into the sky. \u00a0After he blends the painting again and adds some details, he uses a painting knife to create mountains. Eventually, he mixes black, Prussian blue, Vandyke brown, and crimson and uses the mixture to create lots of happy, little trees throughout the painting. \u00a0Lastly, Bob Ross mixes different shades of yellow with sap green and black to create a dark green, which he uses to create grass.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unlike the original paragraph, this paragraph uses the verb \u201cto be\u201d only three times, and, each time, \u201cto be\u201d does not precede a past participle. \u00a0Although this paragraph contains almost the same number of words as the original paragraph, the sentences are clearer and more direct. This time, you know who is performing the actions. \u00a0Bob Ross is beating the devil out of paintbrushes and painting happy, little trees. He is performing the actions, not some unknown, mysterious individual.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In your writing, try to be as explicit and direct as possible because, ultimately, you want your readers to understand what you\u2019re trying to say.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes, passive voice can prevent you from making your points clear. \u00a0So, unless you have a good reason to use passive voice, try to avoid it in your writing. \u00a0Instead of painting happy, little trees, let\u2019s all try to write some happy, little sentences in active voice!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-134 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/972\/2018\/11\/bobrossmeme-235x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All too often, I work with students whose professors tell them, \u201cDon\u2019t use passive voice!\u201d \u00a0During these particular consultations, I soon discover that most students have no idea how to distinguish between active and passive voice. \u00a0As a result, they &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/2018\/11\/05\/active-and-passive-voice-explained\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Active and Passive Voice Explained<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1332,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,28,32],"tags":[34,35,33],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1332"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubalt.edu\/writingthatworks\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}