College English
Mr. Valentin
Resource by Owl at Purdue
Active Voice
In a sentence using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.
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.
Example 1:
The action is performed upon the sentence subject, meaning this sentence is passive (indirect).
This is an example of the active voice because the sentence subject performs the action.
Example 2:
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.
Example 3:
Example 4
Reasons to Generally Avoid Passive Voice
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.
Recognizing Passive Voice
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..." phrase after the verb; the agent performing the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this phrase.
Helpful Hint
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. Sometimes a prepositional phrase like "by the" in the sentences above indicates that the action is performed on the subject, and that the sentence is passive.
Choosing Passive Voice
While active voice helps to create clear and direct sentences, sometimes writers find using an indirect expression is rhetorically effective in a given situation, so they choose passive voice.
Also, writers in the sciences conventionally use passive voice more often than writers in other discourses. Passive voice makes sense when the agent performing the action is obvious, unimportant, or unknown or when a writer wishes to postpone mentioning the agent until the last part of the sentence or to avoid mentioning the agent at all. The passive voice is effective in such circumstances because it highlights the action and what is acted upon rather than the agent performing the action.
Active / PassiveThe dispatcher is notifying police that three prisoners have escaped. / Police are being notified that three prisoners have escaped.
Surgeons successfully performed a new experimental liver-transplant operation yesterday. / A new experimental liver-transplant operation was performed successfully yesterday.
"Authorities make rules to be broken," he said defiantly. / "Rules are made to be broken," he said defiantly.
In each of these examples, the passive voice makes sense because the agent is relatively unimportant compared to the action itself and what is acted upon.
As often as possible, use the active voice. It has more punch and is more forceful and direct, as shown below:
Example:
Passive: Mistakes were made.
Active: I made mistakes.
Please change the following sentences from passive to active voice.
1. The order must have been canceled by one of the managers.
2. The check should have been deposited yesterday to avoid an overdraft.
3. The loyalty of its customers is valued by every company.
4. A copy of your article was sent to me by president of our company.
5. The monument will be dedicated by the mayor during the ceremonies next week.
6. Your request may be approved by the manager this week.
7. The audit will be performed by Jim Henderson.
8. A copy of the invoice was sent to you yesterday by our accounting department.
9. The check was endorsed by Randall.
10. You and your staff were being praised by everyone for such a great job.
11. Your home telephone number was given to me by your secretary.
12. The report was thought by the committee to be superfluous.
13. Your assistance will be appreciated by the board.
14. You have been given an incomplete listing by the search committee