“Before I start, you should know the biggest irony that I am writing this article mostly ACTIVE VOICE.”
The process of becoming a good writer is to understand why, when, and how to write what you write. A critical aspect of understanding grammar and using it for better communication (both verbal and written) is to understand the importance of Voice.
Since your query is about Passive Voice in specific, you already understand that there are two types of voices of verbs (active & passive).
So, I am dedicating this article to explaining Passive Voice and the different rules of using passive voice.
In active voice, an action done by the subject is expressed by the verb. But that is different in the case of passive Voice.
What Is Voice?
The Voice of a verb is a vital part of grammar, and it denotes whether a verb is in active form or is it in a passive state. The Voice of a verb is beneficial for writing and speaking the English language. Based on the action in a sentence ( either it is being acted by the subject or is it acted upon the subject), we categorize sentences in two voices ( active and passive).
We talk or write in the active Voice to denote the performance of an action by a subject. But, when a verb is acted upon a subject, we use a passive voice to denote it.
What Is Passive Voice?
In passive voice, the target of the action is the main focus. Also, the verb of the sentence acts upon the subject. If you put the same perspective in the passive form, then the subject is acted upon in a sentence with a passive voice. Also, another key trait of passive Voice is that there are two verbs in a passive voice.
- There should be a conjugated form of “to be.”
- The past participle of the main verb should also be there.
How To Use Passive Voice?
You may or may not need to use passive voice when writing something. When writing something, the usual focus remains on the performer/ the subject. That is when you need to use an active voice in a sentence. But if your focus is on the incident which happened to the subject, you need to use passive voice.
Based on what you emphasize at the moment of writing, you have to use active and Passive Voice. Here are some examples of passive voice sentences –
| Active | Passive |
| They make cakes in the bakery. | Cakes are made in the bakery by them. |
| Milly is making ice cream. | Ice cream is being made by Milly. |
| J.M. Synge wrote “Riders To The Sea”. | “Riders To The Sea” was written By J.M. Synge. |
| They were catching fish when I went there. | Fishes were being caught by them when I arrived there. |
| India Produces over 2000 films every year. | Over 2000 films are produced by India every year. |
| I will play it tomorrow. | It will be played by me tomorrow. |
| She will sing a song at the concert tomorrow. | A song will be sung by her at the concert tomorrow. |
| The driver drove the car into the coffee shop. | The car was driven into the coffee shop by the driver. |
| She has alleged her colleague of theft. | Her colleague has been alleged by her of robbery. |
How To Avoid Passive Voice?
When you are writing blogs and web content, your client might require you to write in an active voice. It is often tough to avoid voice when you are writing spontaneously. However, you can make a habit of not writing in passive voice by following the below tips –
- You can write from a subjective perspective and make sure that the subject is doing the work.
- The best way is to analyze your article for passive voices and see the number of passive voices you are using.
- Tools like Grammarly help you detect passive voices in your writing. You can later correct it.
- Build a habit of constructing sentences in active voices.
Frequently Asked Questions:-
I hope you have a clear answer to what passive voice is and the rules of changing active voice into passive voice. However, if you have any other questions related to the same topic, you can read the questions and the answers to them here–
When you change the voice of the sentence “ you can do it,” the passive form of it turns into –
“ it can be done by you .“ If you want to know how I changed the voice, you can read the formula above.
The easiest way to identify an active voice is by checking if the subject is the focus of the sentence. The subject should be the one to perform an action in an active voice. But in passive voice, the target of action is the main focus of the sentence, not the one performing it.
Students often make mistakes when constructing sentences or changing voices. Here are some tips to help them fix passive voice.
• First, you need to identify the person performing an action as described by the verb in a sentence.
• You can do it by getting rid of the verb and turning the past participle into a verb correctly conjugated.
• Take the subject of the previous sentence and turn it into a direct object.
1. Marry eats chocolates.
2. Nancy writes a poem.
3. The jewelry was stolen by the thief.
4. Birds eat the corns.
The third option is the right option among these four options.
Bottom Line
I hope you have a clear understanding of what passive voice is and its usage of it. The above sections of this article minutely address all the queries you may have related to passive voices. I have also given some examples of passive voice and active voice.
Going through this article should answer your query related to passive voice. If you have more queries, you can ask us in the comment section.
Additional Reading:
- “To vs Too” – When To Use These Two words?
- ” Toward Vs Towards ” – When To Use This Two Words?
- Anytime vs any time – When To Use These Two words?
- ProWritingAid Review 101: Best Features, Plans, Pros, Cons, Reviews [2022 Guide]
