Understanding Passive and Active Voice in English

Understanding the passive and active voice in English is crucial for effective communication. Whether you're writing essays, reports, or stories, the choice between active and passive voice can significantly impact your message's clarity and emphasis. In this blog, we'll explore the reasons for using the passive voice, provide definitions of key terms, and offer practical examples to enhance your understanding.

Reasons for Using the Passive Voice:

There are several motivations for using the passive voice:

1. To Emphasize the Action Over the Actor: In the passive voice, the focus is on the action being performed, rather than on the person or thing performing it. This can make sentences more objective and highlight the importance of the action.

   1. Active voice: The accountant sent the money to all the employees last friday.

   2. Passive voice: The money was sent to all the employees last friday.

2. To Avoid Stating the Agent: Sometimes, the actor of the action is either unknown or unimportant in the context. The passive voice helps avoid mentioning the agent, making sentences more concise and less ambiguous.

   1. Active voice: I spilled water on your laptop.

   2. Passive voice: Water was spilled on your laptop.

3. To Create Mystery or Suspense: In fiction or news reporting, the passive voice can be used to create suspense by obscuring the identity of the actor, adding intrigue to the narrative.

   1. Active voice: the wind blew the door shut.

   2. Passive voice: the door was blown shut.

4. To Sound Formal or Academic: In formal or academic writing, the passive voice is often preferred as it lends objectivity and reduces bias.

   1. Active voice: The scientists analyzed the evidence.

   2. Passive voice: The evidence was analyzed by a team of scientists.

Key Terms:

• Subject: The first noun in a sentence.

• Agent: The noun that performs the action.

How to convert active voice into passive voice:

It is very simple but each tense has a different way to convert the active voice into passive. But it is very similar with only small differences.

Read this:

• Present Simple | I eat an apple. | An apple is eaten by me.

• Present Continuous | I am eating an apple. | An apple is being eaten by me.

• Present Perfect | I have eaten an apple. | An apple has been eaten by me.

• Past Simple | I ate an apple. | An apple was eaten by me.

• Past Continuous | I was eating an apple. | An apple was being eaten by me.

• Past Perfect | I had eaten an apple. | An apple had been eaten by me.

• Past Perfect Continuous | I had been eating an apple. | An apple had been eaten by me.

• Future Simple | I will eat an apple. | An apple will be eaten by me.

• Future Continuous | I will be eating an apple. | An apple will be being eaten by me.

• Future Perfect | I will have eaten an apple. | An apple will have been eaten by me.

• Future Perfect Continuous | I will have been eating an apple. | An apple will have been eaten by me.

Examples:

• Active: I wrote the letter.

• Passive: The letter was written by me.

• Active: They are building a new house.

• Passive: A new house is being built by them.

• Active: She has eaten the cake.

• Passive: The cake has been eaten by her.

• Active: I had finished the work.

• Passive: The work had been finished by me.

• Active: I will eat the apple.

• Passive: The apple will be eaten by me.

Practice:

Let's practice transforming active sentences into passive ones for better comprehension. In each example, we'll provide context and explanations.

Try to convert these sentences into passive voice:

1. Active: I ate your sandwich.

2. Active: My mom broke your TV.

3. Active: I spilled some wine on your carpet.

Check your answers. Were they right?

1. Passive: Your sandwich was eaten by me during lunch.

2. Passive: Your TV was accidentally broken by my mom while she was cleaning.

3. Passive: Some wine was accidentally spilled on your carpet during the party.

Turn these into passive voice.

1. Active: I left your car window open.

2. Active: I mow the grass every day.

3. Active: I steal office pens every day.

4. Active: We gave you the wrong medication.

5. Active: I charged your credit card twice.

6. Active: I hit your mom with my car.

answers:

1. Passive: Your car window was carelessly left open by me last night.

2. Passive: The grass in the yard is mowed by me every day.

3. Passive: Office pens are regularly taken by me without permission.

4. Passive: You were administered the incorrect medication by mistake.

5. Passive: Your credit card was mistakenly charged twice by me.

6. Passive: Your mom was accidentally hit by my car.

By understanding the passive and active voice, you can enhance your English writing and communication skills. Practice is key to mastering this concept, so keep experimenting with different sentences and contexts to become more proficient.