English as an Additional Language: Active and Passive Voice

Active vs Passive Voice

Active and Passive Sentences

In Active Sentences, the subject precedes the verb and performs the action. The action is stated directly (subject + action (active verb form) + object/receiver). E.g. Mary gave an excellent presentation yesterday.

In Passive Sentences, the word functions switches, and the object becomes the receiver of the action. The doer of the action will follow or be implied. In this structure, the object is emphasized (object + action (passive verb form) + by + subject).

E.g. An excellent presentation was given by Mary yesterday.

In some cases, the subject may be dropped. E.g. An excellent presentation was given yesterday.

Passive Formation:

The Passive is formed with a helping verb (to be) + past participle (typically ending in ed or en)

See the diagram below for an detailed example.

The Passive is useful when: You are unsure of who performed the action. The actor is not important. You want to focus on who/what is receiving the action. You want to reference a general truth. You want to improve flow between sentences. Passive construction can enable old-new information technique.	Drawbacks of the Passive: Passive construction may be needlessly wordy. Passive sentences can create confusion. E.g. No research has been done to understand this theory. Who did the research? Was it you/your professor/another author?

You can form passives with many verb forms.

E.g.

Research will be presented by Nico at the conference. (simple future)
The research paper was written by Dr. Brob. (past tense with irregular “en” form)
Research was presented at the conference by Nico. (past tense)
Research was presented at the conference. (past tense with subject removed)

Note, not all sentences can be made passive. To make a passive sentence you will need a verb that can take an object.

E.g. The book has vanished. This sentence cannot be made passive; there is no object.

Note:

Both the active and passive forms are grammatically correct and useful. While active voice tends to be preferred by readers, passive voice has its merits and is often used when writing about materials and methods in the sciences. Be mindful of disciplinary use and apply both as needed.

The Passive voice is preferred in some disciplines. Check with your department and past writing. The passive seems to be popularly used in in sciences (esp. Materials and Methods)