The main difference between active and passive voice is that, in active voice, the focus is on the doer of the action while, in passive voice, the focus is on the recipient of the action. Active voice is typically more concise and straightforward than passive voice.
Why do we use active voice and passive voice?
Why Is Active Voice Important?
- Using Fewer Words. An active voice sentence will always use fewer words than a passive voice sentence. ...
- Becoming Easier to Read. Because active voice gets to the point with fewer words, it’s also easier to read. ...
- Sounding More Authoritative. ...
- Creating Momentum. ...
What is passive voice vs. active voice,?
Why is Passive Voice Worse than Active Voice?
- Passive voice makes sentences sound less interesting.
- The sentences are longer.
- The sentences are also more complex and harder to understand.
- The emphasis falls on the wrong part of the sentence.
- Readers have a harder time connecting to the writing.
- Puts distance between the subject matter and the reader.
How to change an active voice to a passive voice?
How to Change Active Voice to Passive Voice
- Find out which tense the sentence is in. To begin with, identify the tense of the original sentence to construct passive voice properly. ...
- Place the object at the beginning of the sentence. ...
- Before the main verb, use the auxiliary verb “be”. ...
- Prefix the subject with “by”. ...
- Keep the sentence tense. ...
When to use active and passive voice?
How to use the active or passive voice
- Introduction. Sentences can be described as active or passive. ...
- Active voice. In a sentence written in the active voice, the of the sentence performs the action. ...
- Passive voice. In a sentence written in the passive voice the is acted on by the . ...
- Active versus passive. ...
What does passive voice mean?
Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb’s action. You may have learned that the passive voice is weak and incorrect, but it isn’t that simple. When used correctly and in moderation, the passive voice is fine. In English grammar, verbs have five properties: voice, mood, tense, person, and number; here, we are concerned with voice.
How to change a sentence from passive voice to active voice?
Here’s a tip: What to remember: to change a sentence from passive voice into active voice, identify the subject. The structure of this sentence is weak because it doesn’t identify the subjects in either clause. Let’s unveil them.
Why don't you use passive voice?
Here’s some good advice: don’t use the passive voice just because you think it sounds a bit fancier than the active voice. That said, there are times the passive voice is useful and called for. Take “The squirrel was chased by the dog,” for example.
What are the properties of verbs?
In English grammar, verbs have five properties: voice, mood, tense, person, and number; here, we are concerned with voice. The two grammatical voices are active and passive . Write with confidence. Grammarly will make sure your writing is clear and mistake-free. Get Grammarly.
What are the three sentences that have active voice?
All three sentences have a basic active voice construction: subject, verb, and object. The subject monkey performs the action described by adore. The subject the cashier performs the action described by counted. The subject the dog performs the action described by chased. The subjects are doing, doing, doing—they take action in their sentences. The active voice reminds us of the popular Nike slogan, “Just Do It.”
What is the active voice in a sentence?
Active voice. When the subject of a sentence performs the verb’s action, we say that the sentence is in the active voice. Sentences in the active voice have a strong, direct, and clear tone. Here are some short and straightforward examples of active voice.
Is a sentence a passive voice?
A sentence is in the passive voice, on the other hand, when the subject is acted on by the verb. The passive voice is always constructed with a conjugated form of to be plus the verb’s past participle. Doing this usually generates a preposition as well.
Why do you change your passive voice to active voice?
Changing passive voice to active voice does not change the meaning of the sentence, but it does place more emphasis on the subject. Writers may want to change passive language to active language to avoid wordiness and improve readability. To change a passive tone to an active tone, follow these steps:
What is an active voice?
Active voice is a form of writing that has the subject at the beginning of a sentence, followed by a verb and the object that receives the verb. An active voice emphasizes a subject that engages in an action. The subject of the sentence performs an action that influences the object.
How to change a sentence from passive to active?
Restructure the subject, verb and object to change the sentence from passive voice to active voice. Move the subject to the beginning of the phrase, then add the verb and finish the sentence with the object. Remember, if there isn't a subject, it is acceptable to use a pronoun in the subject's place.
What is the meaning of "voice" in writing?
In grammar, the term "voice" describes the connection between the subject, a verb and the object related to the subject. For writers or speakers, it's important to understand when it's appropriate to use active voice or passive voice. Using the proper voice to express ideas can increase the chances of your audience understanding those ideas and could persuade them to take action. In this article, we review what active voice and passive voice are, when to use them, how to change passive voice to active voice and provide examples.
How to rewrite a sentence in an active voice?
To rewrite this sentence in an active voice, keep the subject + verb + object order in mind.
How to find passive voice?
To find passive voice, look for helping verbs such as be, have, were, was, am, is, are and being. The preposition "by " is also a good indicator of passive voice when it precedes a verb. Every time you notice passive voice, highlight the sentence or phrase to make it easier to edit.
How does an active voice make a content feel less overwhelming?
An active voice can make the content feel less overwhelming by using shorter sentences and action verbs.
When am I allowed to use passive voice?
Use the passive voice rarely, and only to serve an intentional purpose. Below are 3 reasons you might intentionally use the passive voice.
What is active voice?
Active voice is a style of writing that puts the subject at the beginning of the sentence, followed by an action, and then the object that receives the action.
What is intentional passive voice?
To maintain objectivity. Example of intentional passive voice: "Reactions to the higher doses of medicine were found by the researcher in all experiments.". By phrasing this in the passive voice, it sounds to the reader that the "reactions" occur regardless of who is doing the research, which is what the writer means.
Why do we use passive voice in second sentence?
By phrasing the second sentence in passive voice, it allows the writer to flow from already-stated ideas to new points. This use of passive voice not only helps guide the reader to the next idea, but it also varies sentence structure to avoid sounding monotonous by using the same subject to begin each sentence.
What does "active voice" mean in a sentence?
If you can say the subject, action, and object in the order they appear in the sentence and it makes sense, you have written in active voice. For instance, you can say “Sally drove car” and can understand the meaning.
Why is active voice important?
The point of the active voice is to highlight the logical flow of the action, from the subject (or doer) to the object (or receiver) of the action. Using this style in your writing will make your sentences clear and direct, which are important components of academic writing.
What is passive voice?
Passive voice obfuscates your ideas, turning sentences on their head. Passive voice reports action indirectly. Some passive voice sentences omit an actor altogether, which forces the reader to guess the actor's identity. Active voice is generally shorter than passive voice. Be bold—be active.
What is an active voice sentence?
In an active voice sentence, an actor acts on a target. That is, an active voice sentence follows this formula:
What does it mean when a sentence starts with an imperative verb?
Instead, sentences that start with an imperative verb imply an actor. The implied actor is you.
Why do readers switch to active voice?
Why subject your readers to extra processing time? By sticking to active voice, readers can skip the preprocessor stage and go straight to compilation.
Is a preposition a passive verb?
If the phrase contains an actor, a preposition ordinarily follows the passive verb. (That preposition is often a key clue to help you spot passive voice.) The following examples combine the passive verb and the preposition:
What is passive voice?
Passive voice means that the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb: “The cat was rescued by a fireman.”. The crucial distinction here is that though the cat is the subject in both sentences, in the passive sentence it’s not driving the action — it’s experiencing it. Active vs passive voice: finally understand the difference!
What is the passive voice in a sentence?
For example, “The cat climbed the tree.”. Passive voice means that the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb: “The cat was rescued by a fireman.”.
What is the auxiliary verb in a passive sentence?
As we’ve seen, the main verb in a passive sentence is always in the past tense, so we have to look to the auxiliary verb to determine the right tense for our active sentence. In our example, the auxiliary verb is “is” — present tense — so our main verb will be “is walking”, or just “walks”.
How to make a sentence active when a dog is walked by his owner?
To make this sentence active, the owner — who is performing the verb’s action — needs to be made the subject. If we then use the main verb we landed on earlier, and ditch the unnecessary “by” preposition, we get:
What is a long passive sentence?
This means that the agent performing the action is stated, but is not the subject of the sentence. A telltale sign of a long passive sentence is the “by…” prepositional clause.
How to leave the perpetrator behind the action?
You can leave the driving force of the action out, and place emphasis on the receiver of the action, by writing a short passive sentence.
Why is passive voice important?
If you are writing something that requires objectivity — like a research paper — passive voice can also be your friend. It allows you to more easily avoid personal pronouns and to present information in a way that sounds unbiased.
What is passive voice?
Active voice is a sentence construction in which the subject is performing the action of a verb. In contrast, passive voice uses a form of the verb “to be” to shift emphasis with no agent (person or thing) acting as the performer of an action.
How do I turn passive voice into active voice?
Turn your passive sentence into an active sentence by making a small change or addition. This is called “switching the subject.”
What are the exceptions in using passive voice?
Certain verbs, called “linking verbs,” can never be put into the passive voice. Linking verbs include: feel, smell, look, taste, seem, and appear. These verbs are said to describe a state of being.
How do I avoid wordiness in active voice?
One way to make your writing more clear and concise is to avoid wordy phrases. Instead of writing “A car came down the street,” try just “A car came down the street. Then it stopped.”
What is the focus in a passive sentence?
In both cases, you are talking about the same event: a car came down the street. In the passive sentence, the focus is on what happened; in the active sentence, the focus is on who saw what.
What is the role of active voice in English?
In English, the active voice is the normal way to express actions and events. It places the subject of a sentence in active voice in the role of agent.
Does passive voice have a property?
The passive voice does not have this property, as it implies that something is acted upon instead of acting.
When to Use Active Voice and Passive Voice?
The vast majority of sentences should be written in the active voice, especially if one is trying to write an informal article on a broadly interesting subject or is looking to receive the best possible grade on an essay.
What is Passive Voice?
Passive voice is defined by its opposition to active voice. In a passive voice sentence, the preferred grammatical arrangement of subject + verb + object changes. The “subject” and “object” switch places. This means that the most important part of the sentence ends up at the end. This, along with several other passive voice features, makes it the less preferred way of writing. Explore the other reasons below.
Why is Passive Voice Worse than Active Voice?
There are several important reasons why writers, editors, students, and teachers choose not to use passive voice.
How to find the subject of a passive sentence?
1. Find the subject, verb, and object. Consider the following example sentence: “The car was driven by her.”. In this sentence, the subject is “her,” the verb is “was driven,” and the object is “the car.”. As a passive sentence, these words are arranged as object + verb + subject. 2.
Why do people use passive voice?
There are a few other reasons why passive voice is used. They include: 1 Creating an authoritative tone. 2 Tactfully not naming the subject. 3 Keeping the subject consistent.
Why is active voice important?
As noted above, the active voice will make one’s writing more interesting to read. It’s more “in the moment” than passive voice is and therefore easier for the reader to engage with. Keeping readers’ attention on what one has written is the primary goal for all writers, no matter their subject matter.
Is passive voice appropriate?
Despite its maligned reputation, there are some instances in which it’s appropriate to use passive voice. There are a few examples of necessarily passive sentences, and there is no way to transition them into active voice sentences. These occur when the writer does not know or chooses not to include the identity of the “subject.” For example, one might write, “Her car was found” or “Their house was destroyed.” In both of these examples, the subject is missing. It’s impossible to rewrite the first sentence with “____ found her car” or the second with “____destroyed their house.” Without this information, the sentences have to be passive.
What is the Difference between Active and Passive Voice?
The verb has a voice. It is differentiated into two types, namely active and passive voice. To understand the difference between active and passive voice, you need to learn English grammar correctly. You will not understand the voices and their impact on a sentence if you don't know the parts of speech. Looking at the relation between the verb and the object will help you in identifying the voices. Going through each separately will help you learn the differences.
What is active voice?
As the name suggests, active voice sentences reflect that the subject performs the verb's action. The word active also suggests the direct influence of the subject and speaks about the action. Instructors often judge an assignment based on the voices. Active voice sentences sound simple and are easily understandable. If you go through some samples written by professional writers, you will see how they emphasize using active voice. It is not necessary to complicate things. Few examples of active voice are:
Why is active voice important in writing?
Professional writers also work hard to maintain an active voice throughout their write-up. The active voice helps to make sentences sound simple. Therefore, you will find your instructors pressing upon the usage of active voice as much as possible. The following section will help you understand what the difference between active and passive voice is.
Is active voice better than passive voice?
As mentioned earlier, active voice is always preferred over passive voice. When you write an assignment or try communicating your viewpoints through writing, it is essential to convey the same. Also, it is equally necessary for the readers to relate to what you are trying to communicate. Using the active voice makes the sentence strong and conveys the message. Even in your everyday conversation, you would prefer to keep things directly rather than making it complicated. For example, " I wrote this essay ” sounds simple and easy than “ The essay is written by me .”
Is passive voice the opposite of active voice?
It is entirely the opposite of active voice. It can also be identified by understanding the relationship between the verb and the subject. In this case, the verb plays a significant role, and the subject is dependent on the verb's action. It is often necessary to use passive voice in sentences, but most good write-ups do not use much. Sentences with passive voice sound a bit complicated and are therefore not used much. You can understand the differences if you look to compare the active voice examples with the passive voice ones below:
Do you need to know the passive voice?
Once you have learned the active voice, you must also know the passive voice to understand the differences. It will also help you identify the sentences with passive voice and make the necessary changes if required.
Can you avoid passive voice?
The conflict of active vs. passive voice is never-ending. But, even if the active voice has a more substantial impact, you cannot avoid passive voice altogether. You must understand the point to focus on. If you know the definition of both these voices, you will relate to when to use active vs. passive voice. If it is essential to focus on the essay part, you need to write, "The essay is written by me." There are times when you need to focus on the verb and relate it to the subject.
What is the passive voice?
With the passive voice, the subject is acted upon, like "The moon was walked on by Neil Armstrong". Although the passive voice is still grammatically correct, it typically doesn't carry the same energy or clarity as the active voice. Its structure can feel clumsy and unnatural, which makes your writing harder to read.
Why do we use the active voice more often than the passive voice?
Overall, we recommend using the active voice more often than the passive. This will help keep your writing snappy and efficient.
What are the two voices in writing?
There are two voices in writing: Active and passive. In the active voice, the subject of a sentence acts, like "Neil Armstrong walked on the moon." The active voice is direct, clear, and easy to read.
When to go passive in writing?
You may also want to go passive when you don't know who is responsible for the action, like in this example: "The mystery was never solved.". The voice you use can make a big difference in your writing. The active voice will often add pep and clarity, but occasionally the passive voice will be your best option.
Is passive voice better than active voice?
When passive is best. Although active voice is incredibly useful, the passive voice is occasionally the better choice. For instance, you may go passive if the actor of a sentence is unknown or irrelevant, like in the sentence, "The amendments will be approved after a discussion".
Active and Passive Voice Usage
How to Change Passive Voice to Active Voice
- After you finish your first draft, read it. You might even want to read it aloud and listen to how it sounds. By reading and listening to your own work, you can catch awkward sentences and unclear phrasing and mark them as points to revise in your next draft. You’ll also hear where you used the active and passive voices and how they shift your work’s tone as a whole. Let’s say you’ve detect…
Active and Passive Voice Examples
- Take a look at these examples of both the active and passive voices in action: Active: Is Ajani visiting us today? Passive: Will we be visited by Ajani today? As you see, questions can be written in either voice. Other kinds of sentences, like exclamatory and imperative sentences, are often best written in the active voice: Active: Please remove your shoes before entering my house. Pas…
Active and Passive Voice FAQs
- What is active voice, what is passive voice, and what’s the difference?
In the active voice, the sentence’s subject performs the action on the action’s target. In the passive voice, the target of the action is the main focus, and the verb acts upon the subject. There are numerous differences between the two grammatical voices, but the most important is that t… - When should you use active vs. passive voice?
Use the active voice in any sentence that focuses on the doer of the action. Unless the majority of your writing is scientific or reporting incidents involving unknown perpetrators, most of the sentences you write should be in the active voice. The passive voice is meant for sentences whe…