Active vs passive voice examples plus#

In the passive voice: This module was written by me. In the active voice: I wrote this module. And verbs have two voices: the active and the passive. Strong verbs are the best words for suggesting action: run, leap, hit, accuse, rescue, build, explore, kick, ride, catch, etc. Use the active voice as much as possible to create direct, clear, and concise sentences, especially when you are writing about the actions of people. One of the ways is by choosing the active voice.However, writers often overuse the passive voice. If the subject is omitted (e.g., “the cookies were eaten”), it may result in confusion about who performed the action (did the children eat the cookies, or was it the dog?).īoth the active and the passive voice are permitted in APA Style. Passive voic e: the object of the verb is followed by the verb (usually a form of “to be” + past participle + the word “by”) and then the subject (e.g., “the cookies were eaten by the children”).Active voice: the subject of a sentence is followed by the verb and then the object of the verb (e.g., “the children ate the cookies”).In the other two examples, less importance is placed on who did the murder and more so on the person that was murdered.Voice describes the relationship between a verb and the subject and object associated with it. In the first image, importance is placed on who committed the murder. The three examples below visually demonstrate how the choice to use active voice versus passive voice can have an impact on where importance is placed. Instead, the writing appears to convey information that is not limited or biased by individual perspectives or personal interests. Passive voice has a tendency to sound convoluted and pretentious. Passive Voice: A new home is the dream of over 100 friendly animals at Pretend Animal Shelter. 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. Let’s pull an example sentence from both versions of the flyer: Active Voice: Over 100 friendly and healthy animals are hoping for a new home. 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.Įxample: A new experimental liver-transplant operation was performed successfully yesterday.Įxample: Their research on artificial limbs will be presented at this year's conference. The agent performing the action is obvious, unimportant, or unknownĪ writer wishes to postpone mentioning the agent until the last part of the sentenceĪ writer wishes to avoid mentioning the agent at all Writers in the sciences conventionally use passive voice more often than writers in other discourses. (subject Somebody / action(verb) stole / object my laptop) My laptop was stolen. Sometimes writers find using an indirect expression is rhetorically effective in a given situation, so they choose passive voice. What is the passive voice Somebody stole my laptop. To avoid mistaking active voice for passive voice, watch for the past participle used in the passive voice or use the questions above to determine who is performing the action. The actors raised their voices and struggled to keep their emotions in check. The lawyers used words like ‘iron clad’ and ‘final notice’. They hid behind their stoic lawyers who passed the message down.

The 'to be' verb, especially have or has, could be acting as a modal. The studio managers cancelled the contract. (present progressive tense)Įxample: When I arrived home, he had already called.

The sentence may be using a progressive or a perfect tense.Įxample: They are going to the store.

The 'to be' verb may describe a state of being, not action. The presence of a be-verb, however, does not necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive voice.

Active vs passive voice examples plus#

Form of 'To Be' + Past Participle = Passive VoiceĪ passive verb phrase will always include a form of be, such as am, is, was, were, are, or been plus a past participle.Įxample: The Roman empire was invaded by barbarian tribes.Įxample: Caleb's house will be foreclosed because he is behind on his mortgage.