passive voice

Examples of passive voice in the following topics:

• Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

  • Instead, passive voice frames the subject as receiving the action.
  • Passive voice is the opposite of active voice, so sentences in passive voice tend to follow the reverse pattern of object–verb–subject, and the word "by" often shows up between the verb and the subject:
  • Most sentences can be phrased to be in either active or passive voice.
  • Intransitive verbs can never be used in passive voice.
  • Active voice is generally more direct and neutral than passive voice.

• The Passive Voice

  • Verbs can occur in two different voices, active and passive. 
  • Until now, you have experienced mostly the active voice, in which the subject acts upon the direct object, e,g., The dog loves the family. 
  • Although English teachers discourage the use of the passive in writing, Latin likes it very much and uses it often. 
  • The passive verb endings are similar to the active but with a few important differences. 
  • The passive voice occurs in both indicative and subjunctive but uses the same endings in each.

• Nouns as Subjects and Objects

  • If a sentence is written in the active voice, it means that the subject comes before the verb, and the object follows the verb.
  • All of the examples above are written in the active voice.
  • In passive-voice sentences, the usual rules do not apply.
  • In a passive-voice sentence, keep in mind that the order will be subject–verb phrase–object.
  • In the passive voice, a noun coming after the word "by" is an object, while a noun coming before a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., "was") is the subject.

• Results

  • Passive voice is acceptable here: you can say "The stream was found to contain 0.27 PPM mercury," rather than "I found that the stream contained 0.27 PPM mercury."

• Introduction to Verbs: Tense, Aspect, and Mood

  • Consequently, if a sentence's main verb is a linking verb, it cannot be written in the passive voice.

• Transitions, Signal Phrases, and Pointing Words

  • "It is further concluded that," for example, sounds unnatural and a little grandiose because of the passive voice.

• Deciphering an Argument You're Reading

  • If you keep the author's thesis in mind, you can figure out who is saying what even if the positional voice of the author seems to suddenly change in a radical way.
  • Why did the author introduce a new voice?
  • What role does this new voice play?
  • Quotation marks are a helpful tool that authors use to help readers in distinguishing their voice from those of others.
  • When you read, don't just passively accept what the author is saying--read critically.

• Developing Your Voice as a Writer

  • Even while following the rules of content and style, you can develop your own unique voice.
  • You've probably heard that one quality found in good writing is voice.
  • In academic writing, voice comes down to small habits and personal preferences.
  • Keep in mind that voice is not something you can automatically create.
  • There are no quick ways to give yourself a recognizable voice.

• Introduction to Writing in Business

  • Each genre of business writing carries its own conventions of organization, voice, and audience.
  • Writing in the business world is always formal and uses a third-person voice ("he," "she," "they"), although you may use contractions to sound more natural.
  • In some cases, such as emails and sales letters, a slightly less formal tone ("I" and "you") is permissible, but the subject and voice should always remain businesslike.

• Step 6: Editing and Proofreading

  • Think about how you use active and passive verbs.
  • Often, rewriting a sentence to take it from passive to active will make it simpler and easier to read.
  • In this case, changing from passive to active made a major improvement.
  • Please note, this doesn't mean that you should never use passive verbs.