Voice is a nebulous term in writing. It can refer to the general \u201cfeel\u201d of the writing, or it can be used in a more technical sense.\u00a0In this section, we will focus on the latter sense as we discuss active and passive voice.\n\nYou\u2019ve probably heard of the passive voice\u2014perhaps in a comment from an English teacher or in the\u00a0grammar checker of a word processor. In both of these instances, you were (likely) guided away from the passive voice. Why is this the case? Why is the passive voice so hated? After all, it\u2019s been used twice on this page already (three times now). When the passive voice is used to frequently, it can make your writing seem flat and drab.\u00a0However, there are some instances where the passive voice is a better choice than the active.\n\nSo just what is the difference between these two voices?\u00a0In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cA does B.\u201d (For example, \"Carmen sings\u00a0the\u00a0song.\") A passive voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cB is done by A.\u201d (For example, \"The song is sung by Carmen.\") Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct.\n\nLet's look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:\n<\/p>
Groundwater flow is influenced by zones of fracture concentration, as can be recognized by the two model simulations (see Figures 1 and 2), by which one can see . . .<\/p>\nThe sentence is becoming a burden for the reader, and probably for the writer too. As often happens, the passive voice here has smothered potential verbs and kicked off a runaway train of prepositions. But the reader\u2019s task gets much easier in the revised version below:\n
Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .<\/p>\nTo revise the above, all I did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually do <\/em>something, and I made the sentence clearly about these two nouns by placing them in front of active verbs. This is the general principle to follow as you compose in the active voice: Place concrete nouns that can perform work in front of active verbs.\n Voice is a nebulous term in writing. It can refer to the general \u201cfeel\u201d of the writing, or it can be used in a more technical sense.\u00a0In this section, we will focus on the latter sense as we discuss active and passive voice.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably heard of the passive voice\u2014perhaps in a comment from an English teacher or in the\u00a0grammar checker of a word processor. In both of these instances, you were (likely) guided away from the passive voice. Why is this the case? Why is the passive voice so hated? After all, it\u2019s been used twice on this page already (three times now). When the passive voice is used to frequently, it can make your writing seem flat and drab.\u00a0However, there are some instances where the passive voice is a better choice than the active.<\/p>\n So just what is the difference between these two voices?\u00a0In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cA does B.\u201d (For example, “Carmen sings\u00a0the\u00a0song.”) A passive voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cB is done by A.\u201d (For example, “The song is sung by Carmen.”) Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct.<\/p>\n Let’s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:\n<\/p>\n You may have noticed something unique about the previous two sentences: the subject of the sentence is not the person (or thing) performing the action.\u00a0The passive voice “hides” who does the action. Despite these sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don’t know who hit “me” or\u00a0what struck the car.<\/span><\/p>\n The passive is created using the verb\u00a0to be<\/em>\u00a0(e.g., the song is <\/strong>sung; it was<\/strong> struck from behind). Remember that to be <\/em>conjugates irregularly. Its forms include\u00a0am, are, is,\u00a0was, were,<\/em>\u00a0and will be<\/em>, which we learned about earlier in the course.<\/p>\n Remember,\u00a0to be<\/em>\u00a0also has\u00a0more complex forms\u00a0like\u00a0had been<\/em>,\u00a0is being<\/em>, and\u00a0was being.<\/em><\/p>\n Because\u00a0to be\u00a0<\/em>has other uses than just creating the passive voice, we need to be careful when we identify passive sentences. It’s easy to mistake a sentence like “She was falling.” or “He is\u00a0short.” for a passive sentence. However, in “She was falling,” was<\/em>\u00a0simply indicates that the sentence takes\u00a0place in the past. In “He is\u00a0short,” is<\/em> is a linking verb. If there is no “real” action taking place, is<\/em> is simply acting as a linking verb.<\/p>\n There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:<\/p>\n As you read\u00a0at the two sentences below, think about the how the different voice may affect the meaning or implications of the sentence:<\/p>\n The passive choice slightly emphasizes \u201cthe rate of evaporation,\u201d while the active choice emphasizes \u201cthe size of an opening.\u201d Simple. So why all the fuss? Because passive constructions can\u00a0produce grammatically tangled sentences such as this:<\/p>\n Groundwater flow is influenced by zones of fracture concentration, as can be recognized by the two model simulations (see Figures 1 and 2), by which one can see . . .<\/p>\n The sentence is becoming a burden for the reader, and probably for the writer too. As often happens, the passive voice here has smothered potential verbs and kicked off a runaway train of prepositions. But the reader\u2019s task gets much easier in the revised version below:<\/p>\n Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .<\/p>\n To revise the above, all I did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually do <\/em>something, and I made the sentence clearly about these two nouns by placing them in front of active verbs. This is the general principle to follow as you compose in the active voice: Place concrete nouns that can perform work in front of active verbs.<\/p>\n Are the following sentences in the active or passive voice?<\/p>\nPractice<\/h3>\nAre the following sentences in the active or passive voice?\n
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Practice<\/h3>\n
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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t