{"id":342,"date":"2014-07-25T20:09:57","date_gmt":"2014-07-25T20:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/writershandbook\/?post_type=chapter&p=342"},"modified":"2017-01-02T19:52:58","modified_gmt":"2017-01-02T19:52:58","slug":"16-2-writing-in-active-voice-and-uses-of-passive-voice","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-mcc-styleguide\/chapter\/16-2-writing-in-active-voice-and-uses-of-passive-voice\/","title":{"raw":"16.2 Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice","rendered":"16.2 Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice"},"content":{"raw":" \r\n
\r\n

16.2<\/span> Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice<\/h2>\r\n
\r\n

Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Differentiate between active and passive voice.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Write in active voice.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Know when and how to use passive voice.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\nSydney J. Harris, a Chicago journalist, said, \u201cWe have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice\u2014that is, until we have stopped saying, \u2018It got lost,\u2019 and say, \u2018I lost it.\u2019\u201d Besides being a rite of passage in human development, routinely using active voice also marks growth in your writing ability.\r\n\r\nAs a college writer, you need to know when and how to use both active and passive voice. Although active voice<\/span><\/span> is the standard preferred writing style, passive voice<\/span><\/span> is acceptable, and even preferred, in certain situations. However, as a general rule, passive voice tends to be awkward, vague, and wordy.\r\n
    \r\n

    Recognizing Active and Passive Voice<\/h2>\r\nLack of awareness or understanding of passive voice may cause you to use it regularly. Once you fully grasp how it differs from active voice, passive voice will begin to stand out. You will then recognize it when you use it as well as when others use it.\r\n\r\nTo use active voice, you should make the noun that performs the action the subject of the sentence and pair it directly with an action verb.\r\n\r\nRead these two sentences:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nMatt Damon left<\/strong> Harvard in the late 1980s to start his acting career.\r\n\r\nMatt Damon\u2019s acting career was started<\/strong> in the late 1980s when he left Harvard.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIn the first sentence, \u201cleft\u201d is an action verb that is paired with the subject, \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d If you ask yourself \u201cWho or what left?\u201d the answer is \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d Neither of the other two nouns in the sentence\u2014\u201dHarvard\u201d and \u201ccareer\u201d\u2014left anything.\r\n\r\nNow look at the second sentence. The action verb is \u201cstarted.\u201d If you ask yourself \u201cWho or what started something?\u201d the answer is again \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d But in this sentence, \u201ccareer\u201d has been placed in the subject position, not \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d When the doer of the action is not in the subject position, the sentence is in passive voice. In passive voice constructions, the doer of the action usually follows the word \u201cby\u201d as the indirect object of a prepositional phrase, and the action verb is typically partnered with a version of the verb \u201cto be.\u201d\r\n\r\nLook at the following two passive voice sentences. For each sentence, note the noun<\/strong> in the subject position, the form of the verb \u201cto be<\/strong>,\u201d the action verb<\/strong>, and the doer<\/strong> of the action.\r\n
    \r\n

    Example 1<\/h3>\r\nThe original screenplay<\/strong> for Good Will Hunting<\/em> was written<\/strong> by Matt Damon<\/strong> for an English class when he was a student at Harvard University.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n
    \r\n

    Example 2<\/h3>\r\nAs an actor, Matt Damon is loved<\/strong> by millions of fans<\/strong> worldwide.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nPut the following four sentences to the test in order to determine the voice of each: Is the doer in the subject position paired with an action verb (active voice) or placed as an indirect object of a prepositional phrase after a version of the verb \u201cto be\u201d (passive voice) and a verb in past perfect tense?\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck grew up<\/strong> together and are still colleagues and friends today. (active)<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. An Oscar was given<\/strong> to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck<\/strong> for the Good Will Hunting<\/em> script. (passive)<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Jason Bourne, a character from the novels of Robert Ludlum, was played<\/strong> several times by Matt Damon<\/strong>. (passive)<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. Besides acting in the Bourne<\/em> movies, Matt<\/strong> also played<\/strong> the title character in Good Will Hunting<\/em>, Saving Private Ryan<\/em>, and The Talented Mr. Ripley<\/em>. (active)<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
      \r\n

      Using Action Verbs to Make Sentences More Interesting<\/h2>\r\nTwo sentences can generally say the same thing but leave an entirely different impression based on the verb choices. For example, which of the following sentences gives you the most vivid mental picture?\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nA bald eagle was overhead and now is low in the sky near me.\r\n\r\nOR\r\n\r\nA bald eagle soared overhead and then dove low, seemingly coming right at me.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAs a rule, try to express yourself with action verbs instead of forms of the verb \u201cto be.\u201d Sometimes it is fine to use forms of the verb \u201cto be,\u201d such as \u201cis\u201d or \u201care,\u201d but it is easy to overuse them (as in this sentence\u2014twice). Overuse of such verbs results in dull writing.\r\n\r\nRead each of the following sentences and note the use of the verb \u201cto be<\/strong>.\u201d In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each revision uses one or more action verbs<\/em>.\r\n
      \r\n

      Examples<\/h3>\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> A photo was<\/strong> snapped, the tiger was<\/strong> upset, and Elizabeth was<\/strong> on the ground.\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> Elizabeth innocently snapped<\/em> the photo and the lion let out<\/em> a roar that sent<\/em> Elizabeth scrambling<\/em> backward until she fell<\/em> down.\r\n\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> A giraffe\u2019s neck is<\/strong> long and thin, but it is<\/strong> as much as five hundred pounds in weight.\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> A giraffe\u2019s neck wanders<\/em> far above its body and often weighs<\/em> as much as five hundred pounds.\r\n\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> An elephant is<\/strong> able to drink eighty gallons of water and is<\/strong> likely to eat one thousand pounds of vegetation in a day.\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> In one day, an elephant slurps<\/em> down eighty gallons of water and grinds<\/em> away one thousand pounds of vegetation.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nYou might have developed a tendency to use another rather dull and unimaginative form of passive voice, by starting sentences with \u201cthere is,\u201d \u201cthere are,\u201d \u201cthere were,\u201d \u201cit is,\u201d or \u201cit was.\u201d Read each of the following examples of this kind of passive voice construction<\/strong>. In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each sentence can be revised using an action verb<\/em>.\r\n
      \r\n

      Examples<\/h3>\r\nOriginal: There are<\/strong> thousands of butterflies in the Butterfly House.\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> Thousands of butterflies flitter<\/em> around in the Butterfly House.\r\n\r\nOriginal: There were<\/strong> four giraffes eating leaves from the trees.\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> Four giraffes ripped<\/em> mouthfuls of leaves from the trees.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n

      Using Action Verbs Alone to Avoid Passive Voice<\/h2>\r\nEven though the passive voice might include an action verb, the strength of the action verb is lessened by the structure of the sentence. Also, the passive voice tends to create unnecessary wordiness. Read the following sentences and think of a way to reword each using an action verb in active voice. Then study the suggested revision in each case.\r\n
      \r\n

      Examples<\/h3>\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> The zebras were fed by the zoo workers. (eight words)\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> The zoo workers fed the zebras. (six words)\r\n\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> Water was spewed in the air by the elephant. (nine words)\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> The elephant spewed water in the air. (seven words)\r\n\r\nOriginal:<\/strong> The home of the hippopotamus was cleaned up and made tidy by Hank the Hippo Man. (sixteen words)\r\n\r\nRevision:<\/strong> Hank the Hippo Man cleaned up and tidied the hippopotamus\u2019s home. (eleven words)\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n

      Writing in the Active Voice<\/h2>\r\nOnce you completely understand the difference between active and passive voice, writing in active voice becomes easy. All you have to do is to make sure you always clearly say who or what did what. And if you notice you are using forms of the verb \u201cto be\u201d with your action verb, look closely at the reason. If you are writing in progressive tense (\u201cCarrie is walking to my house\u201d) or perfect progressive tense (\u201cMelissa will have been married for four years by then\u201d), you will need to use such helping verbs, even in active voice. (See Chapter 15 \"Sentence Building,\" Section 15.2 \"Choosing Appropriate Verb Tenses\" for more information on progressive and perfect progressive tenses.)\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n

      Using Passive Voice<\/h2>\r\nSometimes passive voice actually is the best option. The point is to only use passive voice when you consciously decide to do so. Consider the following acceptable uses of passive voice.\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • When you don\u2019t know who or what is responsible for the action:Example: Our front door lock was picked.\r\n\r\nRationale: If you don\u2019t know who picked the lock on your front door, you can\u2019t say who did it. You could say a thief broke in, but that is an assumption. You could, theoretically, find out that the lock was picked by a family member who had forgotten to take a key.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When you want to hide the person or thing responsible for the action, such as in a story:Example: The basement was filled with a mysterious scraping sound.\r\n\r\nRationale: If you are writing a story, you might logically introduce a phenomenon without revealing the person or thing that caused it.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When the person or thing that performed the action is not important:Example: The park was flooded all week.\r\n\r\nRationale: Although you would obviously know that the rainwater flooded the park, it is not important to say so.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When you do not want to place credit, responsibility, or blame:Example: A mistake was made in the investigation that resulted in the wrong person being on trial.\r\n\r\nRationale: Even if you think you know who is responsible for a problem, you might not want to expose the person.<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When you want to maintain the impression of objectivity:Example: It was noted that only first graders chose to eat the fruit.\r\n\r\nRationale: Research reports in certain academic disciplines attempt to remove the researcher from the results, to avoid saying, for example, \u201cI noted that only first graders\u2026.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When you want to avoid using a gendered construction and pluralizing is not an option (see Section 16.3 \"Using Subordination and Coordination\" for more on nonsexist language):Example: If the password is forgotten by the user, a security question will be asked.\r\n\r\nRationale: This construction avoids the need for \u201chis or her\u201d (as in \u201cthe user forgets his or her<\/strong> password\u201d).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
        \r\n

        Key Takeaways<\/h3>\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • In active voice, the subject of the sentence completes the action. In passive voice, the action is performed by someone or something other than the subject of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n \t
        • As a rule, you should write using the active voice in order to make sentences more interesting.<\/li>\r\n \t
        • One way to avoid dull sentences is to avoid starting sentences with wording such as \u201cthere are,\u201d \u201cthere was,\u201d and \u201cit is.\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t
        • Using action verbs without the verb \u201cto be\u201d creates stronger, active voice sentences.<\/li>\r\n \t
        • Some specific situations call for the use of the passive voice.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
          \r\n

          Exercises<\/h3>\r\n
            \r\n \t
          1. Pay attention to material you read over one week. From the things you read, collect at least ten examples of sentences written in passive voice. Take the sentences you collected and rewrite them in the active voice.<\/li>\r\n \t
          2. Choose one of the examples of acceptable uses of passive voice cited in this section and write a sample paragraph demonstrating that usage.<\/li>\r\n \t
          3. Rewrite each of these sentences using an action verb in active voice:\r\n
              \r\n \t
            1. There were five guys sharing a pizza on the back patio.<\/li>\r\n \t
            2. Jane is at her parents\u2019 house for the weekend.<\/li>\r\n \t
            3. The movie was enjoyed by all of us.<\/li>\r\n \t
            4. It was a long night when the three of us decided to build a set of bunk beds.<\/li>\r\n \t
            5. The bus ride from here to Chicago is long and bumpy.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n ","rendered":"

               <\/p>\n

              \n

              16.2<\/span> Writing in Active Voice and Uses of Passive Voice<\/h2>\n
              \n

              Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n
                \n
              1. Differentiate between active and passive voice.<\/li>\n
              2. Write in active voice.<\/li>\n
              3. Know when and how to use passive voice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                Sydney J. Harris, a Chicago journalist, said, \u201cWe have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice\u2014that is, until we have stopped saying, \u2018It got lost,\u2019 and say, \u2018I lost it.\u2019\u201d Besides being a rite of passage in human development, routinely using active voice also marks growth in your writing ability.<\/p>\n

                As a college writer, you need to know when and how to use both active and passive voice. Although active voice<\/span><\/span> is the standard preferred writing style, passive voice<\/span><\/span> is acceptable, and even preferred, in certain situations. However, as a general rule, passive voice tends to be awkward, vague, and wordy.<\/p>\n

                \n

                Recognizing Active and Passive Voice<\/h2>\n

                Lack of awareness or understanding of passive voice may cause you to use it regularly. Once you fully grasp how it differs from active voice, passive voice will begin to stand out. You will then recognize it when you use it as well as when others use it.<\/p>\n

                To use active voice, you should make the noun that performs the action the subject of the sentence and pair it directly with an action verb.<\/p>\n

                Read these two sentences:<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Matt Damon left<\/strong> Harvard in the late 1980s to start his acting career.<\/p>\n

                Matt Damon\u2019s acting career was started<\/strong> in the late 1980s when he left Harvard.<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                In the first sentence, \u201cleft\u201d is an action verb that is paired with the subject, \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d If you ask yourself \u201cWho or what left?\u201d the answer is \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d Neither of the other two nouns in the sentence\u2014\u201dHarvard\u201d and \u201ccareer\u201d\u2014left anything.<\/p>\n

                Now look at the second sentence. The action verb is \u201cstarted.\u201d If you ask yourself \u201cWho or what started something?\u201d the answer is again \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d But in this sentence, \u201ccareer\u201d has been placed in the subject position, not \u201cMatt Damon.\u201d When the doer of the action is not in the subject position, the sentence is in passive voice. In passive voice constructions, the doer of the action usually follows the word \u201cby\u201d as the indirect object of a prepositional phrase, and the action verb is typically partnered with a version of the verb \u201cto be.\u201d<\/p>\n

                Look at the following two passive voice sentences. For each sentence, note the noun<\/strong> in the subject position, the form of the verb \u201cto be<\/strong>,\u201d the action verb<\/strong>, and the doer<\/strong> of the action.<\/p>\n

                \n

                Example 1<\/h3>\n

                The original screenplay<\/strong> for Good Will Hunting<\/em> was written<\/strong> by Matt Damon<\/strong> for an English class when he was a student at Harvard University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                \n

                Example 2<\/h3>\n

                As an actor, Matt Damon is loved<\/strong> by millions of fans<\/strong> worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                Put the following four sentences to the test in order to determine the voice of each: Is the doer in the subject position paired with an action verb (active voice) or placed as an indirect object of a prepositional phrase after a version of the verb \u201cto be\u201d (passive voice) and a verb in past perfect tense?<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck grew up<\/strong> together and are still colleagues and friends today. (active)<\/li>\n
                2. An Oscar was given<\/strong> to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck<\/strong> for the Good Will Hunting<\/em> script. (passive)<\/li>\n
                3. Jason Bourne, a character from the novels of Robert Ludlum, was played<\/strong> several times by Matt Damon<\/strong>. (passive)<\/li>\n
                4. Besides acting in the Bourne<\/em> movies, Matt<\/strong> also played<\/strong> the title character in Good Will Hunting<\/em>, Saving Private Ryan<\/em>, and The Talented Mr. Ripley<\/em>. (active)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                  \n

                  Using Action Verbs to Make Sentences More Interesting<\/h2>\n

                  Two sentences can generally say the same thing but leave an entirely different impression based on the verb choices. For example, which of the following sentences gives you the most vivid mental picture?<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  A bald eagle was overhead and now is low in the sky near me.<\/p>\n

                  OR<\/p>\n

                  A bald eagle soared overhead and then dove low, seemingly coming right at me.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  As a rule, try to express yourself with action verbs instead of forms of the verb \u201cto be.\u201d Sometimes it is fine to use forms of the verb \u201cto be,\u201d such as \u201cis\u201d or \u201care,\u201d but it is easy to overuse them (as in this sentence\u2014twice). Overuse of such verbs results in dull writing.<\/p>\n

                  Read each of the following sentences and note the use of the verb \u201cto be<\/strong>.\u201d In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each revision uses one or more action verbs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                  \n

                  Examples<\/h3>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> A photo was<\/strong> snapped, the tiger was<\/strong> upset, and Elizabeth was<\/strong> on the ground.<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> Elizabeth innocently snapped<\/em> the photo and the lion let out<\/em> a roar that sent<\/em> Elizabeth scrambling<\/em> backward until she fell<\/em> down.<\/p>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> A giraffe\u2019s neck is<\/strong> long and thin, but it is<\/strong> as much as five hundred pounds in weight.<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> A giraffe\u2019s neck wanders<\/em> far above its body and often weighs<\/em> as much as five hundred pounds.<\/p>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> An elephant is<\/strong> able to drink eighty gallons of water and is<\/strong> likely to eat one thousand pounds of vegetation in a day.<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> In one day, an elephant slurps<\/em> down eighty gallons of water and grinds<\/em> away one thousand pounds of vegetation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  You might have developed a tendency to use another rather dull and unimaginative form of passive voice, by starting sentences with \u201cthere is,\u201d \u201cthere are,\u201d \u201cthere were,\u201d \u201cit is,\u201d or \u201cit was.\u201d Read each of the following examples of this kind of passive voice construction<\/strong>. In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each sentence can be revised using an action verb<\/em>.<\/p>\n

                  \n

                  Examples<\/h3>\n

                  Original: There are<\/strong> thousands of butterflies in the Butterfly House.<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> Thousands of butterflies flitter<\/em> around in the Butterfly House.<\/p>\n

                  Original: There were<\/strong> four giraffes eating leaves from the trees.<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> Four giraffes ripped<\/em> mouthfuls of leaves from the trees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                  Using Action Verbs Alone to Avoid Passive Voice<\/h2>\n

                  Even though the passive voice might include an action verb, the strength of the action verb is lessened by the structure of the sentence. Also, the passive voice tends to create unnecessary wordiness. Read the following sentences and think of a way to reword each using an action verb in active voice. Then study the suggested revision in each case.<\/p>\n

                  \n

                  Examples<\/h3>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> The zebras were fed by the zoo workers. (eight words)<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> The zoo workers fed the zebras. (six words)<\/p>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> Water was spewed in the air by the elephant. (nine words)<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> The elephant spewed water in the air. (seven words)<\/p>\n

                  Original:<\/strong> The home of the hippopotamus was cleaned up and made tidy by Hank the Hippo Man. (sixteen words)<\/p>\n

                  Revision:<\/strong> Hank the Hippo Man cleaned up and tidied the hippopotamus\u2019s home. (eleven words)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                  Writing in the Active Voice<\/h2>\n

                  Once you completely understand the difference between active and passive voice, writing in active voice becomes easy. All you have to do is to make sure you always clearly say who or what did what. And if you notice you are using forms of the verb \u201cto be\u201d with your action verb, look closely at the reason. If you are writing in progressive tense (\u201cCarrie is walking to my house\u201d) or perfect progressive tense (\u201cMelissa will have been married for four years by then\u201d), you will need to use such helping verbs, even in active voice. (See Chapter 15 “Sentence Building,” Section 15.2 “Choosing Appropriate Verb Tenses” for more information on progressive and perfect progressive tenses.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                  Using Passive Voice<\/h2>\n

                  Sometimes passive voice actually is the best option. The point is to only use passive voice when you consciously decide to do so. Consider the following acceptable uses of passive voice.<\/p>\n