{"id":174,"date":"2017-06-13T11:36:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T11:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=174"},"modified":"2017-06-19T17:17:44","modified_gmt":"2017-06-19T17:17:44","slug":"active-and-passive-voice","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/chapter\/active-and-passive-voice\/","title":{"raw":"Active and Passive Voice","rendered":"Active and Passive Voice"},"content":{"raw":"There are two main \"voices\" in English writing: the active voice and the passive voice. You've probably heard a lot about them\u2014and you've probably been warned away from the passive voice. But what exactly are they?\r\n\r\nIn 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.\u00a0Let's look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I've been hit! (<em>or<\/em>, I\u00a0have been hit!)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Jasper\u00a0was thrown from the car\u00a0when it was struck from behind.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nYou may have noticed something unique about the previous two sentences: the subject of the sentence is not the person (or thing) performing the action.\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">The 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>\r\n\r\nThe passive is created using the verb\u00a0<em>to be<\/em> and the past participle. When identifying passive sentences, remember that\u00a0<em>to be\u00a0<\/em>has other uses than just creating the passive voice. \"She was falling\" and \"His keys were lost\" are not passive sentences. In the first, <em>to be<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0a continuous past verb, and in the second <em>to be<\/em>\u00a0is past tense linking verb. There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Something is happening (the sentence has a verb that is not a linking verb).<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The subject of the sentence is not doing that thing.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h2>Usage<\/h2>\r\nAs you read\u00a0at the two sentences below, think about the how the different voice may affect the meaning or implications of the sentence:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Passive voice:<\/strong> The rate of evaporation is controlled by the size of an opening.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Active voice:<\/strong> The size of an opening controls the rate of evaporation.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe 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:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">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>\r\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:\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .<\/p>\r\nTo revise the above, all we\u00a0did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually <em>do <\/em>something, and we\u00a0made 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.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\nAre the following sentences in the active or passive voice? How can you tell?\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>The samples were prepared in a clean room before being sent out for further examination.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Karen was dancing with Joshua when she suddenly realized she needed to leave.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Carlos was a very serious scientist with unique interests.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"206851\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"206851\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>This sentence uses the passive\u00a0voice. The action (<strong>prepared<\/strong>) was done to the subject of the sentence (<strong>samples<\/strong>). If this sentence were written in the active it would be something like this: \"[Actor] prepared the samples in a clean room before sending them out for further examination.\" Since we do not know who prepared the samples, the active sentence is incomplete.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>This sentence uses the active voice. In this case\u00a0<em>was<\/em> indicates that the sentence happened in the past; it does not indicate the passive voice.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>This sentence uses the active voice. In this case\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0is acting as a linking verb. It links\u00a0<strong>Carlos<\/strong> with the phrase\u00a0<em>very serious\u00a0scientist<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Revise Weak Passive-Voice Sentences<\/h2>\r\nAs we've mentioned, the passive voice can be a shifty operator\u2014it can cover up its source, that is, who's doing the acting, as this example shows:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Passive:\u00a0<\/strong>The papers <strong>will be graded<\/strong> according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>Graded by whom though?<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Active:\u00a0The teacher<\/strong> will grade the papers according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIt's this ability to cover the actor or agent of the sentence that makes the passive voice a favorite of people in authority\u2014policemen, city officials, and, yes, teachers. At any rate, you can see how the passive voice can cause wordiness, indirectness, and comprehension problems.\r\n<table>\r\n<thead>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th style=\"width: 36%\" width=\"36%\">Passive<\/th>\r\n<th style=\"width: 28%\" width=\"28%\">Question<\/th>\r\n<th width=\"36%\">Active<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>Your figures <strong>have been reanalyzed<\/strong> in order to determine the coefficient of error. The results <strong>will be announced<\/strong> when the situation is judged appropriate.<\/td>\r\n<td>Who analyzes, and who will announce?<\/td>\r\n<td><strong>We<\/strong> have reanalyzed your figures in order to determine the range of error. <strong>We<\/strong> will announce the results when the time is right.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>With the price of housing at such inflated levels, those loans\u00a0<strong>cannot be paid<\/strong> off in any shorter period of time.<\/td>\r\n<td>Who can't pay the loans off?<\/td>\r\n<td>With the price of housing at such inflated levels, <strong>homeowners<\/strong> cannot pay off those loans in any shorter period of time.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>After the arm of the hand-held stapler <strong>is pushed<\/strong> down, the blade from the magazine <strong>is raised by<\/strong> the top-leaf spring, and the magazine and base.<\/td>\r\n<td>Who pushes it down, and who or what raises it?<\/td>\r\n<td>After <strong>you<\/strong> push down on the arm of the hand-held stapler, <strong>the top-leaf spring<\/strong> raises the blade from the magazine, and the magazine and base move apart.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>However, market share <strong>is being lost by<\/strong> 5.25-inch diskettes as is shown in the graph in Figure 2.<\/td>\r\n<td>Who or what is losing market share, who or what shows it?<\/td>\r\n<td>However, <strong>5.25-inch diskettes<\/strong> are losing market share as the graph in <strong>Figure 2<\/strong> shows.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>For many years, federal regulations concerning the use of wire-tapping <strong>have been ignored<\/strong>. Only recently <strong>have<\/strong> tighter restrictions <strong>been imposed<\/strong> on the circumstances that warrant it.<\/td>\r\n<td>Who has ignored the regulations, and who is now imposing them?<\/td>\r\n<td>For many years, <strong>government officials<\/strong> have ignored federal regulations concerning the use of wire-tapping. Only recently has<strong> the federal government<\/strong> imposed tighter restrictions on the circumstances that warrant it.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\nConvert these passive voice sentences into the active voice. Why is the\u00a0active voice a better choice for each of these sentences?\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>The process, which was essential for the experiment's success, was completed by Enzo.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The cake that I worked on all day long is being eaten by Justin.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>After the pattern has been applied to the fabric, work on the embroidery can be started.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"529218\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"529218\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Enzo completed the process, which was essential for the experiment's success.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>In the passive sentence, the\u00a0<em>which<\/em>-clause makes the subject of the sentence excessively long. By\u00a0converting the sentence to the active voice, the clause is moved to the predicate, which makes the sentence easier to understand.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Justin is eating\u00a0the cake that I worked on\u00a0all day long.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The active voice works better in this sentence for the same reasons as sentence one.\u00a0It is also likely that you would want to put emphasis on Justin in this sentence. After all, he's doing something that is (most likely) inconsiderate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>After you apply the pattern to the fabric, you can\u00a0start\u00a0working on the embroidery.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>This sentence is likely found in\u00a0a set of instructions, which are usually written directly to the reader. Addressing \"you\" and avoiding the passive voice will make the instructions feel\u00a0more natural and accessible.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nDon't get the idea that the passive voice is always wrong and should never be used. It is a good writing technique when we don't want to be bothered with an obvious or too-often-repeated subject and when we need to rearrange words in a sentence for emphasis. The next page will focus more on how and why to use the passive voice.\r\n\r\nThere are several different situations where the passive voice is more useful than the active voice.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>When you don't know who did the action:\u00a0<em>The paper had been moved.<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The active voice would be something like this: \"Someone had moved the paper.\" While this sentence\u00a0is technically fine, the passive voice\u00a0sentence has a more subtle\u00a0element of mystery, which can be especially helpful in creating a mood in fiction.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>When you want to hide who did the action:\u00a0<em>The window had been\u00a0broken.<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The sentence is either hiding who broke the window or they do not know. Again, the sentence can be reformed to say \"Someone had broken the window,\" but using the word <em>someone<\/em>\u00a0clearly indicates that someone (though we may not know who) is at fault here. Using the passive puts the focus on the window rather than on the person who broke it, as he or she is completely left out of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>When you want to emphasize the person or thing the action was done to: <em>Caroline\u00a0was hurt\u00a0when Kent broke up with her.<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>We automatically focus on the subject of the sentence. If the sentence\u00a0were to say \"Kent\u00a0hurt Caroline when he broke up with her,\" then our focus would be drawn to Kent rather than Caroline.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>A\u00a0subject that can't actually <em>do <\/em>anything:\u00a0<em>Caroline was hurt when she fell into the trees.<\/em>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>While the trees hurt Caroline, they didn't actually do anything. Thus, it makes more sense to have Caroline as the subject rather than saying \"The trees hurt Caroline when she fell into them.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> It's often against convention in scholarly writing to\u00a0use <em>I<\/em>.<em>\u00a0<\/em>While this may seem\u00a0like a forced rule, it also stems from the fact that scholars\u00a0want to emphasize the science or research as opposed to the author of the paper. This often results in the passive voice being the best choice. This is not the case in other formal settings, such as in resumes and in cover letters.<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\nConsider the following instances. In each case, determine why\u00a0the writers\u00a0might\u00a0want to use active or passive voice. Write\u00a0an example sentence based on their circumstances.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Antonella made an error in her calculations that ruined an experiment. This error ended up costing both time and materials. She has to write a report to her boss. What might she say about the experiment?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Isabel is writing a\u00a0supernatural thriller. Her main character, Liam, notices that\u00a0his keys aren't where he left them. How might Isabel word this realization?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Thiago is\u00a0writing\u00a0a\u00a0cover letter\u00a0to apply for a new job. He is listing out tasks that he does at his current job. How would he want to word these items?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"176375\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"176375\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Antonella would likely want to write in the passive voice. Even if her boss knows she made the error, writing in the passive will draw attention away from that fact. She might say something like this:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>An error was made that ended up costing time and resources. The experiment will have to be repeated with new materials.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Isabel could use either the passive or the active. It depends on the emphasis she wants.\u00a0The passive voice subtly hints at a mysterious actor. The active voice blatantly states it:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Liam's keys had been moved when he wasn't looking.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Something\u2014or someone\u2014had moved Liam's keys when he wasn't looking.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Thiago would want to use the active voice. Since he's apply for a job, he would want to emphasize the fact that he is accomplishing the tasks: the fact that he's doing them is more important than the simple fact that the things were done. He might write something like the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I\u00a0currently work as a teaching assistant for a linguistics professor. I organize her mail, flagging important items so she knows what needs immediate attention; I aid her in her research, finding interesting articles and studies; and I often help her students when her attention is needed elsewhere.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Using the Passive<\/h2>\r\nNow that we know there are some instances where passive voice is the best choice, how do we\u00a0use the passive voice to it fullest? The answer lies in writing direct sentences\u2014in passive voice\u2014that have simple subjects and verbs. Compare the two sentences below:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Photomicrographs were taken to facilitate easy comparison of the samples.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Easy comparison of the samples was facilitated by the taking of photomicrographs.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nBoth sentences are written in the passive voice, but for most ears the first sentence is more direct and understandable, and therefore preferable. Depending on the context, it does a clearer job of telling us what was done and why it was done. Especially if this sentence appears in the \u201cExperimental\u201d section of a report (and thus readers already know that the authors of the report took the photomicrographs), the first sentence neatly represents what the authors actually did\u2014took photomicrographs\u2014and why they did it\u2014to facilitate easy comparison.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\nRead the following sentences. Are they using the passive effectively?\u00a0If there are any errors, rewrite the sentences accordingly.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>The machine needs to be\u00a0reset at 10:23, 11:12, and 11:56 every night.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The final steps, which need to be finished\u00a0before the sun sets over the mountains, are\u00a0going\u00a0to be completed\u00a0by Kajuana.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The difficult task of measuring minute fluctuations in weight was made easier by the use of a new digital scale.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"72415\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"72415\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Yes. In this case, it doesn't matter who\u00a0accomplishes the action; it simply needs to be done. If this sentence appears in an academic article, the passive\u00a0may be even more appropriate, as that style often demands the actor be left out of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>No. This would be better in the active voice. There are a lot of different parts to the sentence, and by converting the sentence to the active voice, they come in a more logical order that is easier to understand:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Kajuana is\u00a0going to complete\u00a0the final steps, which need to be finished\u00a0before the sun sets over the mountains.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li>No. This passive construction is very convoluted.\u00a0An active sentence would serve well here:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>A new digital scale made it easier to measure minute fluctuations in weight.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe passive voice can also be used\u00a0following relative pronouns like\u00a0<em>that<\/em> and\u00a0<em>which<\/em>.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I moved into the house <strong>that was built<\/strong> for me.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Adri\u00e1n's dog loves the treats <strong>that are\u00a0given<\/strong>\u00a0to him.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Brihanna has an album\u00a0<strong>that was\u00a0signed<\/strong>\u00a0by the Beastie Boys.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn each of these sentences, it is grammatically sound to omit (or\u00a0<em>elide<\/em>) the pronoun and\u00a0<em>to be<\/em>. Elision is used with a lot of different constructions in English; we use it\u00a0shorten sentences when things are understood. However, we can only use elision in certain situations, so be careful when removing words! You may find these elided\u00a0sentences more natural:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>I moved into the house <strong>built<\/strong> for me.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Adri\u00e1n's dog loves the treats <strong>given<\/strong>\u00a0to him.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Brihanna has an album <strong>signed<\/strong> by the Beastie Boys<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<p>There are two main &#8220;voices&#8221; in English writing: the active voice and the passive voice. You&#8217;ve probably heard a lot about them\u2014and you&#8217;ve probably been warned away from the passive voice. But what exactly are they?<\/p>\n<p>In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cA does B.\u201d (For example, &#8220;Carmen sings\u00a0the\u00a0song.&#8221;) A passive voice sentence is written in the form of \u201cB is done by A.\u201d (For example, &#8220;The song is sung by Carmen.&#8221;) Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct.\u00a0Let&#8217;s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I&#8217;ve been hit! (<em>or<\/em>, I\u00a0have been hit!)<\/li>\n<li>Jasper\u00a0was thrown from the car\u00a0when it was struck from behind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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.\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">The passive voice &#8220;hides&#8221; who does the action. Despite these sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don&#8217;t know who hit &#8220;me&#8221; or\u00a0what struck the car.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The passive is created using the verb\u00a0<em>to be<\/em> and the past participle. When identifying passive sentences, remember that\u00a0<em>to be\u00a0<\/em>has other uses than just creating the passive voice. &#8220;She was falling&#8221; and &#8220;His keys were lost&#8221; are not passive sentences. In the first, <em>to be<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0a continuous past verb, and in the second <em>to be<\/em>\u00a0is past tense linking verb. There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Something is happening (the sentence has a verb that is not a linking verb).<\/li>\n<li>The subject of the sentence is not doing that thing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Usage<\/h2>\n<p>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<ul>\n<li><strong>Passive voice:<\/strong> The rate of evaporation is controlled by the size of an opening.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Active voice:<\/strong> The size of an opening controls the rate of evaporation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">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<p>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<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .<\/p>\n<p>To revise the above, all we\u00a0did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually <em>do <\/em>something, and we\u00a0made 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<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Are the following sentences in the active or passive voice? How can you tell?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The samples were prepared in a clean room before being sent out for further examination.<\/li>\n<li>Karen was dancing with Joshua when she suddenly realized she needed to leave.<\/li>\n<li>Carlos was a very serious scientist with unique interests.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><textarea aria-label=\"Your Answer\" rows=\"4\"><\/textarea><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q206851\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q206851\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>This sentence uses the passive\u00a0voice. The action (<strong>prepared<\/strong>) was done to the subject of the sentence (<strong>samples<\/strong>). If this sentence were written in the active it would be something like this: &#8220;[Actor] prepared the samples in a clean room before sending them out for further examination.&#8221; Since we do not know who prepared the samples, the active sentence is incomplete.<\/li>\n<li>This sentence uses the active voice. In this case\u00a0<em>was<\/em> indicates that the sentence happened in the past; it does not indicate the passive voice.<\/li>\n<li>This sentence uses the active voice. In this case\u00a0<em>was<\/em>\u00a0is acting as a linking verb. It links\u00a0<strong>Carlos<\/strong> with the phrase\u00a0<em>very serious\u00a0scientist<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Revise Weak Passive-Voice Sentences<\/h2>\n<p>As we&#8217;ve mentioned, the passive voice can be a shifty operator\u2014it can cover up its source, that is, who&#8217;s doing the acting, as this example shows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Passive:\u00a0<\/strong>The papers <strong>will be graded<\/strong> according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.\n<ul>\n<li><em>Graded by whom though?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Active:\u00a0The teacher<\/strong> will grade the papers according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s this ability to cover the actor or agent of the sentence that makes the passive voice a favorite of people in authority\u2014policemen, city officials, and, yes, teachers. At any rate, you can see how the passive voice can cause wordiness, indirectness, and comprehension problems.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 36%; width: 36%;\">Passive<\/th>\n<th style=\"width: 28%; width: 28%;\">Question<\/th>\n<th style=\"width: 36%;\">Active<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Your figures <strong>have been reanalyzed<\/strong> in order to determine the coefficient of error. The results <strong>will be announced<\/strong> when the situation is judged appropriate.<\/td>\n<td>Who analyzes, and who will announce?<\/td>\n<td><strong>We<\/strong> have reanalyzed your figures in order to determine the range of error. <strong>We<\/strong> will announce the results when the time is right.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>With the price of housing at such inflated levels, those loans\u00a0<strong>cannot be paid<\/strong> off in any shorter period of time.<\/td>\n<td>Who can&#8217;t pay the loans off?<\/td>\n<td>With the price of housing at such inflated levels, <strong>homeowners<\/strong> cannot pay off those loans in any shorter period of time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>After the arm of the hand-held stapler <strong>is pushed<\/strong> down, the blade from the magazine <strong>is raised by<\/strong> the top-leaf spring, and the magazine and base.<\/td>\n<td>Who pushes it down, and who or what raises it?<\/td>\n<td>After <strong>you<\/strong> push down on the arm of the hand-held stapler, <strong>the top-leaf spring<\/strong> raises the blade from the magazine, and the magazine and base move apart.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>However, market share <strong>is being lost by<\/strong> 5.25-inch diskettes as is shown in the graph in Figure 2.<\/td>\n<td>Who or what is losing market share, who or what shows it?<\/td>\n<td>However, <strong>5.25-inch diskettes<\/strong> are losing market share as the graph in <strong>Figure 2<\/strong> shows.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>For many years, federal regulations concerning the use of wire-tapping <strong>have been ignored<\/strong>. Only recently <strong>have<\/strong> tighter restrictions <strong>been imposed<\/strong> on the circumstances that warrant it.<\/td>\n<td>Who has ignored the regulations, and who is now imposing them?<\/td>\n<td>For many years, <strong>government officials<\/strong> have ignored federal regulations concerning the use of wire-tapping. Only recently has<strong> the federal government<\/strong> imposed tighter restrictions on the circumstances that warrant it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Convert these passive voice sentences into the active voice. Why is the\u00a0active voice a better choice for each of these sentences?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The process, which was essential for the experiment&#8217;s success, was completed by Enzo.<\/li>\n<li>The cake that I worked on all day long is being eaten by Justin.<\/li>\n<li>After the pattern has been applied to the fabric, work on the embroidery can be started.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><textarea aria-label=\"Your Answer\" rows=\"4\"><\/textarea><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q529218\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q529218\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>Enzo completed the process, which was essential for the experiment&#8217;s success.\n<ul>\n<li>In the passive sentence, the\u00a0<em>which<\/em>-clause makes the subject of the sentence excessively long. By\u00a0converting the sentence to the active voice, the clause is moved to the predicate, which makes the sentence easier to understand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Justin is eating\u00a0the cake that I worked on\u00a0all day long.\n<ul>\n<li>The active voice works better in this sentence for the same reasons as sentence one.\u00a0It is also likely that you would want to put emphasis on Justin in this sentence. After all, he&#8217;s doing something that is (most likely) inconsiderate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>After you apply the pattern to the fabric, you can\u00a0start\u00a0working on the embroidery.\n<ul>\n<li>This sentence is likely found in\u00a0a set of instructions, which are usually written directly to the reader. Addressing &#8220;you&#8221; and avoiding the passive voice will make the instructions feel\u00a0more natural and accessible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get the idea that the passive voice is always wrong and should never be used. It is a good writing technique when we don&#8217;t want to be bothered with an obvious or too-often-repeated subject and when we need to rearrange words in a sentence for emphasis. The next page will focus more on how and why to use the passive voice.<\/p>\n<p>There are several different situations where the passive voice is more useful than the active voice.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When you don&#8217;t know who did the action:\u00a0<em>The paper had been moved.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li>The active voice would be something like this: &#8220;Someone had moved the paper.&#8221; While this sentence\u00a0is technically fine, the passive voice\u00a0sentence has a more subtle\u00a0element of mystery, which can be especially helpful in creating a mood in fiction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>When you want to hide who did the action:\u00a0<em>The window had been\u00a0broken.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li>The sentence is either hiding who broke the window or they do not know. Again, the sentence can be reformed to say &#8220;Someone had broken the window,&#8221; but using the word <em>someone<\/em>\u00a0clearly indicates that someone (though we may not know who) is at fault here. Using the passive puts the focus on the window rather than on the person who broke it, as he or she is completely left out of the sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>When you want to emphasize the person or thing the action was done to: <em>Caroline\u00a0was hurt\u00a0when Kent broke up with her.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li>We automatically focus on the subject of the sentence. If the sentence\u00a0were to say &#8220;Kent\u00a0hurt Caroline when he broke up with her,&#8221; then our focus would be drawn to Kent rather than Caroline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0subject that can&#8217;t actually <em>do <\/em>anything:\u00a0<em>Caroline was hurt when she fell into the trees.<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li>While the trees hurt Caroline, they didn&#8217;t actually do anything. Thus, it makes more sense to have Caroline as the subject rather than saying &#8220;The trees hurt Caroline when she fell into them.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> It&#8217;s often against convention in scholarly writing to\u00a0use <em>I<\/em>.<em>\u00a0<\/em>While this may seem\u00a0like a forced rule, it also stems from the fact that scholars\u00a0want to emphasize the science or research as opposed to the author of the paper. This often results in the passive voice being the best choice. This is not the case in other formal settings, such as in resumes and in cover letters.<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Consider the following instances. In each case, determine why\u00a0the writers\u00a0might\u00a0want to use active or passive voice. Write\u00a0an example sentence based on their circumstances.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Antonella made an error in her calculations that ruined an experiment. This error ended up costing both time and materials. She has to write a report to her boss. What might she say about the experiment?<\/li>\n<li>Isabel is writing a\u00a0supernatural thriller. Her main character, Liam, notices that\u00a0his keys aren&#8217;t where he left them. How might Isabel word this realization?<\/li>\n<li>Thiago is\u00a0writing\u00a0a\u00a0cover letter\u00a0to apply for a new job. He is listing out tasks that he does at his current job. How would he want to word these items?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><textarea aria-label=\"Your Answer\" rows=\"4\"><\/textarea><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q176375\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q176375\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>Antonella would likely want to write in the passive voice. Even if her boss knows she made the error, writing in the passive will draw attention away from that fact. She might say something like this:\n<ul>\n<li>An error was made that ended up costing time and resources. The experiment will have to be repeated with new materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Isabel could use either the passive or the active. It depends on the emphasis she wants.\u00a0The passive voice subtly hints at a mysterious actor. The active voice blatantly states it:\n<ul>\n<li>Liam&#8217;s keys had been moved when he wasn&#8217;t looking.<\/li>\n<li>Something\u2014or someone\u2014had moved Liam&#8217;s keys when he wasn&#8217;t looking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Thiago would want to use the active voice. Since he&#8217;s apply for a job, he would want to emphasize the fact that he is accomplishing the tasks: the fact that he&#8217;s doing them is more important than the simple fact that the things were done. He might write something like the following:\n<ul>\n<li>I\u00a0currently work as a teaching assistant for a linguistics professor. I organize her mail, flagging important items so she knows what needs immediate attention; I aid her in her research, finding interesting articles and studies; and I often help her students when her attention is needed elsewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Using the Passive<\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know there are some instances where passive voice is the best choice, how do we\u00a0use the passive voice to it fullest? The answer lies in writing direct sentences\u2014in passive voice\u2014that have simple subjects and verbs. Compare the two sentences below:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Photomicrographs were taken to facilitate easy comparison of the samples.<\/li>\n<li>Easy comparison of the samples was facilitated by the taking of photomicrographs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both sentences are written in the passive voice, but for most ears the first sentence is more direct and understandable, and therefore preferable. Depending on the context, it does a clearer job of telling us what was done and why it was done. Especially if this sentence appears in the \u201cExperimental\u201d section of a report (and thus readers already know that the authors of the report took the photomicrographs), the first sentence neatly represents what the authors actually did\u2014took photomicrographs\u2014and why they did it\u2014to facilitate easy comparison.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Read the following sentences. Are they using the passive effectively?\u00a0If there are any errors, rewrite the sentences accordingly.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The machine needs to be\u00a0reset at 10:23, 11:12, and 11:56 every night.<\/li>\n<li>The final steps, which need to be finished\u00a0before the sun sets over the mountains, are\u00a0going\u00a0to be completed\u00a0by Kajuana.<\/li>\n<li>The difficult task of measuring minute fluctuations in weight was made easier by the use of a new digital scale.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><textarea aria-label=\"Your Answer\" rows=\"4\"><\/textarea><\/p>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q72415\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q72415\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>Yes. In this case, it doesn&#8217;t matter who\u00a0accomplishes the action; it simply needs to be done. If this sentence appears in an academic article, the passive\u00a0may be even more appropriate, as that style often demands the actor be left out of the sentence.<\/li>\n<li>No. This would be better in the active voice. There are a lot of different parts to the sentence, and by converting the sentence to the active voice, they come in a more logical order that is easier to understand:\n<ul>\n<li>Kajuana is\u00a0going to complete\u00a0the final steps, which need to be finished\u00a0before the sun sets over the mountains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>No. This passive construction is very convoluted.\u00a0An active sentence would serve well here:\n<ul>\n<li>A new digital scale made it easier to measure minute fluctuations in weight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The passive voice can also be used\u00a0following relative pronouns like\u00a0<em>that<\/em> and\u00a0<em>which<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I moved into the house <strong>that was built<\/strong> for me.<\/li>\n<li>Adri\u00e1n&#8217;s dog loves the treats <strong>that are\u00a0given<\/strong>\u00a0to him.<\/li>\n<li>Brihanna has an album\u00a0<strong>that was\u00a0signed<\/strong>\u00a0by the Beastie Boys.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In each of these sentences, it is grammatically sound to omit (or\u00a0<em>elide<\/em>) the pronoun and\u00a0<em>to be<\/em>. Elision is used with a lot of different constructions in English; we use it\u00a0shorten sentences when things are understood. However, we can only use elision in certain situations, so be careful when removing words! You may find these elided\u00a0sentences more natural:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I moved into the house <strong>built<\/strong> for me.<\/li>\n<li>Adri\u00e1n&#8217;s dog loves the treats <strong>given<\/strong>\u00a0to him.<\/li>\n<li>Brihanna has an album <strong>signed<\/strong> by the Beastie Boys<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-174\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>The Passive versus Active Voice Dilemma. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Joe Schall. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: The Pennsylvania State University. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/c1_p11.html\">https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/c1_p11.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Revision and Adaptation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Power-Revision Techniques: Sentence-Level Revision. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: David McMurrey. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prismnet.com\/~hcexres\/textbook\/hirev2.html#passive\">https:\/\/www.prismnet.com\/~hcexres\/textbook\/hirev2.html#passive<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Practice Activities. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":150,"menu_order":6,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"The Passive versus Active Voice Dilemma\",\"author\":\"Joe Schall\",\"organization\":\"The Pennsylvania State University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/c1_p11.html\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Power-Revision Techniques: Sentence-Level Revision\",\"author\":\"David McMurrey\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.prismnet.com\/~hcexres\/textbook\/hirev2.html#passive\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Practice Activities\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-174","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":159,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/150"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":340,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/174\/revisions\/340"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/159"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/174\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/sunycorning1010elec201718\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}