The Passive and Active Voice

Voice Voice is the form of the verb that shows whether the subject is performing the action. There are two voices in English: the active voice and the passive voice.

Active Voice In the active voice, the subject is performing the action.  Alex won the gold medal.  The pitcher threw the ball.  J.D. Salinger wrote Catcher in the Rye.

The Passive Voice In the passive voice, the subject does not perform the action. In a sentence using the passive voice, the performer of the action is either the object of the preposition by or is not stated. The passive voice is constucted using a form of the verb be and a past participle.  The gold medal was won by Alex.  The ball was thrown by the pitcher.  Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger.  My brother was taught to have good manners.

How do I tell whether a verb is passive or active? In order to figure out the voice of a verb:  First, locate the verb itself.  Then, ask, “Who or what is performing the action?” If your answer is the subject of the sentence, the voice is ACTIVE. If your answer is the object of the preposition by OR is not identifiable, the voice is PASSIVE.  The building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Fred sent an about the homework.  A package was found at the door.

Which should I use in writing? In general, the active voice is preferred. It is less wordy and more direct than the passive voice.  The artist painted a new canvas.  A new canvas was painted by the artist. Clearly, the first example uses less words and is more forceful.

Appropriate Passive Voice When you want to stress the importance of the receiver of an action, it is appropriate to use the passive voice.  Paul Krugman was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics. The focus of the sentence should be Paul Krugman; he is the recipient, therefore it is acceptable to have the passive voice.

Identify as Passive or Active My copy of the book was signed and inscribed by the author.  Passive  The author signed and inscribed my copy of the book. The carpenter installed new cabinets in our kitchen.  Active Pamela has been named the new CEO.  Passive  Cannot be made active

Identify as passive or active A concession speech was delivered by Sen. McCain at approximately 10:00 p.m.  Passive  Sen. McCain delivered a concession speech… A prize was awarded to Emilia for her efforts to improve the community.  Passive  Cannot be made active Arnold and Terry created a new software program for the class.  Active