Passive Voice

Verbs are said to be either active or passive in voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. For example: The cat scratched the girl. The subject (the cat) performs the action (scratch). When you use the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action expressed by the verb; the subject is acted upon. For example: The girl was scratched by the cat. The subject (the cat) performing the action often appears in a “by the” phrase. Writers can easily recognize passive voice constructions because they contain a characteristic verb phrase: the form of the verb to be + past participle.

Passive voice construction:

Your assignment was lost. The papers will be graded. The actor is known.

Active voice construction:

You lost your assignment. I will grade the papers. I know the actor.

There are times when using the passive voice is the obvious choice when writing a sentence. Use the passive voice when: • You are giving directions to an unknown subject The nut is then screwed onto the bolt. • You do not know who performs the action of the sentence Secret information was leaked to the press. • The performer of the action is irrelevant to the point you are making Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in a theater, not at a political event. • You are denying responsibility My homework is not done.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the passive voice. It is an issue of style, but it can often weaken the impact of your writing and make your meaning unclear. At times, the reader has to guess at your meaning. Some people use passive voice to lengthen a sentence:

Center for Academic Excellence, Saint Joseph College, Revised 2009 1 The site of the excavation was examined by the project manager so that assessment of the damages incurred might be made.

This sentence would be much clearer in active voice:

The project manager examined the excavation site to assess the damage.

Others believe that using the passive voice will make their writing sound more sophisticated or academic: By the use of the word “improvement” is implied a specific eighteenth century cultural and conceptual paradigm.

However, it is much clearer in active voice:

A specific eighteenth century cultural and conceptual paradigm is implied when using the word “improvement.”

Center for Academic Excellence, Saint Joseph College, Revised 2009 2