The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than on the performer of the action. In passive constructions, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Here’s a detailed look at how and when to use the passive voice:
1. Structure of Passive Voice
Basic Structure
The passive voice is formed by using a form of the verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb.
- Active: Subject + Verb + Object
- Example: “The chef cooked the meal.”
- Passive: Object + Form of “to be” + Past Participle + (by Subject)
- Example: “The meal was cooked by the chef.”
Tense Changes
The form of “to be” changes according to the tense of the original active sentence:
- Present Simple: “is/are” + past participle
- Active: “She writes the report.”
- Passive: “The report is written by her.”
- Past Simple: “was/were” + past participle
- Active: “She wrote the report.”
- Passive: “The report was written by her.”
- Future Simple: “will be” + past participle
- Active: “She will write the report.”
- Passive: “The report will be written by her.”
- Present Continuous: “is/are being” + past participle
- Active: “She is writing the report.”
- Passive: “The report is being written by her.”
- Past Continuous: “was/were being” + past participle
- Active: “She was writing the report.”
- Passive: “The report was being written by her.”
- Present Perfect: “has/have been” + past participle
- Active: “She has written the report.”
- Passive: “The report has been written by her.”
- Past Perfect: “had been” + past participle
- Active: “She had written the report.”
- Passive: “The report had been written by her.”
- Future Perfect: “will have been” + past participle
- Active: “She will have written the report.”
- Passive: “The report will have been written by her.”
2. When to Use Passive Voice
Emphasis on Action or Recipient
Use the passive voice when you want to emphasize the action itself or the recipient of the action, rather than who performed the action.
- Example: “A cure for the disease was discovered.”
Unknown or Irrelevant Subject
Use the passive voice when the performer of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
- Example: “The painting was stolen.” (The thief is unknown or not important.)
Formal or Academic Writing
The passive voice is often used in scientific or formal writing to create an objective tone.
- Example: “The experiment was conducted over a period of three months.”
3. Avoiding Passive Voice
Clarity and Directness
The passive voice can make sentences less direct and harder to understand. Active voice is generally preferred for clarity.
- Passive: “The book was read by the student.”
- Active: “The student read the book.”
Overuse
Overusing the passive voice can lead to a dull and monotonous tone. It’s important to use a mix of active and passive sentences for variety.
4. Transforming Sentences to Passive Voice
- Identify the Object: Find the object of the active sentence.
- Active: “The manager approved the project.”
- Move Object to Subject Position: Make the object the subject of the sentence.
- Passive: “The project…”
- Conjugate “To Be”: Adjust the verb “to be” to match the tense of the active sentence.
- Passive: “The project was…”
- Add Past Participle: Use the past participle of the main verb.
- Passive: “The project was approved…”
- Add Agent (Optional): Include the original subject with “by” if necessary.
- Passive: “The project was approved by the manager.”
Examples in Different Tenses
- Present Simple: “The company employs many workers.” → “Many workers are employed by the company.”
- Past Simple: “The committee reviewed the application.” → “The application was reviewed by the committee.”
- https://www.wikipedia.org/Future Simple: “They will announce the results tomorrow.” → “The results will be announced tomorrow.”
- Present Continuous: “The team is developing a new strategy.” → “A new strategy is being developed by the team.”
- Present Perfect: “They have completed the project.” → “The project has been completed.”
Using the passive voice effectively involves knowing when it’s appropriate to shift focus from the doer of the action to the action itself or its recipient. By understanding and practicing these structures, you can enhance your writing with varied sentence constructions.
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