If you’re a grammar nerd, chances are you have an opinion about the passive voice. Whether you think it’s acceptable or should be completely avoided, it’s important to understand what passive voice is and how it’s used.
Passive voice occurs when the object of the action in the sentence becomes the subject of the sentence. The opposite of passive voice is active voice, in which the subject simply performs the action. Here are some examples:
Layla threw the ball. (Active voice) The ball was thrown by Layla. (Passive voice)
We corrected the errors. (Active voice) The errors have been corrected. (Passive voice)
Someone took the last piece of cake. (Active voice) The last piece of cake was taken. (Passive voice)
Active voice tends to give writing more clarity, which is why many people prefer it. Writing in passive voice can be confusing, vague, and wordy; however, there are instances in which it’s a better option than active voice. For example:
Incidents of inappropriate behavior were reported. (Passive voice)
In this case, the focus of the sentence should be on the incidents, not on the people who reported them. In fact, there are situations in which the subject of the sentence might be unknown or unimportant. In those cases, sometimes using passive voice is preferable to using “someone” as the subject. Another example:
The test results were delivered late in the afternoon. (Passive voice)
As in the sentence above, the focus of the sentence is on the test results rather than the person who delivered them.
Do you have an opinion about passive voice? Share it in the comments!
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