PASSIVE VOICE

The following are a set of very informal notes to help students identify passive voice verb constructions and to suggest simple remedies for its usage. Grammar textbooks can offer further guidance.

What is the passive voice; and why is it a problem?

Sentence that exchanges subject & object. The passive voice confuses the subject of the sentence (the originator of the sentence's action) with the sentence's object - it obliterates the "oewnership" of action. Often, the passive voice obscures that the subject is missing entirely from the sentence.

Sentences in the passive voice are usually confusing to read.

These sentences lack persuasiveness; they are often the result of sloppy thinking or lack of conviction.

Most often, the passive voice results from using some form of the verb "to be" with a past participle.

See below and the writing guidelines for examples.

The verb "to be" + past participle:

  • Land was to be cleared by the hard work of the Indians, and then cash-crop plantations were to be formed.
  • Hammocks were used as a sleeping net.
    •

    In active voice form:

  • The hard work of the Indians cleared the land and formed plantations.
  • [Who? - obscured subject] used hammocks as sleeping nets.
    •

    There is/are/was/were …:

  • There were a couple of families who owned valuable resources.
  • There was nothing more astonishing, strange and unbelievable than their complete nudity.

    In active voice form:

  • A couple of families owned the valuable resources.
  • Their complete nudity seemed completely astonishing, strange and unbelievable to [whom?].
    •

    Impersonal pronouns as subject (This, that, those, these, it):

  • This was accomplished by using the second resource available to settlers, slaves.
  • Because it was a slave economy, there was a disproportionate division of wealth between the wealthy and the poor.

    In active voice form:

  • Settlers accomplished their goal by using their second resource, slaves.
  • The slave economy resulted in a disproportionate division of wealth between the wealthy and the poor.
    •