PASSIVE ACTIVE VOICE FULL
PASSIVE ACTIVE VOICE PROFESSIONAL

One common mistake that writers and communicators make is using the passive voice because they think it sounds fancier than the active voice.

Allow the papers to be signed by Fiona.

The new apartments were constructed in May.

Today, Sonya is being asked a big question by her fiancé.

Spaghetti was being cooked by Thomas last night.The oranges were purchased by Grayson in New York.Every passive voice sentence follows the same fundamental structure: (passive subject + to be + past participle).Ĭheck out the following examples of passive voice construction: Jennifer is the one acting (she sipped the coffee).īecause the subject is receiving rather than performing the action, this sentence is in the passive voice. The subject of this sentence is the coffee, which is not doing anything. In reality, it’s pretty easy to detect the passive voice in content.

What Are Some Examples of the Passive Voice?ĭescribing grammatical voices through writing is quite meta, so passive form might sound a bit more complicated than it is. Most of these sentences generate prepositional phrases with the word “by'' too. That is, the subject is having an act done to it instead of doing the act itself.Įvery passive voice sentence consists of a conjugated form of the infinitive “to be” and the verb’s past participle. The passive voice refers to when the verb acts on a sentence’s or clause’s subject. Then, you will understand when to apply them to make your communications more impactful.Īlright, linguists, let’s discuss. Learning the differences between passive and active voices is essential if you want to take your communication (and your career) to the next level.

PASSIVE ACTIVE VOICE FULL

English grammar is full of contradictions that are challenging and, at the same time, fun to learn about. Generally speaking, the active voice is preferable in most business writing, while the passive voice is often necessary for conveying ideas in technical and scientific content.Īs with any rule in the English language, however, there are exceptions. There are two grammatical voices in writing: passive and active voices. That way, you can reduce the risk of team members, clients, suppliers, or the public misunderstanding your message.

PASSIVE ACTIVE VOICE PROFESSIONAL

To describe a condition in which the actor is unknown or unimportantĮvery year, thousands of people are diagnosed as having cancer.As a professional or business owner, you want your communication to be clear and direct. The procedures were somehow misinterpreted.

After long debate, the proposal was endorsed by. The data processing department recently presented what proved to be a controversial proposal to expand its staff. To keep the subject and focus consistent throughout a passage To emphasize the action rather than the actorĪfter long debate, the proposal was endorsed by the long-range planning committee. There are sometimes good reasons to use the passive voice. If the subject of the sentence is somewhat anonymous, see if you can use a general term, such as “researchers,” or “the study,” or “experts in this field.”.Rewrite the sentence so that the subject buried in the “by” clause is closer to the beginning of the sentence. If you find one, the sentence may be in the passive voice. Look for a “by” phrase (e.g., “by the dog” in the last example above).Here are some tips and strategies for converting sentences from the passive to the active voice.

Passive: It was earlier demonstrated that heart attacks can be caused by high stress. Passive: It is believed by the candidate that a ceiling must be placed on the budget by Congress.Īctive: Researchers earlier showed that high stress can cause heart attacks. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.Īctive: The candidate believes that Congress must place a ceiling on the budget. In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of sentence performs the action. Passive voice sentences often use more words, can be vague, and can lead to a tangle of prepositional phrases. Generally, try to use the active voice whenever possible.

Passive active voice