1. Passive vs. Active Voice
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Passive vs. Active Voice
Engl 3365

2. Active and Passive Voice
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Active and Passive Voice
“Voice” indicates the relation of the subject to the action of the verb
SomeONE is ACTING on someTHING
SUBJECT / ACTION / OBJECT
Jack Bauer is defeating the evil president.
Voice can be active or passive

3. In active voice: The subject of the sentence is doing the action
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
In active voice:
The subject of the sentence is doing the action
The subject is emphasized more than the object
Ex:
The students listened carefully to the lecture.

4. In passive voice: The subject is being acted upon
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
In passive voice:
The subject is being acted upon
The subject takes a back seat to the object
The subject doesn’t even have to be named
Ex:
The lecture was listened to carefully by the students.

5. Some more examples: Active Jack defeated the evil president. Passive
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Some more examples:
Active
Jack defeated the evil president.
Subject: Jack
Necessary to the action: HECK YES!
Passive
The evil president was defeated by Jack.
Necessary to the action: not really

6. in passive voice complete sentence = no subject
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
in passive voice complete sentence = no subject
Passive is not good for emphasizing the subject
The evil president was defeated. (by Jack).
Passive generally makes writing LESS CLEAR
Jack Bauer shouldn’t be threatened. (by what?)
One shouldn’t threaten Jack Bauer. (“one”=who?)
The corrupt president shouldn’t threaten Jack. (A-HA!)

7. Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
When to use which voice?
To emphasize the performer (subject) of the action, USE THE ACTIVE VOICE.
To emphasize the receiver (object) of the action, use the passive voice.
Clear and direct active voice sentences that emphasize the things that are doing actions are almost always easier for audiences to skim quickly, clearly, and easily.

8. Rule of Thumb Generally, always use ACTIVE VOICE
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Rule of Thumb
Generally, always use ACTIVE VOICE
active voice conveys MORE INFORMATION
active voice uses FEWER WORDS
active voice is HOW WE NORMALLY TALK
ONLY use passive voice for a VERY GOOD reason
for ex, if you want to DE-EMPHASIZE, HIDE, or DON’T KNOW information

9. Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Reason #1
You want to emphasize the object (receiver) of the action more than the performer.
Example:
Kristen was presented with an award. (by the president.)
The president presented Kristen with an award.

10. Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Reason #2
You want to take emphasis off the subject (performer) of the action.
Example:
The cable was broken. (by our group of engineers.)
Our group of engineers broke the cable.

11. Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
Reason#3
You simply don’t know who the performer is or was.
Example:
The cave was discovered in 1929.
Someone discovered the cave in 1929.

12. Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Practice
Identify the direct subject/action/object, and then rewrite to change the grammatical voice:
The software will be released by Oracle tomorrow.
The test was failed by over half the engineering students.

13. Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Practice
Identify the direct subject/action/object, and then rewrite to change the grammatical voice:
Using this technique will prevent accidents.
The president reported that the weapons were not found.

14. Questions you can now answer:
Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke
Questions you can now answer:
What is the difference between an “active” and “passive” voice sentence?
How do you change sentences for passive to active and active to passive?
What are the main advantages of using ACTIVE voice statements in professional report writing?
What are the three specific useful reasons to choose PASSIVE voice for some sentences?