CompFAQ/Passive and Active Voice: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 08:19, 11 April 2023

📝 English Composition Writing FAQ	1101 • 1102 • 📖

Active vs. Passive: The Use of Voice in College Essays

The way we construct sentences in our writing can have a profound impact on how our ideas are received by readers. One of the most common debates in the world of grammar and writing is over the use of passive voice versus active voice. While passive voice has its place in certain contexts, college essays are typically better served by active voice.

Passive voice is a common writing issue in college essays, and it’s important to understand how to identify and correct it. While the passive voice can be useful in certain contexts, overuse can make your writing sound vague, unclear, and lacking in authority.

In grammar, passive voice is a sentence construction in which the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action, rather than the doer of the action. In other words, the focus is on the thing or person affected by the action, rather than the thing or person doing the action. For example, “The cake was baked by my mom” is in the passive voice because the subject “cake” is not performing the action “baked.” Instead, the action is being done to the cake by the subject “my mom.”

In contrast, a sentence in the active voice has the subject performing the action of the verb. For example, “My mom baked the cake” is in the active voice because the subject “my mom” performs the action “baked” on the object “cake.”

Now that we know what passive voice is, let’s look at why it can be problematic in college essays. The passive voice often makes sentences longer and more complex, which can make it harder for readers to understand your point. It also tends to obscure who is responsible for the action, which can weaken your argument and make your writing less authoritative.

There are, of course, some situations where the passive voice is appropriate, such as when the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant. However, in most cases, using the active voice can help you communicate your ideas more clearly and concisely.

To identify passive voice in your writing, look for forms of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “were,” “been”) combined with the past participle of the main verb (such as “baked,” “written,” “created”). When you find these constructions, ask yourself if the subject is performing the action or receiving it.

If you find passive voice in your writing, consider revising the sentence to use the active voice instead. This often involves making the subject the performer of the action and placing the verb in its active form. For example, “The report was written by the team” can be revised to “The team wrote the report.” This not only makes the sentence shorter and clearer, but it also strengthens the team's agency in the action.

In summary, while the passive voice can be useful in certain situations, it should generally be avoided in college essays. Instead, strive to use the active voice to clearly communicate your ideas and strengthen your argument.

Examples

Passive:

The ball was thrown by Tara.

Almost always, the ability to read and write is needed.

Studies are showing that less professionals decide to reproduce.

Active:

Tara threw the ball.

Almost always, people need the ability to read and write.

Studies show that less professionals decide to reproduce.

Progressive Tense

Progressive tense is another type of passive construction. It occurs when you use a to-be verb with the -ing form of the verb, called a gerund, to show that action continues and is not fixed to a certain point in time. For example:

She is talking with Henry.

They were eating pizza.

She has been reading the latest Harry Potter novel.

The progressive tense is often used without thinking, but should only be used sparingly. More often than not the real verb should be used, eliminating the need for the be verb (passive) at all:

She talks with Henry daily.

They ate pizza last night.

She reads the latest Harry Potter novel every night before bed.

Notice that when you eliminate the progressive tense, you must supply a specific time for the sentence to make sense.

Like the passive voice, use the progressive tense sparingly and strategically for specific rhetorical effect. Try to eliminate all unnecessary uses of the to-be verb.

Written: 2002, 2022; Revised: 04-11-2023; Version: Beta 0.7		💬

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{CompFAQ-head}}
-In a '''passive sentence''', the subject does not perform an action, like in an active sentence. In the active voice, the subject ''does'' something:
+{{Large|Active vs. Passive: The Use of Voice in College Essays}}
- The professor wrote a novel.
+{{dc|T}}{{start|he way we construct sentences}} in our writing can have a profound impact on how our ideas are received by readers. One of the most common debates in the world of grammar and writing is over the use of passive voice versus active voice. While passive voice has its place in certain contexts, college essays are typically better served by active voice.
+[[File:Voice.jpeg|thumb|500px]]
+Passive voice is a common writing issue in college essays, and it’s important to understand how to identify and correct it. While the passive voice can be useful in certain contexts, overuse can make your writing sound vague, unclear, and lacking in authority.
-The subject (professor) performs an action (wrote) which produces the object (novel). In the passive voice, the order of the sentence is reversed so that the sentence merely describes:
+In grammar, '''passive voice''' is a sentence construction in which the subject of the sentence is the ''recipient'' of the action, rather than the ''doer'' of the action. In other words, the focus is on the thing or person affected by the action, rather than the thing or person doing the action. For example, “The cake was baked by my mom” is in the passive voice because the subject “cake” is not performing the action “baked.” Instead, the action is being done to the cake by the subject “my mom.”
- The novel was written by the professor.
+In contrast, a sentence in the '''active voice''' has the subject performing the action of the verb. For example, “My mom baked the cake” is in the active voice because the subject “my mom” performs the action “baked” on the object “cake.”
-Recognize a passive construction by some form of the “be” (was) verb that proceeds a past participle (written), followed by a prepositional phrase (by the professor). Notice that the passive sentence is wordier than the active sentence because its contains unnecessary words. Strong academic writing should avoid the passive voice whenever possible; remember to look for a form of the “be” verb (was, is, were, are, etc.)—that is a dead give away. Ask who or what is acting in the sentence and then fix the sentence accordingly, using the real subject and verb.
+Now that we know what passive voice is, let’s look at why it can be problematic in college essays. The passive voice often makes sentences longer and more complex, which can make it harder for readers to understand your point. It also tends to obscure who is responsible for the action, which can weaken your argument and make your writing less authoritative.
-The passive voice is often necessary. Like in the last sentence, when the subject is implied or unknown, then the passive voice is acceptable. Never use too many passive constructions in a row.
+There are, of course, some situations where the passive voice is appropriate, such as when the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant. However, in most cases, using the active voice can help you communicate your ideas more clearly and concisely.
+To identify passive voice in your writing, look for forms of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “were,” “been”) combined with the past participle of the main verb (such as “baked,” “written,” “created”). When you find these constructions, ask yourself if the subject is performing the action or receiving it.
+If you find passive voice in your writing, consider revising the sentence to use the active voice instead. This often involves making the subject the performer of the action and placing the verb in its active form. For example, “The report was written by the team” can be revised to “The team wrote the report.” This not only makes the sentence shorter and clearer, but it also strengthens the team's agency in the action.
+In summary, while the passive voice can be useful in certain situations, it should generally be avoided in college essays. Instead, strive to use the active voice to clearly communicate your ideas and strengthen your argument.
+===Examples===
 Passive:
- The ball was thrown by Tara.<br />
+:The ball was thrown by Tara.<br />
- Almost always, the ability to read and write is needed.<br />
+:Almost always, the ability to read and write is needed.<br />
- Studies are showing that less professionals decide to reproduce.
+:Studies are showing that less professionals decide to reproduce.
 Active:
- Tara threw the ball.<br />
+:Tara threw the ball.<br />
- Almost always, people need the ability to read and write.<br />
+:Almost always, people need the ability to read and write.<br />
- Studies show that less professionals decide to reproduce.
+:Studies show that less professionals decide to reproduce.
 ===Progressive Tense===
-Progressive tense is another type of passive construction. It occurs when you use a be verb with an the -ing form of the verb to show that action continues and is not fixed to a certain point in time. For example:
+Progressive tense is another type of passive construction. It occurs when you use a to-be verb with the -ing form of the verb, called a gerund, to show that action continues and is not fixed to a certain point in time. For example:
- She is talking with Henry.<br />
+:She is talking with Henry.<br />
- They were eating pizza.<br />
+:They were eating pizza.<br />
- She has been reading the latest ''Harry Potter'' novel.
+:She has been reading the latest ''Harry Potter'' novel.
 The progressive tense is often used without thinking, but should only be used sparingly. More often than not the real verb should be used, eliminating the need for the be verb (passive) at all:
- She talks with Henry daily.<br />
+:She talks with Henry daily.<br />
- They ate pizza last night.<br />
+:They ate pizza last night.<br />
- She reads the latest ''Harry Potter'' novel every night before bed.
+:She reads the latest ''Harry Potter'' novel every night before bed.
 Notice that when you eliminate the progressive tense, you must supply a specific time for the sentence to make sense.
-Like the passive voice, use the progressive tense sparingly and strategically for specific rhetorical effect. Try to eliminate all unnecessary uses of the '''be''' verb.
+Like the passive voice, use the progressive tense sparingly and strategically for specific rhetorical effect. Try to eliminate all unnecessary uses of the to-be verb.
 {{CompFAQ-foot}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Passive Voice}}
+[[Category:Grammar (FAQ)]]
+[[Category:Style (FAQ)]]