THE TASK OF ENGLISH
GRAMMAR
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
PREPARED
BY:
AZIZ
LATTIFUL ANTOBRONI
11216266
1EA25
GUNADARMA
UNIVERSITY
PTA
2016 / 2017
Active and Passive Voice
There are two ways to
express an action of a subject in relation to its object
·
Active voice
·
Passive voice
In “active voice” subject
acts upon object, while in “passive voice” object is acted upon by subject. It
can also be said, in “active voice” subject does a work on object, while in
“passive voice” object is worked on by subject. The normal structure of an
active voice sentence is subject+verb+object but in
passive the normal structure of sentence is reversed according to certain rules
and becomes like object+verb+subject. The real meaning of a
sentence does not change if the sentence is expressed either by active voice or
by passive voice. The active voice is mostly used in writing
because it gives a direct and more concise meaning. Passive voice is used
sometimes due to the following reasons.
1. When
intentionally hiding the subject of sentence. For example, a student who failed
in exam might say, some chapters were not studied.
Another example. Women were not treated as equals
2. When
passive voice better explain thought of sentence. For example, to say, cloth
is sold in yards, is more meaningful than to say, Shop keepers sell
cloth in yards.
3. When
passive voice better emphasizes the main though of the sentence. For example, a
man who is being teased by another person might say in anger, “you will be
beaten by me”
4. When
subject is not exactly known. For example, His watch was stolen. It
is not known that who stole his watch, the subject (thief) is not exactly known
so it is better to use passive voice for such sentence.There are certain rules
for expressing a thought in passive voice or for changing a sentence from
active voice to passive voice.
Fundamental Rules for changing from active
voice to passive voice
1. The
places of subject and object are interchanged i.e. the object shifts to the
place of subject and subject shifts to the place of object in passive
voice. Example.
Active voice: I write a letter.
Passive voice: I letter is written by me.
Subject (I) of sentence shifted to the place of object (letter) and object
(letter) shifted to the place of subject (I) in passive voice.
2. Sometimes
subject of sentence is not used in passive voice. Subject of sentence can be
omitted in passive voice, if without subject it can give enough meaning in
passive voice.Examples.
Passive voice: cloth is sold in yards
3. 3rd form of
verb (past participle) is always used as main verb in sentences of passive voice
for all tenses. Base form of verb or present participle will be never used in
passive voice.
The word “by” is used before subject in sentences in passive voice.Example.
Active voice: He sings a song.
Passive voice: A song is sung by him.
4. The word
“by” is not always used before subject in passive voice. Sometimes words “with,
to, etc” may also be used before subject in passive voice.
Examples.
Active voice: The water fills the tub.
Passive voice: The tub is filled with water.
Active voice: He knows me.
Passive voice: I am known to him.
5. Auxiliary
verbs are used passive voice according to the tense of sentence.
Note: First 5 rules are usually same for all tenses in passive voice.
Rule No. 6 is about the use of auxiliary verb in passive voice which differs
for each tense. The auxiliary verbs of passive voice are used according to
tense of sentence of its active voice form. The auxiliary verb for each tense
is given in the following table with explanation and examples. Click on the
following links.
Passive Voice
What is
the passive voice?
In general we tend to use
the active voice. That is when a subject does an action to an object.
1.
Somebody stole my laptop. (subject = Somebody / action(verb) =
stole / object = my laptop)
The passive voice is used when we
want to emphasize the action (the verb) and the object of a sentence rather
than subject. This means that the subject is either less important than the
action itself or that we don’t know who or what the subject is.
1.
My laptop was stolen. (The object
– now the subject = My laptop / action= was stolen)
1.
Passive: Napa Valley is known for its excellent wines.
2.
Active: [Many people] know Napa Valley for its excellent wines.
1.
Passive: Twenty civilians were killed in the bomb explosion.
2.
Active: Someone killed twenty civilians in the bomb explosion.
The
passive agent
When we know who the subject is,
we put it at the end with by. We call this an agent.
1.
Passive: The Mona Lisa was painted by
Leonardo Da Vinci. (agent =Leonardo Da Vinci )
2.
Active: Leonaro Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.
Most writing instructors and
editors recommend against using the passive voice, when possible. The reason
for this is that when you use the active voice, your writing is clearer and
less complicated.
1.
Active: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, a police
officer pulled him over and gave him a speeding ticket.
2.
Passive: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, he was
pulled over and given a ticket by a police officer.
If it’s a long sentence and you
know who the subject is, it’s best to use the active voice.
The passive is often used to
report something or to state a fact.
1.
Highway 15 was closed yesterday due to a serious road accident.
2.
A lot of corn is grown in Iowa.
Forming
the passive voice
The
passive voice is not a tense in English. Each tense has its own passive voice
which is created by using a form of the auxiliary verb to be +
V3 (past participle)
The passive voice in each tense:
|
Tense
|
Auxiliary
verb + sample V3 (past participle)
|
Examples
|
|
Present simple
|
am, is, are + made
|
Wine is made from grapes.
Many cars are made in Japan.
|
|
Present progressive
|
am, is, are + being + sent
|
The document is being sent
right now.
I am being sent to work in the London office.
|
|
Past simple
|
was, were + invited
|
John was invited to speak at
the conference.
We were invited to Daniel and Mary’s wedding.
|
|
Past progressive
|
was, were + being + washed
|
The dog was being washed when
I got home.
Their cars were being washed while they were in the mall shopping.
|
|
Future (will)
|
will be + signed
|
The contract will be signed
tomorrow.
The documents will all be signed by next week.
|
|
Future (going to)
|
am, is, are + going to be + built
|
A bridge is going to be built
within the next two years.
New houses are going to be built in our neighborhood.
|
|
Present perfect
|
has, have + been + sold
|
That start-up has been sold
for $5 million.
The rights to his book have been sold for $250,000.
|
|
Past perfect
|
had + been + hired
|
The new manager had been
hired before John left the company.
All the employees had hired before the store opened.
|
|
Future perfect
|
will + have been + finished
|
The car will have been loaded
by the time he gets home.
The crates will have been loaded by then.
|
|
Modals: can/could
|
can, could + be + issued
|
A passport can only be issued
at the embassy.
He said the documents could be issued within the week.
|
|
Modal: have to
|
have to, has
to, had to + be + arranged
|
A babysitter has to be
arranged for this evening.
Joan’s travel plans have to be arranged by December.
|
|
Modal: must
|
must + be + stopped
|
Criminals must be stopped
before they commit crimes.
|
All of the rules for passive
negatives and questions are the same as for the active voice.
Note: Verbs that have no object (no one to “receive” the
action) cannot be put into the passive, such as, arrive, come, die, exist, go,
happen, have, live, occur sleep, etc.
Active
Voice
Definition of Active Voice
In grammar, an active voice is a type of a clause or sentence in which a
subject performs an action and expresses it through its representative verb. To
simply put it, when a subject performs an action directly, it is in active
voice. It then uses transitive verb to show the action.
Style guides usually encourage the use of active
voice, because it is clear and direct. For example, “Some customers prefer mulled ale. They keep their mugs on the hob until the ale gets as hot as coffee. A sluggish cat named
Minnie sleeps in a scuttle beside the stove” (The Old
House at Home, by Joseph Mitchell). All of these sentences are in active
voice, as the verbs “refer,” “keep,” “get” and “sleep” are in active mode.
Examples of Active Voice in Literature
Example #1: Harold and Maud (by Colin Higgins)
“You know, at one time, I used
to break into pet shops to
liberate the canaries. But I decided that was an idea way before its time.
Zoos are full, prisons are overflowing. Oh my, how the world still dearly loves a cage.”
Active voice in these example sentences is underlined. The
subject “I” is performing an action through the verbs “break” and “decided.”
The subject “world” is performing an action through the verb “loves.” All the
sentences are in active voice.
Example #2: Hillary’s Once in a
Lifetime (by Kathleen Parker)
“Finally, Hillary swept
in and moved down a line of huggers toward a raised
platform centered in the room…Her positioning meant that she had to keep turning in order to hug back.
Around and around and around she turned,
360 degrees, over and over, her arms outstretched in perpetual greeting, like a
jewel-box ballerina whose battery has
run low.”
Here the subject “Hillary” is taking action through the verbs
“swept in,” “moved down,” “had,” “turned,” and “has run.” The verbs are in
active mode, the reason that all sentences are in active voice.
Example #3: Mr. Personality (by Mark Singer)
“Seven days a week, Paul Schimmel ventures into the subway with his clarinet. In
the IND station at Sixth Avenue and Forty-second Street one recent afternoon,
he paid his fare with a free pass.”
The use of active voice has added directness to this passage.
The subject is “Paul Schimmel,” who is doing “ventures,” and has “paid” fare.
Example #4: Heart of Darkness (by Colin Higgins)
“I looked at him, lost in astonishment…’Ah, he talked to you of love!’ I said, much amused.
‘It isn’t what you think,’
he cried, almost passionately. ‘It was in general.’ “He threw his arms up…He had his second illness then. Afterwards I had to keep out of the way; but I didn’t
mind. He was living for the most part in those villages on
the lake. When he came down to the river, sometimes he would take
to me, and sometimes it was better for me to be careful. This man suffered too much.”
In this passage, the author has written all of the sentences in
active voice, which are direct and clear in meaning. The verbs of active voice
include “looked,” “talked,” “think,” “threw,” “had,” “living,” “came down,” and
“suffered.”
Example #5: The Catcher in the Rye (by J.D. Salinger)
“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll
probably want to know is where I was born, and what
my lousy childhood was like… They’re nice and all—I’m not saying that – but they’re also touchy as
hell. Besides, I’m not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiographyor
anything. I’ll just tell you about this madman stuff that
happened to me around last Christmas…”
In this excerpt, the author has used the verbs “hear,” “want,”
“saying,” “going,” and “tell” in active voice.
Function
Active voice plays an important role in creative writing and
business reports because these types of writings need to be to the point,
clear, and direct. It adds interest and helps grab attention of the readers.
Not only does it maintain audience’s
interest, it also improves the quality of a written work. Active voice gives energy
and life to a sentence, as it is less wordy and consequently less difficult. In
addition, active voice maintains focus and attention of the readers on a single
point.
