Passive Voice
This handout will help you understand what the passive voice is, why many
professors and writing instructors frown upon it, and how you can revise your
paper to achieve greater clarity. Some things here may surprise you.
Myths
So what is the passive voice? First, let's be clear on what the passive
voice isn't. Below, we'll list some common myths about the passive voice:
1. Use of the passive voice constitutes a grammatical error.
Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It's a stylistic issue
that pertains to clarity—that is, there are times when using the passive voice
can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean.
2. Any use of "to be" (in any form) constitutes the passive voice.
The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. Using "to
be" can weaken the impact of your writing, but it is occasionally
necessary and does not by itself constitute the passive voice.
3. The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something is in first person ("I" or "we") it's also in the active voice.
On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first
person. Here's an example: "I was hit by the dodgeball."
4. You should never use the passive voice.
While the passive voice can weaken the clarity of your writing, there are
times when the passive voice is OK and even preferable.
5. I can rely on my grammar checker to catch the passive voice.
See Myth #1. Since the passive voice isn't a grammar error, it's not always
caught. Typically, grammar checkers catch only a fraction of passive voice
usage.
Do any of these misunderstandings sound familiar? If so, you're not alone.
That's why we wrote this handout. It discusses how to recognize the passive
voice, when you should avoid it, and when it's OK.
Defining the passive voice
A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the
subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is
not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at this passive
rephrasing of a familiar joke:
Why was the road crossed by the
chicken?
Who is doing the action in this sentence? The chicken is the one
doing the action in this sentence, but the chicken is not in the spot where you
would expect the grammatical subject to be. Instead, the road is the
grammatical subject. The more familiar phrasing (why did the chicken cross the
road?) puts the actor in the subject position, the position of doing
something—the chicken (the actor/doer) crosses the road (the object). We use
active verbs to represent that "doing," whether it be crossing roads,
proposing ideas, making arguments, or invading houses (more on that shortly).
Once you know what to look for, passive constructions are easy to spot. Look
for a form of "to be" (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have
been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past
participle. (The past participle is a form of the verb that typically, but not
always, ends in "-ed." Some exceptions to the "-ed" rule
are words like "paid" (not "payed") and "driven."
(not "drived"). Here's a sure-fire formula for identifying the
passive voice:
form of "to be" +
past participle = passive voice
For example:
The metropolis has been scorched by the dragon's fiery breath.
When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her
remarriage.
NOTE:
Forms of the word "have" can do several different things in English. For example, in the sentence "John has to study all afternoon," "had" is not part of a past-tense verb. It's a modal verb, like "must," "can," or "may"—these verbs tell how necessary it is to do something (compare "I have to study" versus "I may study"). And forms of "be" are not always passive, either—"be" can be the main verb of a sentence that describes a state of being, rather than an action. For example, the sentence "John is a good student" is not passive; "is" is simply describing John's state of being. The moral of the story: don't assume that any time you see a form of "have" and a form of "to be" together, you are looking at a passive sentence. "I have to be on time for the concert," for example, is not passive.
Ask yourself whether there is an action going on in the sentence and, if so, whether whoever or whatever is doing that action is the subject of the sentence. In a passive sentence, the object of the action (e.g., the road) will be in the subject position at the front of the sentence. There will be a form of be and a past participle. If the subject appears at all, it will usually be at the end of the sentence, often in a phrase that starts with "by" (e.g., "by the chicken").
Forms of the word "have" can do several different things in English. For example, in the sentence "John has to study all afternoon," "had" is not part of a past-tense verb. It's a modal verb, like "must," "can," or "may"—these verbs tell how necessary it is to do something (compare "I have to study" versus "I may study"). And forms of "be" are not always passive, either—"be" can be the main verb of a sentence that describes a state of being, rather than an action. For example, the sentence "John is a good student" is not passive; "is" is simply describing John's state of being. The moral of the story: don't assume that any time you see a form of "have" and a form of "to be" together, you are looking at a passive sentence. "I have to be on time for the concert," for example, is not passive.
Ask yourself whether there is an action going on in the sentence and, if so, whether whoever or whatever is doing that action is the subject of the sentence. In a passive sentence, the object of the action (e.g., the road) will be in the subject position at the front of the sentence. There will be a form of be and a past participle. If the subject appears at all, it will usually be at the end of the sentence, often in a phrase that starts with "by" (e.g., "by the chicken").
Let's briefly look at how to change passive constructions into active ones.
You can usually just switch the word order, making the actor and subject one by
putting the actor up front:
The metropolis has been scorched by the dragon's fiery breath.
becomes
The dragon scorched the metropolis with his fiery breath.
When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her
remarriage.
becomes
After suitors invaded her house, Penelope had to think of ways to delay
her remarriage.
To repeat, the key to identifying the passive voice is to look for both
a form of "to be" and a past participle, which usually, but
not always, ends in "-ed."
Clarity and meaning
The primary reason why your instructors frown on the passive voice is that
they often have to guess what you mean. Sometimes, the confusion is minor.
Let's look again at that sentence from a student's paper on Homer's The
Odyssey:
When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her
remarriage.
Like many passive constructions, this sentence lacks explicit reference to
the actor—it doesn't tell the reader who or what invaded
Penelope's house. The active voice clarifies things:
After suitors invaded Penelope's house, she had to think of ways
to fend them off.
Thus many instructors—the readers making sense of your writing—prefer that
you use the active voice. They want you to specify who or what is doing the
action. Compare the following two examples from an anthropology paper on a
Laotian village to see if you agree.
(passive) A new system of drug control laws was set up. (By whom?)
(active) The Lao People's Revolutionary Party set up a new system of drug control laws.
(active) The Lao People's Revolutionary Party set up a new system of drug control laws.
Here's another example, from the same paper, that illustrates the lack of
precision that can accompany the passive voice:
Gender training was conducted in six villages, thus affecting social
relationships.
And a few pages later:
Plus, marketing links were being established.
In both paragraphs, the writer never specifies the actors for those two
actions (Who did the gender training? Who established marketing
links?). Thus the reader has trouble appreciating the dynamics of these social
interactions, which depend upon the actors conducting and establishing these
things.
The following example, once again from that paper on The Odyssey,
typifies another instance where an instructor might desire more precision and
clarity:
Although Penelope shares heroic characteristics with her husband,
Odysseus, she
is not considered a hero.
is not considered a hero.
Who does not consider Penelope a hero? It's difficult to tell, but
the rest of that paragraph suggests that the student does not consider
Penelope a hero (the topic of the paper). The reader might also conceivably
think that the student is referring to critics, scholars, or modern readers of
<>. One might argue that the meaning comes through here—the problem is
merely stylistic. Yet style affects how your reader understands your argument
and content. Awkward or unclear style prevents your reader from appreciating
the ideas that are so clear to you when you write. Thus knowing how your
reader might react enables you to make more effective choices when you revise.
So after you identify instances of the passive, you should consider whether
your use of the passive inhibits clear understanding of what you mean.
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