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Passive and active voice
College English (ENG111)
Our Lady of Fatima University
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Passive and active voice are two different ways to structure sentences in the English language. They affect the emphasis and clarity of a sentence, and each has its own appropriate use depending on the context. Here's an overview of both: Active Voice:
- Subject-Verb-Object Structure: In active voice sentences, the subject performs the action on the object. The typical structure is subject-verb-object (SVO). For example, "The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object)."
- Clarity and Directness: Active voice is often preferred for clarity and directness. It makes it clear who or what is performing the action and what is receiving the action.
- Emphasizes the Doer: Active voice emphasizes the doer of the action, which can be beneficial when you want to highlight the responsibility or agency of the subject.
- Examples:
- She (subject) wrote (verb) a novel (object).
- They (subject) are building (verb) a new bridge (object). Passive Voice:
- Object-Verb-Subject Structure: In passive voice sentences, the object of the action becomes the subject of the sentence. The typical structure is object-verb-subject (OVS). For example, "The mouse (subject) was chased (verb) by the cat (object)."
- Obscures the Doer: Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action itself rather than the doer of the action. In some cases, the doer may not even be mentioned.
- Useful for Object Focus: Passive voice is useful when you want to emphasize the object of the action, especially when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or should not be mentioned.
- Examples:
- The novel (subject) was written (verb) by her (object).
- A new bridge (subject) is being built (verb) by them (object). When to Use Active and Passive Voice:
- Active Voice: Use active voice when you want to emphasize the subject's actions, make the sentence clear and direct, and when you want to attribute responsibility to the subject.
- Active voice is preferred in most forms of writing, including academic papers, news articles, and fiction.
- Passive Voice: Use passive voice when you want to emphasize the object or action rather than the subject, when the doer is unknown or irrelevant, or when you want to create a more formal tone.
- Passive voice is often found in scientific and technical writing, legal documents, and situations where the doer of the action is not important. It's essential to strike a balance between active and passive voice in your writing. Overusing either can make your writing less engaging or less clear. Good writing often involves a mix of both voices to convey information effectively and maintain reader interest. Certainly! Let's delve deeper into the characteristics, advantages, and examples of active and passive voice. Active Voice: Characteristics:
- The subject of the sentence performs the action on the object.
- Typically follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure.
- Provides a clear and direct communication of who is doing what to whom.
- Emphasizes the doer or agent of the action. Advantages:
Passive Voice with "By" Phrase: In passive voice sentences, you can include a "by" phrase to indicate who performed the action, but it's not always necessary. For example, "The report was written by Sarah" (active: "Sarah wrote the report").
Tense Changes: When converting an active sentence to passive, the tense of the verb changes. For example, "She sings a song" (active) becomes "A song is sung by her" (passive).
Active and Passive in Writing Styles:
- Active voice is generally preferred in most forms of writing for its clarity and engagement.
- Passive voice is often used in scientific and technical writing, formal reports, or when the doer of the action is unknown or less important.
Active Voice for Responsibility: If you want to attribute responsibility or agency to a specific subject, active voice is the better choice.
Varying Sentence Structure: To keep your writing engaging, it's a good practice to vary sentence structures by using both active and passive voice when appropriate. Remember that the choice between active and passive voice depends on the context, the emphasis you want to convey, and your writing style goals. Both have their merits, and skilled writers use them effectively to convey their messages. Tenses are an essential aspect of grammar in many languages, including English. They are used to indicate the time of an action or event and provide context for when something happened. In English, there are three primary tenses: past, present, and future, each with its variations and forms. Here's an overview of these tenses:
Simple Present Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or are habitual, regular occurrences.
- Structure: Subject + Base Form of the Verb (+s/es for third-person singular)
- Example: She works in a hospital.
Simple Past Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that have already occurred in the past.
- Structure: Subject + Past Form of the Verb
- Example: He visited Paris last summer.
Simple Future Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
- Structure: Subject + Will + Base Form of the Verb
- Example: They will go to the concert tomorrow.
Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that are currently ongoing or in progress.
- Structure: Subject + Am/Is/Are + Verb + -ing
- Example: She is studying for her exams.
Past Continuous (Progressive) Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past.
- Structure: Subject + Was/Were + Verb + -ing
- Example: They were watching a movie when the power went out.
Future Continuous (Progressive) Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
- Structure: Subject + Will + Be + Verb + -ing
- Example: By 8 PM tonight, I will be studying for my test.
Present Perfect Tense:
- This tense is used to describe actions that have a connection to the present, often focusing on the result or current relevance of a past action.
Emphatic Past Simple:
- Similar to the present simple, you can add "did" and emphasize it to add emphasis to past actions.
- Example: She did finish the project on time.
Emphatic Present Continuous:
- By using "do" or "does" with the present continuous and stressing them, you can emphasize the ongoing action.
- Example: They do enjoy working together.
Emphatic Past Continuous:
- Similar to the present continuous, you can use "did" with the past continuous and emphasize it for added emphasis.
- Example: I did see her at the party last night.
Emphatic Present Perfect:
- You can add emphasis to the present perfect tense by stressing "have" or "has."
- Example: She has finished her homework.
Emphatic Past Perfect:
- In the past perfect, emphasizing "had" can add emphasis to the sequence of past actions.
- Example: He had never seen such a beautiful sunset.
Emphatic Future Tense:
- In the future simple tense, you can use "will" or "shall" with emphasis to highlight a future action.
- Example: I will do it!
Emphatic Future Continuous:
- You can emphasize "will be" in the future continuous tense.
- Example: They will be working late tonight. Remember that emphasis in English is not solely reliant on verb tenses but is also influenced by word stress, intonation, and context. These emphatic forms can be used to make your point more strongly, but they are not separate tenses in the traditional sense of verb conjugation.
Passive and active voice
Course: College English (ENG111)
University: Our Lady of Fatima University
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