Passive Voice

By Nani Mustikasari (taken from various source)

Active Voice
In sentences written in active voice, the subject performs the action expressed in the verb; the subject acts. The dog bit the boy. Pooja will present her research at the conference. Scientists have conducted experiments to test the hypothesis. Watching a framed, mobile world through a cars windshield reminds me of watching a movie or TV. ( In each example above, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb).

Passive Voice
The subject receives the action expressed in the verb; the subject is acted upon. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the . . ." phrase or may be omitted. The boy was bitten by the dog. Research will be presented by Pooja at the conference. Experiments have been conducted to test the hypothesis. (agent performing action has been omitted). I am reminded of watching a movie or TV by watching a framed, mobile world through a cars windshield. (passive voice can create awkward sentences )

 Only transitive verbs can be transformed into passive constructions. Active sentences containing certain verbs cannot be transformed into passive structures Those verbs are: have, resemble, look like, equal, agree with, mean, contain, hold, comprise, lack, suit, fit, become.

Recognizing Passive
verb phrase will always include a form of be, such as am, is, was, were, are, or been, followed by past participle. they may include a "by the..." phrase after the verb; the agent performing the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this phrase.
In most nonscientific writing situations, active voice is preferable to passive for the majority of sentences. Even in scientific writing, overuse of passive voice or use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences can cause readers to lose interest or to become confused. Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-clearer and more direct than those in passive voice.

Changing active to passive

Consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb, and then make that agent the object of a "by the..." phrase. Make what is acted upon the subject of the sentence, and change the verb to a form of be + past participle. Including an explicit "by the..." phrase is optional.

Examples
Active The dispatcher is notifying police that three prisoners have escaped. Surgeons successfully performed a new experimental liver-transplant operation yesterday. "Authorities make rules to be broken," he said defiantly Passive Police are being notified that three prisoners have escaped. A new experimental liver-transplant operation was performed successfully yesterday. "Rules are made to be broken," he said defiantly.
the passive voice makes sense because the agent is relatively unimportant compared to the action itself and what is acted upon.

Reasons to use the passive voice

The agent (doer) of the action is unimportant. The pyramids were built thousands of years ago. The agent is unknown. Several robberies were committed during the night. The agent is common knowledge, and mentioning it would be redundant. George Bush was elected in 2000. The writer desires to control focus of sentence. 1) to de-emphasize the agents role in the action
The alarm was triggered by my son. [Passive construction shifts focus away from the sons responsibility.]

2) to emphasize the party receiving the action

Jack was kicked by Jill.

Reasons to use the active voice:

The active voice is shorter and more direct.
Compare. Active: The waiter dropped the tray of food. Passive: The tray of food was dropped by the waiter. The active voice is less awkward and clearly states relationship between subject and action. Passive: Your request for funding has been denied by the review committee. Active: The review committee denied your request for funding. The active voice sentence pattern propels the reader forward through your writing thus avoiding weak prose.

Tenses in Passive Voice

Auxiliary Tense Present Present perfect Past Past perfect Future Future perfect Present progressive Past progressive Subject Singular The car/cars is The car/cars has been The car/cars was The car/cars had been The car/cars will be The car/cars will have been Plural are have been were had been will be will have been are being were being Past Partici ple designed. designed. designed. designed. designed. designed. designed. designed.

The car/cars is being The car/cars was being

Stative Passive :
sentences look like passive, but are in fact not passive sentences. Tells us about the situation or condition regarding something or someone. Examples : He could not enter the house. All the doors were closedsituation regarding the door I dont know where I am. I am lostregarding my condition

Examples
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. John is related to Marry. He is called Tom. Shes been appointed chairman. He was born in 1990. Johns report were based on facts. Johor Bahru is situated at the southern tip of Malaysia. 7. Jack is concerned about Marys health.

Verbals in Passive Structures

An infinitive phrase in the passive voice, for instance, can perform various functions within a sentence (just like the active forms of the infinitive).
Subject: To be elected by my peers is a great honor. Object: That child really likes to be read to by her mother. Modifier: Grasso was the first woman to be elected governor in her own right.

The same is true of passive gerunds.

Subject: Being elected by my peers was a great thrill. Object: I really don't like being lectured to by my boss. Object of preposition: I am so tired of being lectured to by my boss.

Summary of strategies (writing)

Identify Look for the passive voice: "to be" + a past participle (usually, but not always, ending in "-ed") If you don't see both components, move on. Does the sentence describe an action? If so, where is the actor? Is he/she/it in the grammatical subject position (at the front of the sentence) or in the object position (at the end of the sentence, or missing entirely)? Does the sentence end with "by..."? Many passive sentences include the actor at the end of the sentence in a "by" phrase, like "The ball was hit by the player" or "The shoe was chewed up by the dog." "By" by itself isn't a conclusive sign of the passive voice, but it can prompt you to take a closer look.

Summary of strategies (writing)

Evaluate Is the doer/actor indicated? Should you indicate him/her/it? Does it really matter who's responsible for the action? Would your reader ask you to clarify a sentence because of an issue related to your use of the passive? Do you use a passive construction in your thesis statement? Do you use the passive as a crutch in summarizing a plot or history, or in describing something? Do you want to emphasize the object?

Summary of strategies (writing)

Revise If you decide that your sentence would be clearer in the active voice, switch the sentence around to make the subject and actor one. Put the actor (the one doing the action of the sentence) in front of the verb.