Voice—Active and Passive

The voice of a verb indicates whether the subject performs the action (active voice) or receives it (passive voice). In active voice, the subject acts: "The cat caught the mouse." In passive voice, the subject is acted upon: "The mouse was caught by the cat." Both sentences convey the same basic information, but they shift focus and emphasis. Mastering both voices gives you flexibility in expression—you can emphasize the agent (the doer) or the patient (the receiver of the action), depending on what you want to highlight. This flexibility is particularly valuable in academic writing, scientific discourse, and narrative where emphasizing different elements serves different communicative purposes.

Active Voice: The Default and the Direct

Active voice is the straightforward presentation of action: the subject performs the verb. "Shakespeare wrote Hamlet." "The teacher explained the concept." "Light travels in straight lines." Active voice is direct, clear, and economical. It tells us who did what, and typically, it's the most natural way to express an idea.

Active voice is preferred in most contexts because it's clear, direct, and vigorous. When you write or speak in active voice, responsibility is obvious—we know exactly who performed the action. In narrative, active voice creates momentum. In explanation, it creates clarity. For this reason, most writing guides recommend active voice as the default.

The structure of active voice is simple: subject + verb + object (usually). "Maria baked a cake." This clarity and directness make active voice powerful and accessible.

Passive Voice: Shifting Focus and Responsibility

Passive voice reverses the typical relationship between subject and action. The subject receives the action rather than performing it: "Hamlet was written by Shakespeare." "The concept was explained by the teacher." The object of the active voice becomes the subject of the passive voice, while the agent (the original subject) moves to a prepositional phrase introduced by "by."

Passive voice is constructed using a form of "be" + past participle: "is caught," "was written," "will be completed." This structure is consistent across tenses: present ("is seen"), past ("was seen"), future ("will be seen"), and so on.

Passive voice is useful when the action or object is more important than the agent. "Thousands of people were vaccinated yesterday" emphasizes the outcome (vaccination of people) rather than who did the vaccinating. In scientific writing, passive voice is traditional because the focus is on findings rather than on the scientist: "The solution was heated to 100 degrees Celsius" emphasizes the procedure rather than the researcher.

When to Use Passive Voice: Strategic Applications

While active voice is generally preferred, passive voice serves specific purposes:

In scientific and academic writing, passive voice is traditional: "The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions." This emphasizes method and results over the experimenter.

When the agent is unknown or unimportant: "The building was constructed in 1920" doesn't tell us who built it, but that information might be irrelevant. If we wanted to know, we'd write "Workers constructed the building in 1920."

To emphasize the patient (receiver of action): "Maria was recognized for her achievements" emphasizes Maria, the recipient of recognition. The active version "The company recognized Maria for her achievements" emphasizes the company.

When the agent is implied or obvious: "I was taught to be kind" — everyone knows that someone (a parent, teacher, community) taught this, but we don't need to specify.

In diplomatic or formal contexts: "It has been decided that..." is more formal and less blaming than "The director has decided..."

The Dangers of Passive Voice: When It Becomes Evasive

Despite its uses, passive voice can become evasive or obscure. "Mistakes were made" avoids responsibility—we don't know who made mistakes. This can be deliberate evasion, which is why passive voice has a reputation for being used in bureaucratic or political language where accountability is being avoided.

Passive voice can also become wordy and indirect: "The report was completed by Sarah" uses more words and sounds less natural than "Sarah completed the report." When passive voice adds unnecessary words without adding clarity or emphasis, it should be avoided.

Converting Between Voices: The Mechanics

Active to passive:

• Take the object of the active sentence and make it the subject
• Use the appropriate form of "be" + past participle
• Move the original subject to a "by" phrase (optional)

Active: "The wind knocked over the tree" Passive: "The tree was knocked over by the wind" or "The tree was knocked over"

Passive to active:

• Take the agent from the "by" phrase and make it the subject
• Convert the verb back to active form
• Move the original subject to the object position

Passive: "The letter was written by Maya" Active: "Maya wrote the letter"

Common Mistakes and Clarity Issues

• Incomplete passive constructions: "The work was completed" (by whom?) may be unclear if context doesn't make the agent obvious
• Awkward passive voice: "Being delayed by traffic was the reason for our lateness" is more awkward than "We were delayed by traffic"
• Mixing active and passive unnecessarily: Maintain consistency in voice within a paragraph or section unless there's a strategic reason to shift
• Overusing passive voice: One hallmark of weak writing is excessive passive voice. Use it strategically, not as a default

Related Concepts

Conveying-Others-Words • Expressing-Relationships

Socratic Questions

1. Why is active voice generally considered better than passive voice? Are there situations where this preference should be reversed?

1. "The experiment was conducted carefully" (passive) vs. "The researcher conducted the experiment carefully" (active). How does changing the voice change what's emphasized? Which version is better for scientific writing?

1. Politicians and bureaucrats are sometimes accused of using passive voice to avoid responsibility ("Mistakes were made" rather than "I made mistakes"). Is this a fair criticism? Can language choice reflect or hide accountability?

1. When you're reading something and encounter passive voice, what effect does it have on your understanding? Does it affect clarity, emphasis, or tone?

1. Write a paragraph in active voice, then convert it to passive voice. How does the meaning change? What is gained or lost?