For example, in the sentence the award was given to Joseph, perhaps we want more focus on the award than on Joseph (compare with Joseph received the award). In some cases, the passive voice may be favorable mainly from the viewpoint of desired emphasis. Is It Wrong to Use Passive Voice in Writing? The passive construction makes the object a subject and the subject an object. In this sentence our subject (the town) becomes flooded, but not by its own activity. The subject no longer performs the action, as in: In a passive-voice sentence, the relationship between the subject and the verb becomes less direct. Passive voice means the subject receives the action. Jennifer is our subject and bakes is the action. Here is another example:Īgain, we have a direct relationship between the subject and the verb. The subject (the cat) is performing the action (chasing). In broad terms, using the active voice means you have a subject that is performing an action, as in this sentence: Active VoiceĪctive voice means the subject is performing the verb. So what exactly is the passive voice, and does it really weaken our writing? Let’s explore those questions. Others might even have trouble identifying them in sentences. If you grew up attending American schools, at some point you probably received the advice to “write in the active voice.” Although English instructors tend to hold passive-voice statements in lesser esteem, many English speakers (including college graduates) still often use them.

Passive and active voice