Did you know that March 4 is National Grammar Day? It is, so I thought it would be a good time to discuss everyone's favorite grammar topic.
How much do you know about Active and Passive Voice? Just the terms make some writers cringe. What do they mean? How do they
affect our writing? Turns out, they’re not as scary as they pretend to be. Here
is a simple breakdown.
Active voice reflects
action. It is present in a sentence where the subject acts.
Passive voice reflects
being acted upon. It is seen in a sentence where the subject is acted on.
For example:
Active voice Passive voice
I
teach Basic Boot Camp for Writers. Basic Boot Camp for Writers is
taught by me.
The
instructor emailed me a lesson. I
was emailed a lesson by the instructor.
There are a few more
clues to help determine whether a sentence is written in active or passive
voice. Sentences with active voice are often shorter and more direct. Passive
sentences usually contain more words and lack the personality that the active
voice has. They often use auxiliary or helping verbs such as is being, was, will be, etc.
Reread the sentences
above and note how the subjects are handled. Notice how the passive voice appears
to take the round about way to state its point. Do the active voice sentences
appear direct and concise? Which version do you prefer?
Changing a sentence
from passive to active voice is not that difficult. Note what was done in this
example:
Passive Voice
The National Anthem was being sung by her.
Active Voice
She sang the National Anthem.
The
active subject, “She”, is acting or “singing”.
In the passive voice, “she (her)” is not taking direct action. Passive is an
indirect way of saying what the active voice says. Which sounds better?
When
discussing when the use of passive voice is necessary, Bruce Ross-Larson,
author of Edit Yourself says,
“Some
rule mongers would say that the passive voice should never be used (or would
say that you should never use the passive voice). True, it generally is better
to use the active voice because it is more direct and more concise. But the
subject of the sentence should dictate voice. At issue is whether the subject
of the sentence is the subject of the paragraph. The passive has two
justifiable uses, both of which turn on whether the actor is less important
than what is acted upon.”
In
other words, occasionally the passive voice works in cases like this, when the actor “He” is left out:
He
adjusted the calibration to ascertain where the mechanical failure was.
Passive
would change it to:
The
calibration was adjusted to ascertain where the mechanical failure was.
Even with practice and good information, sometimes I get turned inside out trying to "unpassive" a sentence. Here are two links that I've found helpful:
Capital Community College Grammar Foundation - Active Versus Passive
Grammar Girl - Avoid This Common Passive Voice Mistake
More on National Grammar Day
Visit Grammar Girl's National Grammar Day page for great info, tips, activities, and links.
Don't Forget
Stay tuned - my 5th Blogoversary events include giveaways, interviews, and a guest post.
If you or anyone you know is homeschooling, check out the Homeschool Co-ops 101 March Goodreads Giveaway in the sidebar. There are three paperback copies up for grabs! Not a homeschooler? Why not enter anyway, and donate the book to your local library. :)
Do you have trouble with active and passive voice? What helps you keep it straight?
Happy writing,
Karen
Photo credit: Stock Exchange
Post content copyright Karen Lange 2014. No part of text content may be used without prior permission from the author.
