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Grammar and Punctuation Guide For Writing: Passive Voice

Active and Passive Voice

Active Voice

In understanding passive voice, it would be best to show what active voice is first. 

When using active voice, the subject in a sentence is the one performing the action with an object or another person. Active voice makes what you are writing and communicating clearer, and concise in what you want to say. 

Examples of active voice sentences:

Grandma is baking a cherry pie.

Karl Benz, created the first car. 

He was sculpting a stone statue.

Mario is searching for the Princess. 

Example of active voice in fiction:

Heart of Darkness (by Colin Higgins)

“I looked at him, lost in astonishment…’Ah, he talked to you of love!’ I said, much amused. ‘It isn’t what you think,’ he cried, almost passionately. ‘It was in general.’ “He threw his arms up…He had his second illness then. Afterwards I had to keep out of the way; but I didn’t mind. He was living for the most part in those villages on the lake. When he came down to the river, sometimes he would take to me, and sometimes it was better for me to be careful. This man suffered too much.”

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

She began to cry—she cried and cried. I rushed out and found her mother’s maid and we locked the door and got her into a cold bath. She wouldn’t let go of the letter. She took it into the tub with her and squeezed it up into a wet ball, and only let me leave it in the soap dish when she saw that it was coming to pieces like snow.

Passive Voice

In writing passive voice, you still have an action that is happing, the difference is that that instead, the subject is the recipient of the action. Passive voice is not wrong, it is that active voice is more direct and clearer for the reader. 

Let us look at the previous examples, except this time, the object will be the focus. 

A cherry pie is being baked by grandma.

The first car was created by Karl Benz. 

A stone statue was being sculpted by him. 

The Princess is being searched for by Mario.

When should passive voice be used?

  • Subject is unknown
  • in fiction to emphasize the object or specific details 
  • in scientific writing 

 

Active Versus Passive