What is Passive Voice?
Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence is the recipient of an action, rather than the doer. In other words, the focus is on the action being done to the subject, not on who or what is performing the action.
Structure of Passive Voice
The typical structure of a passive sentence is: Subject + form of "to be" + past participle + (optional: by + agent)
- Active voice: The subject performs the action.
- Passive voice: The subject receives the action.
Examples
Active Voice| Passive Voice
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The chef cooks the meal.| The meal is cooked by the chef.
The teacher explains the lesson.| The lesson is explained by the teacher.
They will finish the project.| The project will be finished by them.
When to Use Passive Voice
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When the doer (agent) is unknown or unimportant:
The window was broken. -
To emphasize the action or the recipient rather than the doer:
The novel was written in 1920. -
In formal or scientific writing to sound objective:
The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
If you'd like, I can help you identify passive voice in sentences or convert sentences from active to passive!
