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Writing
and Talking About History > Resources for
Writing Papers > Understanding Passive Voice
Understanding
Passive Voice
"Action
is eloquence." (Shakespeare, Coriolanus)
"One
of the greatest curses of run-of-the-mill American
writing . . . is its crippling dependence on passive
voice." (Thomas H. Cain, Common Sense about
Writing)
"England,
'the natural protector of the weaker communities.'
England, the chosen master of the seas. And why?
Because 'it has been well said' that this should
be so. Because the possibility of any other nation's
being supreme at sea was 'being excluded.' But
by whom has it 'been said'? By whom was it 'being
excluded'? How simple the problems of the world
become in the passive voice. It [is] the voice
of neither precision nor reason." (Joachim
Remak, The origins of World War I, 1871-1914)
| Sentences
in active voice |
Sentences
in passive voice |
| are
more direct and specific |
are
weak, wordy, roundabout |
| are
informative |
are
undramatic and unexciting |
| are
more exciting, forceful & emphatic |
often
are clumsy; (often) are missing the actor
(which is a particular problem for historians
who need to know who did what and why) |
| have
a subject, verb, and object |
Have
a verb and object |
Passive
voice is composed of
1)
a form of the "to be" verb
2)
the past participle of another verb
| SUBJECT
(WHO) |
VERB
(DID) |
OBJECT
(WHAT) |
| Agent |
Action |
Goal |
| Jack
Kerouac |
wrote |
On
the Road |
| The
Medici |
controlled |
Florence |
| The
Bolsheviks |
Killed |
the
Czar |
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ACTIVE:
President Truman seized the steel mills
PASSIVE: The steel mills were seized by President
Truman
PASSIVE: The steel mills were seized
PASSIVE:
The whistle WAS BLOWN. (By whom?)
ACTIVE: The crook BLEW the whistle.
PASSIVE:
The law WAS PASSED. (By whom?)
ACTIVE: Congress PASSED the law.
PASSIVE:
Resolutions ARE MADE. (By whom?)
ACTIVE: Optimistic people MAKE resolutions.
PASSIVE:
It HAS LONG BEEN THOUGHT that he was innocent.
(By whom?)
PASSIVE: It HAS LONG BEEN THOUGHT by historians
that he was innocent.
ACTIVE:
Historians HAVE LONG THOUGHT that he was innocent.
PASSIVE:
Active voice IS EMPHASIZED. (By whom?)
PASSIVE: Active voice IS EMPHASIZED by experts.
ACTIVE: Experts EMPHASIZE active voice.
PASSIVE:
The book WAS PUBLISHED in 1976. (By whom?)
PASSIVE: The book WAS PUBLISHED in 1976 by Margaret
Truman.
ACTIVE: Margaret Truman published the book in
1976.
PASSIVE:
The final step to war HAD BEEN TAKEN. (By whom?)
PASSIVE: The final step to war HAD BEEN TAKEN
by the president.
ACTIVE: The president had taken (or took) the
final step to war.
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Do
not confuse passive voice with past tense:
The
book WAS a best seller = past tense, active voice
The book WAS PUBLISHED (by whom?) = past tense,
passive voice
The
passive voice can be expressed in all tenses and
forms:
The
enemy IS DEFEATED. (present)
The enemy WAS DEFEATED. (past)
The enemy WILL BE DEFEATED. (future)
The enemy IS BEING DEFEATED. (present progressive)
The enemy HAS BEEN DEFEATED. (past perfect)
The enemy expects TO BE DEFEATED. (infinitive)
The enemy hates BEING DEFEATED. (gerund)
NOTE:
Passive voice can be effective . . .. . .
and some disciplines (e.g., psychology and biology)
rely heavily on it.
Consider
using passive voice if:
- the
receivor of the action--or the action itself--is
more important than the actor.
- the
doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
- preceding
sentences have made the doer absolutely clear
to the reader.
- passive
voice provides needed emphasis.
For
example:
The
glory of the Lord SHALL BE REVEALED.
In 1936 Franklin Roosevelt WAS REELECTED.
Tax returns MUST BE RETURNED by midnight on April
15.
Taking pictures IS NOT PERMITTED during performances.
Since the treasure WAS UNEARTHED five hundred
years ago, it has been a major source of national
pride. (For a paper on the treasure in recent
years.)
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