passive voice
3
4.8
- noun
- /ˈpæsɪv vɔɪs/
- Specialized
:
voz pasiva
- In academic writing, the passive voice is often preferred to maintain an objective tone.
- use the passive voice
- avoid the passive voice
Though I will say this, nice try putting it in the passive voice doesn't make you innocent.
- Though I will say this, nice try putting it in the passive voice doesn't make you innocent.
- I think active and and passive voice doesn't come up in screen writing for me.
Examples
-
Using the passive voice, the report stated that the experiment was conducted successfully.
-
Active voice sentences tend to be lively and direct; passive voice sentences tend to be dry and impersonal.
Academic text (1993) -
The third is the use of the passive voice.
Academic text (2005) -
The passive voice is fine; just be sure you have a good reason for using it.
Academic text (1995) -
Sometimes, though, the passive voice is just the thing to give the emphasis you want.
Academic text (1995) -
Unnecessary use of the passive voice is also a much-noted evil, and for good reason.
Academic text (2010) -
Eastman opens the piece deferentially, using the passive voice and acknowledging the Indian's need for assistance in the transition to modern life.
Academic text (2001) -
The sentence was transformed into the passive voice to emphasize the action rather than the subject.
Synonyms
1
4.8
The verb form in which the subject receives the action
Antonyms
How Active
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Specialized
3
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is compositionally built: 'passive' describes a non-agentive or affected subject and 'voice' denotes a grammatical category, so together they denote the construction where the subject receives the action. This formation is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'voz pasiva', French 'voix passive') and follows standard grammatical naming, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Passive voice names a sentence where the subject gets the action instead of doing it, usually formed with a form of be + past participle. That's why in the passive we often 'focus on the action' or 'avoid naming the doer'.