Understanding Passive Voice in English Writing
Passive sentences shift focus from the doer to the recipient of an action. This grammatical structure allows writers to emphasise what happens rather than who performs the action.
Passive Sentence Structure
Passive sentences are formed using a form of “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb. The subject receives rather than performs the action.
- Form of “to be”:
Is, am, are, was, were, has been, have been, will be, etc. - Past Participle:
Built, written, made, seen, taken, etc. - Optional “by” phrase:
Identifies who performed the action (if mentioned).
Why Use Passive Sentences?
Strategic Purpose
The passive voice serves specific functions in English writing. It allows writers to shift emphasis from the actor to the action or its recipient. In scientific and academic writing, passive voice creates an objective tone by removing personal pronouns and focusing on processes and results.
- When the actor is unknown:
“My wallet was stolen.” (We don’t know who stole it.) - When the actor is irrelevant:
“This medicine should be taken twice daily.” (It doesn’t matter who gives it.) - To emphasize the recipient:
“The ancient manuscript was discovered in 1922.” (The manuscript is more important than who found it.)
