Verb voice: comprehensive information

Welcome to our English learning corner! Today, we’re going to explore two important ways we can use verbs: active voice and passive voice. Understanding these will make your English writing and speaking clearer and more versatile.

Active Voice: The Doer Takes Action!

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. Think of it as the subject being the star of the show, actively doing something.

Structure:

Subject + Verb + Object (optional)

Key Characteristics:

• The subject is usually clear and comes before the verb.
• The focus is on who or what is doing the action.
• Active voice generally makes your writing more direct, clear, and concise.

Examples:

• The dog chased the ball. (Subject: The dog, Verb: chased, Object: the ball) – Here, the dog is actively performing the action of chasing.
• Sarah wrote a letter. (Subject: Sarah, Verb: wrote, Object: a letter) – Sarah is the one doing the writing.
• They are building a new house. (Subject: They, Verb: are building, Object: a new house) – The focus is on who is doing the building.

Passive Voice: The Action Happens to the Subject!

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The subject is acted upon. Sometimes, the person or thing that performs the action is mentioned, often with the preposition “by,” but it can also be omitted.

Structure:

Subject + be (am/is/are/was/were/is being/are being/was being/were being/has been/have been/had been/will be) + Past Participle of the main verb + (by + Agent – optional)

Key Characteristics:

• The subject is usually the receiver of the action and comes before the verb.
• The focus is on the action itself or the object that is acted upon, rather than who or what performed the action.
• The “agent” (the doer of the action) is often less important or unknown, and can be left out.

Examples:

• The ball was chased by the dog. (Subject: The ball, Verb: was chased, Agent: by the dog) – Now, the ball is the focus, and it received the action of being chased.
• A letter was written by Sarah. (Subject: A letter, Verb: was written, Agent: by Sarah) – The focus is on the letter and the action done to it.
• A new house is being built. (Subject: A new house, Verb: is being built) – Here, we focus on the house and the ongoing action, and the doers are not specified.

When to Use Active vs. Passive Voice:

While active voice is generally preferred for clear and direct writing, passive voice has its uses:

Use Passive Voice When:

• The action is more important than the actor: When you want to emphasize what was done, rather than who did it.
  • Example: The window was broken. (We might not know or care who broke it; the focus is on the broken window.)
• The actor is unknown or unimportant: When you don’t know who performed the action or it’s not relevant to the sentence.
  • Example: The car was stolen. (We don’t know who stole it.)
• You want to be less direct or more formal: Passive voice can sometimes sound more objective.
  • Example: Mistakes were made. (This is less direct than “We made mistakes.”)
• In scientific or technical writing: To focus on the process or result rather than the person performing the experiment.
  • Example: The data was analyzed using statistical software.

Use Active Voice When:

• You want to be clear and direct: Active voice usually makes your writing easier to understand.
• The actor is important: When you want to highlight who or what is performing the action.
• You want to make your writing more engaging and lively.

Understanding active and passive voice is a key step in mastering English grammar. Keep practicing, and you’ll become more confident in choosing the right voice for your sentences! Keep exploring our website for more helpful English lessons!