Active versus Passive Voice

Are the following sentences in the active or the passive voice?

• My professor is teaching three courses.

• These three courses are taught by the same professor.

• The Economist is read by many students and professionals.

• I enjoy reading The Economist.

• The issue of electoral reform was discussed by the students.

Q: What is the difference between the active and the

passive voice?

A: In an sentence using the active voice, the subject of the

sentence does the action. In a sentence using the passive

voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action.

Examples:

Active: Active sentences (subject) focus (action, done by the subject) on the person doing the action.

Passive: The recipient of the action (subject) is focused (action, not done by the subject), on in a passive sentence.

Examples:

Active:The explorers climbed the tallest mountain in the range.

Passive: The tallest mountain in the range was climbed by the explorers.

Examples:

Active:This great scholar compiled the largest collection of Shakespeare’s sources.

Passive: The largest collection of Shakespeare’s sources was compiled by this scholar.

Active versus Passive

Active Voice• More emphatic• More concise• Used as the general rule

Passive Voice• Used when you want to

stress the importance of the action or its recipient.

• Used when the actor is unknown or irrelevant.

• Used when one wants to avoid mentioning the actor: Ex. Mistakes were made.

Q: So what’s the problem?

A: 1. You should not switch voices in the same sentence!

2. Be careful with the grammatical construction.

Examples of switching voices in the same sentence:

i. The contentious issue was contemplated as the debaters prepared to present their arguments.

ii. Once the books were finished, the writers talked to the publisher.

iii. The pipes in the kitchen were fixed, then the plumber started repairing the showers.

Switching voices can confuse the reader. If your reader is

confused, then your writing is not effective or efficient.

Q: How do I fix it (switching voices)?

A: Make all parts of your sentence consistent. Usually, you should change the passive

voice to the active voice.

Corrections:

Incorrect: Once the books were finished, the writers talked to the publisher.

Correct: Once the writers finished their books, they talked to the publisher.

Corrections:

Incorrect: The pipes in the kitchen were fixed, then the plumber started repairing the showers.

Correct: The plumber fixed the pipes in the kitchen then started repairing

the showers.

Source: The Writing Centre

Telephone: 416-979-5000 ext. 7192

Website: http://www.ryerson.ca/writing-centre

Email address: writingcentre@ryerson.ca