Passive voice what does it mean

It makes sense that a statement declaring independence would focus on the people who get that independence, after all.

In each of the sentences below, the passive voice is natural and clear. Rewriting these sentences in the active voice renders them sterile, awkward, or syntactically contorted. Passive: Bob Dylan was injured in a motorcycle accident. Active: A motorcycle accident injured Bob Dylan. Passive: Elvis is rumored to be alive. Active: People rumor Elvis to be alive. The bank robbery took place just before closing time. There is nothing we can do about it. There were a great number of dead leaves covering the ground.

Despite what any well-meaning English teachers may have told you, none of the sentences above are written in the passive voice. The sentence about the leaves, in fact, was wrongly presented as an example of the passive voice by none other than Strunk and White in The Elements of Style. You also need a past participle.

Grammarly catches instances of passive voice in your writing so you know when you need to switch it up. For example, when writing this, Grammarly pointed out that the first phrase was, in fact, written in passive voice. The Dreaded Pet Peeves. Faculty Resources.

Passive Voice In most instances, put the verb in the active voice rather than in the passive voice. Writing Center Kirner-Johnson Close Search Hamilton. About Expand Navigation. Know Thyself. Just the Facts. Our Region. Our Diverse Community.

Contact Us. Admission Expand Navigation. Our Promise. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

This handout will explain the difference between active and passive voice in writing. It gives examples of both, and shows how to turn a passive sentence into an active one. Also, it explains how to decide when to choose passive voice instead of active. In a sentence using passive voice , the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action expressed by the verb.

Present conditional The house would be cleaned if they had visitors. Past conditional The house would have been cleaned if it had been dirty.

Inifinitive The house must be cleaned before we arrive. Examples You have to be tested on your English grammar. John might be promoted next year. She wants to be invited to the party. I expect to be surprised on my birthday. You may be disappointed. Examples I remember being taught to drive. The children are excited about being taken to the zoo. The children are excited to be taken to the zoo. Most film stars hate being interviewed.

Most film stars hate to be interviewed.