In a passive sentence, the object of the action verb becomes the subject of the sentence, sometimes even omitting who performs the action. The passive voice emphasizes the object receiving the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Passive<\/strong>: The book was read by Jake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Active<\/strong>: Jake read the book.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In the active voice, Jake is the clear subject of the sentence. He performs the action of reading, which is received by the object, the book. The active voice puts the doer of the action before the action verb, making the sentence concise and clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Identify Passive Voice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Identify the passive voice in your writing by using the following tips and tricks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Excessive use of \u201cTo be\u201d verbs<\/strong>: words like was, were, is, are, been, and being followed by a past participle (or a verb turned to an adjective).\n
- \n
- Examples: The book was written. The work is being done. They went to watch the movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Is the subject clear?<\/strong> The phrase \u201cby [someone\/something]\u201d at the end of a sentence suggests it is in the passive voice. Often, the word following \u201cby\u201d is the true subject of the action. Benjamin Dreyer identifies passive voice with the phrase \u201cby zombies.\u201d \u201cIf you can append \u201cby zombies\u201d to the end of a sentence,\u201d he states, \u201cyou\u2019ve indeed written a sentence in the passive voice\u201d (14).\n
- \n
- Examples: The book was written by zombies. The work was done by zombies. The movie was seen by zombies. Mistakes were made by zombies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhy Should You Avoid Passive Voice?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The passive voice can affect your clarity: sentences in the passive voice can become bogged down and wordy. The point of the sentence can become convoluted and unclear.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The passive voice can remove the subject: The passive voice sometimes omits the doer of an action. For example, \u201cthe students were given the book\u201d omits the professor who is responsible for the action. \u201cThe professor gave a book to the students\u201d provides the information the previous sentence lacked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Passive writing can make your writing sound dull and redundant; the active voice can make for an overall more engaging piece of writing. The constant repetition of \u201cto be\u201d verbs like was, is, were, are, being, and been can fatigue and bore readers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Tips to Avoid the Passive Voice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Make the subject the superstar:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Who is performing the action in the sentence? The predicate should dictate the actions of the subject. Place your intended subject at the beginning of the sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The movie was seen by the students. \u2192 The students saw the movie.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Eliminate the \u201cto be\u201d verbs:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
A helpful tip is to find (ctrl + F) every instance of the word \u201cwas\u201d in your writing. Often, you\u2019ll find it can be replaced with a stronger verb. The same goes for other \u201cto be\u201d verbs like is, are, were, being, and been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The book was written by them. \u2192 They wrote the book. The work was done by the crew. \u2192 The crew did the work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Rearrange your sentences for clarity.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If you follow the first two steps, you\u2019ll find this one is already complete and you\u2019re well on your way to constructing more active and engaging sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/04\/Dazed-Blog-Graphics-11-1024x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhen is it Okay to Use Passive Voice?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Though the passive voice should usually be avoided, there are instances where passive voice is both necessary and useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- When the doer is unknown or irrelevant<\/strong>\n
- \n
- \u201cThe road was paved in 1830.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- When you want to emphasize the action instead of the subject<\/strong>\n
- \n
- \u201cA cure for the disease was finally discovered.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- In scientific or formal writing<\/strong>\n
- \n
- \u201cThe experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Knowing when to use and when to avoid the passive voice can quickly and effectively strengthen your writing. The next time you\u2019re editing your writing, be on the lookout for clunky sentences and unnecessary \u201cto be\u201d verbs. Be passive-aggressive!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rylee Nyberg One of the most important skills a growing writer can develop is the ability to identify the passive voice in their own writing. The passive voice, while grammatically correct, should be avoided in the bulk of creative writing as it may make your work seem clunky, vague, and overly complicated. Knowing when to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-writing-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352\/revisions\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.calbaptist.edu\/dazed-starling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \u201cThe experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- When the doer is unknown or irrelevant<\/strong>\n
- Rearrange your sentences for clarity.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- The book was written by them. \u2192 They wrote the book. The work was done by the crew. \u2192 The crew did the work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Eliminate the \u201cto be\u201d verbs:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- The movie was seen by the students. \u2192 The students saw the movie.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Make the subject the superstar:<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Examples: The book was written by zombies. The work was done by zombies. The movie was seen by zombies. Mistakes were made by zombies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
- Active<\/strong>: Jake read the book.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n