Verb voice definition, characteristics and examples

Characteristics of Active Voice:

• The subject of the sentence is the doer or performer of the action.
• Active voice sentences typically follow the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order.
• Active voice sentences are generally more concise, direct, and easier to understand.

Examples of Active Voice:

• "She wrote a novel."
• "The cat chased the mouse."
• "They are building a house."
• "He sings beautifully."
• "We ate dinner together."

Advantages of Active Voice:

• Clarity: Active voice clearly indicates who or what is performing the action, making the sentence easier to understand.
• Conciseness: Active voice often results in shorter, more concise sentences.
• Directness: Active voice provides a straightforward and engaging way to convey information.
• Active voice is commonly used in various forms of writing, such as narratives, instructions, news articles, and everyday conversation.

Importance of Active Voice:

• Active voice promotes clarity and helps avoid ambiguity in communication.
• Active voice is useful when emphasizing the doer of the action, especially in situations where responsibility or accountability is relevant.

Active to Passive Voice Conversion:

• To convert a sentence from active to passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.
• The verb is changed to a passive form by using a form of "to be" and the past participle of the main verb.
• Example:
  • Active: "They built the house."
  • Passive: "The house was built by them."

Structure of Passive Voice:

• Passive voice sentences typically follow the object-verb-subject (OVS) word order.
• The verb is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb "to be" (such as "is," "was," "has been") followed by the past participle of the main verb.
• Example: "The book was written by the author."

Characteristics of Passive Voice:

• The subject of the sentence receives or experiences the action performed by someone or something else.
• The doer or agent of the action may be mentioned using the preposition "by," but it is often omitted or unknown.
• Passive voice is commonly used in formal writing, scientific research papers, and when the focus is on the action rather than the doer.

Examples of Passive Voice:

• "The report was prepared by the team."
• "The window was broken by a stray baseball."
• "The cake has been baked."
• "The flowers were being watered by the gardener."
• "The decision will be made by the committee."

Reasons for Using Passive Voice:

• Focus on the receiver: Passive voice emphasizes the object or receiver of the action.
• De-emphasizing the doer: Sometimes the doer of the action is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally left undisclosed.
• Formality: Passive voice is often preferred in formal or academic writing as it lends a more objective tone.

Drawbacks of Passive Voice:

• Lack of clarity: Passive voice can sometimes obscure the doer or create ambiguity about who performed the action.
• Wordiness: Passive voice sentences tend to be longer and can sound more convoluted than active voice sentences.
• Reduced impact: Passive voice can make writing seem less direct or engaging.

Passive to Active Voice Conversion:

• To convert a sentence from passive to active voice, the subject of the passive sentence becomes the doer or subject in the active sentence.
• The verb is changed to an active form, and the receiver of the action (formerly the subject in the passive sentence) becomes the object in the active sentence.
• Example:
  • Passive: "The cake was baked by her."
  • Active: "She baked the cake."