Passive Voice

How Passive Voice Works

In passive voice, the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence. The verb is typically formed by combining a form of "to be" with the past participle of the main verb. The doer of the action, if mentioned, comes after the verb, often introduced by "by."

Examples of Passive Voice

• Active: "The chef cooked a delicious meal."

• Passive: "A delicious meal was cooked by the chef."

• Active: "The company will launch a new product."

• Passive: "A new product will be launched by the company."

Role in Communication

Focusing on the Action or Result: When the action or its result is more important than who or what performed it. 🎯 Highlighting the Receiver of the Action: To emphasize who is affected by the action rather than who is doing it. 🌟 Creating Formal or Impersonal Tone: Often used in formal writing, scientific reports, and informational contexts to depersonalize the content. 📄

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✅ Correct: "The meeting was canceled due to bad weather." (The focus is on the event of the cancellation, not the person or entity that canceled it.)

❌ Incorrect: "Due to bad weather, they canceled the meeting." (This is not incorrect but shifts the focus to the doer, which may not be the intended emphasis in some contexts.)

✅ Correct: "The road will be repaired next month." (Emphasizes the action of repairing, not who will do it.)

❌ Incorrect: "They will repair the road next month." (Again, not incorrect but different in focus, emphasizing who will perform the action.)

✅ Correct: "The new policy was introduced to improve safety." (Focuses on the policy and its purpose.)

❌ Incorrect: "They introduced the new policy to improve safety." (Shifts the focus to the doer, which might not be necessary.)