Identifying Passive Voice
Consider the problems with passive voice. With the passive voice, the subject of a sentence is being acted upon, rather than doing the action. The verb in the sentence is acting on the subject, with the subject appearing after the action in the sentence. This results in a sentence that sounds awkward and bland, poor qualities when you are trying to craft a persuasive essay, an engaging article, or an effective oral presentation. For example, a sentence in the passive voice would be: “The milkbone was chewed by the dog” or “The basketball was thrown by Sara.” In the first sentence, the milkbone is being acted on by the dog and in the second sentence, the basketball is being acted on by Sara. This creates a bland sentence, as the subject is not doing the action in the sentence. Another example would be: “The bicycle wheels were destroyed by the storm” or “My papers were written on a computer.” In the first sentence, the bicycle wheels are being acted on by the storm and in the second sentence, the papers are being acted on by the computer.
Watch for sentences where the subject is missing. A sentence may also use passive voice if it has no subject at all. These sentences tend to include dangling modifiers. Dangling modifiers are words or phrases that modify a word that is not clearly stated in the sentence. A sentence with a dangling modifier that has no subject might be something like, “To be more professional, a black suit was worn.” In this situation, we do not know who wore the black suit, but the sentence indicates that someone wore the black suit to seem more professional. Therefore, the sentence is passive and incomplete.
Note the difference between active voice and passive voice. With the active voice, the subject of the sentence is doing the action. The subject usually appears before the action in the sentence. This creates sentences that are clear, concise, and direct. You should use active voice whenever because it will make your writing seem more purposeful. Example sentences in the active voice include: “The dog chewed the milkbone” or “Sara threw the basketball.” In both sentences, the subject of the sentence is doing the action. “The dog” “chewed” and “Sara” “threw." Other examples include: “The storm destroyed the bicycle wheels” or “I wrote the papers on a computer.” In both sentences, the subject comes before the verb and the subject is doing the action.
Check for instances when passive voice is preferable. In some instances, the passive voice may be necessary or more useful than the active voice. These instances are rare and specific to the content of the sentence. You should be aware of these instances so you know when it is okay to use the passive voice. Sometimes you may have an instance when the recipient of the action is more important than the performer of the action. You would then use the passive voice to highlight the recipient of the action. You might notice this in news stories and news articles. For example, “A priceless Rodin sculpture was stolen from the Chicago Museum of Art today by two armed men.” In this instance, the more newsworthy content is that the sculpture was taken, rather than that the performer of the action is the two armed men. Putting the more important content up front, even though it is passive voice, makes the sentence feel more purposeful. You may also use passive voice when you cannot identify the “who” or “what.” In these instances, you may use the passive voice to make up for not having more details. For example, “The package was lost during the international flight.” Because you do not know who lost the package, you cannot use the active voice and may instead use the passive voice.
Adjusting Passive Voice in Your Writing
Correct common passive words in your sentences. One way to note when you are using passive, instead of active, voice is to go through your writing and look for common words that are found in passive sentences. Though not every passive sentence contains these keywords, watching for these words is a useful way to fix instances of passive voice. Watch for the following forms of “to be” that might show up in a passive sentence: “Is”: For example, “Biking is something I do.” “Was”: For example, “The rope was used by me in the race.” “Were”: For example, “The berries were eaten by the kids.” “Had been”: For example, “The game had been played by the man since dawn.” “Have been” or "Has been": For example, “The singing has been done by the group all morning.”
Rewrite the sentence so the subject is doing the action. Once you have identified passive sentences in your writing, you should adjust the sentence so the subject is doing the action. The subject could be a person, an object, or a place. You want to make sure the subject is always before the verb and is doing the action, not being acted upon. For example, you may have the sentence, “The rope was used by me in the race.” You may adjust this sentence so it is in active voice, “I used the rope in the race.” In the active sentence, the subject “I” is doing the action, “used the rope in the race.” Another example could be the passive sentence: “The game had been played by the man since dawn.” You may adjust the sentence so it is active: “At dawn, the man started playing the game” or “The man started the game at dawn.” In the active sentence, the subject “the man” is doing the action, the verb “played.”
Maintain the same voice throughout the sentence. Do not shift from active voice back into passive voice. Sometimes, you may fall back into the habit of shifting into passive voice after a few sentences in the active voice. You may also make the mistake of starting a sentence in active voice and then ending the sentence in passive voice. You should make sure that every sentence has a subject who is doing an action, with the subject placed before the verb in the sentence. For example, you may have the following sentence: “She wanted to act calm when she heard the jokes, but she was still jeered at by her friends.” This sentence begins in active voice, with “She wanted” and then ends in passive voice. You can adjust it to all active voice, resulting in: “She wanted to act calm when she heard the jokes, but her friends still jeered at her.”
Identify the subject. Many sentences in the passive voice lack a subject and contain dangling modifiers. Identifying the subject can help to clarify your sentences and move from passive voice to active voice. For example, you may have the following sentence: “To save time, the essay was typed on a computer.” This sentence uses passive voice and a dangling modifier, as it is not clear who is saving time or who is typing the essay. The revised version of the sentence would be: “To save time, Tyler typed the essay on a computer.”
Using Proofreading Strategies
Take your time. Proofreading takes time, so do not put it off to the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time. Try to set aside at least 20 minutes to proofread your paper a day or two before it is due. You will also need to give yourself time to correct any errors you find.
Read your writing out loud. You may notice passive voice if you take the time to read your writing out loud to yourself or to a sympathetic audience. You should pay close attention to any sentences where the subject comes after the verb and where it is unclear who or what is doing the action in a sentence. These are indicators of passive voice. Though your computer’s spell check function can be useful for catching grammatical errors, it may not catch all of the passive sentences in your writing so do not depend on it to do this for you. You should also keep in mind that some sentences actually benefit from passive voice, based on the content of the sentence. Reading your writing out loud and to others can help you be a better editor of your work and notice when a sentence should be in passive or active voice.
Use the search function. You can use the search or find and replace function in MS Word to help you find instances of passive voice. Try searching for common passive voice words and phrases, such as “is,” “was,” “were,” “had been,” and “have been.” Then, check the sentences with highlighted words and phrases to see if they use passive voice. Correct instances of passive voice as needed.
Start at the end and read backwards. Reading a paper backwards can also make it easier for you to identify problems such as passive voice. Read the last sentence of your paper, and then read the sentence before that one. Continue to work backwards until you have read every sentence in your paper. Correct any instances of passive voice that you find as you go.
Visit the writing center or a writing tutor. Most universities have writing centers where you can get feedback and help on your paper for free. If your university has a writing center, then make an appointment to get help finding instances of passive voice. Keep in mind that a writing tutor will not fix your work for you. He or she will help you develop the skills you need to identify instances of passive voice on your own.
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