Passive Voice: Types, Advantages, & Disadvantages

The ultimate guide to passive voice and its helpful uses.

The English language has many features that writers and speakers must grapple with. One such feature is the passive voice. The passive voice is often used to describe a situation or action and can be challenging to understand and compose. Read on to learn more about the passive voice, and how you might use it.

The Definition of Passive Voice

The passive voice is a type of sentence construction typically used when we want to move away from focusing on the person or thing doing an action and instead focus on the action itself or the person or thing being affected by it. The passive voice is also known as a “flipped” voice since it flips the traditional order of a sentence: subject-verb-object.

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the one receiving the action—this is done by adding the verb “to be” and a past participle. For example, in the sentence, “John kicked the ball,” the subject (John) is the one performing the action (kicking). In the passive voice, this sentence would be written as “The ball was kicked by John.”

In this example, the ball is the subject that is receiving the action (kicked), the verb “to be” (was) shows that the subject is being affected, and the past participle (kicked) shows the action being done.

The Advantages of Using Passive Voice

The passive voice is incredibly useful, especially when the writer wants to emphasize the action being done or the person or thing being affected. As we see in the example above, the passive voice shifts the focus of the sentence. Instead of highlighting the subject doing the action, the passive voice places the emphasis on the object or person being affected by the action.

The passive voice can also be helpful if the writer does not know the subject of the sentence—take for example the sentence, “The thief was arrested.” In this sentence, we don’t need to know the subject of the action: only that someone was arrested.

Lastly, the passive voice is also useful if the writer wants to downplay or omit the subject doing the action—which may sometimes be important. For example, “Mistakes were made” implies that someone made mistakes, but does not name who made them.

The Disadvantages of Using Passive Voice

The passive voice can often make sentences more complicated or unclear. The passive voice requires the addition of “to be” and a past participle, which can make sentences longer and harder to follow. As a result, the passive voice should be used only when it’s absolutely necessary.

Using the passive voice too often can also make writing less powerful and direct. This can be especially distracting when trying to emphasize a specific point or action.

Overall, the passive voice requires careful use. While it can be helpful in certain situations, writers should use it sparingly and only when it makes the most sense.

Conclusion

The passive voice is an important feature of the English language and can be helpful for writers. Remember that the passive voice is typically used when the writer wants to focus on the action or person being affected instead of the person doing the action. It’s also used when the writer does not know who did the action or if the writer wants to downplay or omit the subject. While the passive voice can be very useful, writers should use it carefully and only when necessary.