Don’t Use Passive Voice with a Reporting Verb

Passive voice has several important uses. For one, it allows you to change the order of subject and verb. However, with reporting verbs, we rarely use passive voice. In fact, we frequently use an inverted verb+subject order with a reporting verb without making the verb passive. The bottom line is that, if you use passive with a reporting verb, your sentence will seem strange to a native speaker of English.

Example:

Incorrect:

The New York Times reports that the average computer user checks 40 websites a day and can switch programs 36 times an hour. “It’s an onslaught of information coming in today,” said by Times technology journalist Matt Richtel.

Correct:

The New York Times reports that the average computer user checks 40 websites a day and can switch programs 36 times an hour. “It’s an onslaught of information coming in today,” says Times technology journalist Matt Richtel.

(Source: “The Price of Putting Your Brain on Computers.” National Public Radio, August 24, 2010)

If you don’t understand what is meant by the terms passive and active, or simply for more about passive voice and active voice, visit this post. If you don’t understand the the term “reporting verb” or to learn more about reporting verbs, click here.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Use Passive Voice to Eliminate Vague Subjects and/or Improve Flow

If you are using a vague word as a sentence subject, you can probably use passive voice as a way to be more economical with your words or to provide for better information flow, or both.

Examples:

Poor flow:

Google managers encourage their engineers to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. This means that if you have a great idea, you always have time to run with it.

Better flow:

Google engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. This means that if you have a great idea, you always have time to run with it.

(Source: “The Google Way: Give Engineers Room,” by Bharat Mediratta & Julie Bick, New York Times)

Poor flow:

Ever wonder why students struggle with picking a major in college? When was the last time someone asked students what they’d like to study in school and given the time to pursue their own interests?

Better flow:

Ever wonder why students struggle with picking a major in college? When was the last time students were asked what they’d like to study in school and given the time to pursue their own interests?

(Source: “Pursue Passion: Demand Google 20% Time at School,” Katherine von Jan, HuffingtonPost.com)

Sometimes passive voice can help you improve flow even in a sentence where the subject is specific and necessary to the sentence. For example, passive voice improves word order by helping you place old information before new information. For more on flow, see my blog post here.

In addition to word order, correct use of passive voice requires attention to several features of grammar. If you are not sure how to correctly construct passive voice sentences, see my blog post on passive voice.

Problem: Delete a by-phrase from a passive sentence when there’s no information

Passive sentences are often a useful strategy for eliminating extra words when we don’t know who or what caused an event, or when it doesn’t matter. Normally, we don’t use a by- phrase with a passive in these cases. Solution: Be aware of vague words like people, as well as indefinite pronouns such as somebody, someone, or something, especially after a passive verb.

Examples:

Vague:

All of her sweaters were damaged by someone.

Better:

All of her sweaters were damaged.

 

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

 

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Use a By-Phrase to Make a Passive Sentence More Specific

Examples:

Vague:

All of her sweaters were damaged. 

Better:

All of her sweaters were damaged by moths.

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

 

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Problem: Wrong Preposition in a Passive Construction

Use by when naming the actor along with the action in a passive sentence or clause.

Examples:

Incorrect:

All of my sweaters were damaged from moths.

Correct:

All of my sweaters were damaged by moths.

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

 

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Passive and Active Voice

Problem with Passive in a Relative Clause

A relative clause, sometimes called an adjective clause, is placed after a noun in order to modify it–that is, to describe or identify the noun more completely. It is often a place where English learners and multilingual writers become confused when using the passive voice.

The confusion may have to do with the fact that relative clauses come in two forms: “full” and “reduced.” The full relative clause begins with a pronoun, such as that or who, and is followed by a full verb. In the case of the passive voice clause, the full verb consists of a an auxiliary–a form of be or get or become–followed by a main verb in participle form. In the reduced relative clause, both the pronoun and auxiliary are deleted. However, if only the auxiliary is deleted, the clause is not correctly formed. Solution: Decide whether to write a clause in its full or reduced form. In the full form, always include the auxiliary; in the reduced form, always delete the relative pronoun.

Examples:

Incorrect: Patients who prescribed a full course of antibiotics need to keep taking the medicine until it is completely gone.

Correct: Patients who are prescribed a full course of antibiotics need to keep taking the medicine until it is completely gone.

Correct: Patients prescribed a full course of antibiotics need to keep taking the medicine until it is completely gone.

 

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Passive and Active Voice

Problem: The wrong verb form has been used in a passive construction.

The main verb in a passive voice sentence or clause should be in the participle form. In regular verbs, this means adding -d or -ed.  It looks the same as the simple past tense form. In irregular verbs, it can take on some other form, such as adding -n or -en, and it may or may not look the same as simple past tense. Always consult a dictionary if you are not sure.

Examples:

Incorrect: Jae has a scar on his arm where he was bite by a dog.

Incorrect: Jae has a scar on his arm where he was bited by a dog.

Incorrect: Jae has a scar on his arm where he was biting by a dog.

Correct: Jae has a scar on his arm where he was bitten by a dog.

 

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Passive and Active Voice

Problem: Wrong Word Order in a Passive Construction

If you are reading this page, you have probably written a passive clause or sentence using the wrong word order. To solve this problem, identify the subjct and object; then try reversing them.

Examples:

Incorrect: Marie Curie died in 1934 because her research on radiation was damaged her blood cells.

Correct: Marie Curie died in 1934 because her blood cells were damaged by her research on radiation.

 

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Problem with the Auxiliary Verb in a Passive Construction

If you have landed on this page, it probably is because you need to address the auxiliary verb in a passive voice clause or sentence.

Passive voice in an independent clause requires a form of be or get or become–known as the auxiliary verb—before the main verb. Note that get is usually informal or semi-formal, whereas be and become are appropriate in all styles, including the most formal.

Solution: Check your passive sentence to make sure the auxiliary is there and that it is in the appropriate tense.

Examples:

Incorrect: Bernard “Bernie” Madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison for defrauding investors of billions of dollars.

Correct: Bernard “Bernie” Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for defrauding investors of billions of dollars.

Incorrect: It is possible that water could found on the planet Mars.

Correct: It is possible that water could be found on the planet Mars.

Incorrect: Some students say its a relief to no longer have to fight temptation or to be distracted by classmates browsing. But most do not like kicked offline.

Correct: Some students say its a relief to no longer have to fight temptation or to be distracted by classmates browsing. But most do not like being kicked offline.*

* Source: “Put Away That Laptop: Professors Pull the Plug,” by Tovia Smith, Weekend Edition Saturday, April 24, 2010.

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92

Passive and Active Voice

Problem: Passive is weak here; use active voice instead.

If you are reading this, it probably is the case that you have written a sentence using passive voice that could be more effective if rewritten in active voice.

Passive voice is often used to de-emphasize the “agent” or “actor” in the sentence, or to eliminate unnecessary words, or to improve the “flow” in a paragraph by changing word order in a sentence. But passive voice should be used with caution. If there is no strong reason to use passive, for one of the reasons just mentioned, then active voice should be the default.

Examples:

Weak: First, we cleaned all the junk out of my car. Then, it was vacuumed. Finally, we packed it with all the necessities for our road trip.

Better:  First, we cleaned all the junk out of my car. Then, we vacuumed it. Finally, we packed it with all the necessities for our road trip.

Weak: In a representative democracy, voters have the power to contact their representatives if they have grievances. They can organize public protests to bring attention to important causes. And elected officials can be removed from office if they are not doing a good job.

Better: In a representative democracy, voters have the power to contact their representatives if they have grievances. They can organize public protests to bring attention to important causes. And they can remove elected officials from office if they are not doing a good job.

What is passive voice?

Passive sentences have the same meaning as simple (active voice) sentences, but with (1) a change in the order of subject & object, (2) the addition of an auxiliary, usually get or be, (3) a change in the form of the main verb, usually adding -ed, and (4) the addition of by or another preposition before the “agent” noun – or sometimes the omission of the agent.

Examples:

(Active)	The dog ate the cheese.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten by the dog.
(Passive)	The cheese was eaten.

Links:

The English Page’s “Active & Passive Verb Forms”

NetGrammar’s “Passive Voice”

Further Reading:

In Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2nd edition), see pages 88-97

In Eye on Editing 2, see pages 37-40

In Read, Write, Edit: Grammar for College Writers, see pages 68-92