The voice of an action verb refers to the relationship of the verb to the subject.
- When the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice.
Bob made a decision.
The subject is "Bob" and the verb is "made." The subject performed the action: Bob is the one who made the decision. The verb "made" is in the active voice.
- When the subject receives the action, the verb is in the passive voice.
A decision was made.
The subject is "decision" and the verb is "was made." The subject did not perform the action: the decision did not make anything. In this sentence, the subject received the action so the verb is in the passive voice.
Notice that it is not necessary to identify who performs the action when the verb is in the passive voice. Some writers or speakers may use the passive voice if the identity of the performer of the action is not important. For example, many scientific articles are written in the passive voice (compare "The study was performed" with "A group of scientists performed the study"). Politicians may employ the passive voice to avoid assigning responsibility for an action to any particular individual or group (compare "A decision was made to go to war" with "The president made a decision to go to war").
A decision was made by Bob.
This sentence is similar to the previous example, but it contains a reference to who performed the action. The verb "was made" is still passive because "decision" is still the subject and the subject received the action. "Bob" is the object of the preposition "by," not the subject of the sentence.
An interesting and complicated controversy surrounds the use of the passive voice. Some grammarians, English teachers, and writers of style guides believe that one should avoid using the passive voice whenever possible. Those who discourage the use of the passive voice maintain that it results in weak, wordy, and possibly evasive writing.
Some standardized test questions may present a sentence that is grammatically correct but written in the passive voice, and you will be expected to identify this use of the passive voice as an "error" and to choose a grammatically correct version of the sentence written in the active voice.
Notice the voice of the verbs in standardized test questions. When you cannot find a grammatical error in a sentence, consider the voice of the verb. If the verb is in the passive voice, choose an option that is grammatically correct and in the active voice.
These instructions contain four action verbs (the verb "is," which appears twice, is a linking verb). Remember that when the verb is a command, the subject is the implied "you."
Notice the change in the tone of the instructions when the verbs in the active voice are changed to the passive voice:
The voice of the verbs in test questions should be noticed. When a grammatical error cannot be found, the voice of the verb should be considered. If the verb is in the passive voice, an option that is grammatically correct and in the active voice should be chosen.
Each of the above sentences contains at least one verb in the passive voice; each sentence is grammatically correct. Whether these instructions are preferable to those in the active voice is a matter of opinion; however, you should pay attention to the message conveyed by both when you answer questions on standardized examinations.
