Look at the three sentences below !

Sentences 1 : Some bees soak honey from the flower

Sentences 2 : Honey from the flowers is soaked by some bees
Sentences 3 : Honey from the flowers is soaked
Rom the sentences above, which sentence shows active voice ? And which sentences show passive voice ?
Answer : - Sentence 1 is active voice
Pattern : Subject + V1 + O
- Sentences 2 and sentence 3 are passive voice Pattern : Subject + be + V3
Form of all passive verbs : Be + V3 (past participle)

Present Tense
Present Continues
Present Perfect
Past tense
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
Modal
Simple Future
Present future

Active
V1/V1 + s/es
Am/is/are + V ing
Have/has + V3
V2
Was/were + V-ing
Had + V3
Must/can/may + V
Will + V
Am/is/are + going to + V

Passive
Am/is/are + V3
Am/is/are + being + V3
Have/has + been + V3
Was/were + V3
Was/were + being + V3
Had + been + V3
Must/can/may + be + V3
Will + be + V3
Am/is/are + going to + be + V3

Scientific or academic writing traditionally relies on passive voice. In other words, passive voice is
often preferred in lab reports and scientific papers. Look at the following sentences!
1. Glass is classified as solid.
2. The changes are linked with humans use of fossil fuels and exploitation of the land.
3. The federal government may be asked to assist.
4. A leaf may be viewed as a solar collector.
5. Water is transported up to the leaves.
Do you find the actor or the doer in those sentences? Those sentences can be found in the scientific
text. What is a scientific text? A scientific text is a type of factual writing. Then, what is a scientific
writing? observations and result in a manner governed by scientific convention. Reports and explanations
belong to scientific texts. Both types of texts use simple present tense, but they also use passive voice.
What do you know about reports text? Report text a type of text that present information about
phenomenon of nature, animal, and scientific objects. It describes the specific thing simply as the thing is.
Look at the table below!
Social function

General structure

Language features

Report text
To provide information about natural and non-natural phenomena.
To describe the way things are, with reference to arrange of natural, manmade, and social phenomena
General clarification
Description (parts, qualities, or behavior).
Use of simple present tense
Use of relational verbs (are, have, etc.).
Use of general nouns.

Example:
Title

penguins

General clarification
Description

Penguins can be found along the coast of Antarctica and a several Antarctica islands.
Their short, stiff feathers form a dense waterproof coat that prevents excess heat loss.
Male and female penguins are similar in appearance, although males usually weigh
more than females. There are also small differences in bill size between the sexes.
All penguins have a black back and head and a white breast, but individual
specifies can be distinguished by certain physical characteristics. Penguin bills can
be black or red, ranging in shape from short and stood to long and curved.

What do you know about explanation text? Explanation text is a kind of text which tells or explains
processes relating to forming of natural, social, scientific, and natural phenomena. Look at the table below!
Social Function/purpose

General structure

Language Features

Explanation Text
1. To tell why and how of the forming of the phenomena.
2. To explain why things are as they are and how they are formed or
made.
3. To explain the processes involved in the evolution of natural and
social phenomenon or how something works.
1. General Statement/introduction
It is about the phenomenon issue which is to be explained. It is to
position
the reader.
2. A Sequenced Explanation of the Stage (Explanation Sequence)
it consists of sequenced explanation of why or how something occurs, or a
series of chronological steps which explain how or why something
happens.
1. Focus on generic, non-human participant, or things.
2. Use of simple present tense.
3. Use of temporal and causal conjunction.
4. Sometimes, use of passive voice.
5. Use of action verbs.
6. Use of noun phrases.
7. Use of complex sentences.
8. Use of technical language.
The genre of explanation text can be found in science, geography, and
history textbooks.

Example:
Title

Tsunami

General statement

The term of tsunami comes from the Japanese which means harbor
(tsu) and wave (nami). A tsunami is aof waves generated when
water in lake or the sea is rapidly displaced on a massive scale.
A Sequenced
A tsunami can be generated when the sea-floor abruptly deforms and
Explanation of the Stage
vertically displaced the overlying water. Such large vertical movements of
the earths crust can occur at plate boundaries.
Subduction of earthquakes are particularly effective in generating
tsunamis, and occur where denser oceanic plates slip under continental
plates.
As the displaced water mass moves under the influence of gravity to
regain its equilibrium, it radiates across ocean like ripples on a pond.
Tsunami always brings great damage. Most of the damage are caused
by the huge mass of water behind the initial wave front, as the height of the
sea keeps rising fast and floods powerfully in to the coastal area.
Beside report and explanation, passive voice can be found in academic writing. in this kind of text,
we focus on who is receiving the action, but not who is doing the action. Passive voice is useful in academic
writing because it is to highlight the most important participants within sentences by placing them the
beginning of the sentence. Using passive voice is also a way to avoid informal personal pronouns.
After you learn passive voice and kinds of text using passive voice, have you understood them?
Remember the pattern of passive voice. It will help you to understand this chapter.