ELL - Academic Writing

When should we use active and passive voice? (or: When should
active and passive voice be used?:)
Form
Active sentence:

Subject-Verb-Object

Oswald assassinated Kennedy.

Becomes:

Subject-Passive Verb-Agent

Kennedy was assassinated by Oswald.

The passive is formed using the corresponding form of the verb to be (was) + the past participle of
the main verb (assassinated).

Sometimes, in colloquial English, we use the verb to get:

The house was painted yesterday. = “The house got painted yesterday.”

We can only use the passive for transitive verbs – verbs which take an object:

√ He slept. √

NOT

X He was slept. X

However, some common verbs which take an object have no passive form:

e.g., to have = I have a BMW.

To hold = This jug holds one litre.

Use
Active sentences are preferred in English. They are thought to be more direct, economical and
forceful. Also, spoken language uses more active forms.

However, the passive is useful and natural in two situations:

1. When the actor is unknown, not important or obvious:

The car was stolen last night. (We don’t know by whom)
The bridge was built in 1987. (We are not interested in by whom)

The suspect was arrested yesterday. (Obviously by the Police)

2. When we are more interested in the object than the subject:

The experiment was completed in March 2012.

Rice is grown in China.

Therefore, in any text describing a technical or scientific process, the passive is the default choice!!

Assignment 1

Practice
Look at the following examples and try to change them using active/passive/word order – what
effect do you think the changes have?

1. As the starting point of our analysis, we selected three nominally identical laser diodes, two
of which showing typical perturbations of the lateral far-field.
2. We have proposed the configuration shown in Fig. 2 for implementing
reconfigurable antennas.
3. In this article we highlight the various roles of cohesin that may be relevant to an
improved understanding of the molecular basis of carcinogenesis, raising new
possibilities for targeted cancer therapy and personalized medicine.

Various cohesion roles may be relevant to understanding the molecular basis of

carcinogenesis; this raises possibilities for targeted ….

4. We examined the behaviour of meiotic mouse HORMA-domain proteins—HORMAD1

and HORMAD2—in wild-type and meiotic mutants.
5. The authors chose to apply the research protocol described by Smith et al. (2011).
6. All the candidates were examined by a medical team before the procedure.

Problems
1. Shifting the subject

‘When the car hit their dog, John ran home and Bill held the dog until help came.’

In this example, the writer is describing a situation which quite naturally requires three subjects. In
such cases, shifting subject is acceptable and necessary.

Sometimes there is a shift between active and passive:

‘The experimental crop grew for three months and was harvested in July 2009.’

In this example, the writer maintains attention on the topic – ‘the experimental crop’ by using both
active and passive forms.

Also, be careful when using a relative clause as you often have to shift between active and passive:

Archimedes’ cylinder contains revolving blades, which are turned by hand.

The pedal is connected to the throttle by a cable, which releases the valve.

Look at the following passage with your partner and try to improve it by correcting any
unnecessary shifts in subject or voice:

‘Hikers should choose their hiking boots carefully; a wide variety of boots is offered now as a result
of new developments in design and materials. Because of their mountainous locations, Austria and
Switzerland have been the leaders in developing new hiking boots, and the wide variety of styles
available can be confusing to a hiker. If the hiker plans to do any mountain climbing, the traditional
heavy and rigid boots should be worn. However, when the hiker will not be climbing mountains,
comfort and protection on rough ground will be given by the new lightweight, flexible hiking shoes.
A hiker who plans only to walk through the woods or fields could choose a style that looks like a
combination of hiking boot and running shoe, but not much protection on rough ground would be
given by this type of shoe.’

Summary
 Word order and priority – this should be the most important consideration when deciding to
use active or passive.
The second procedure was carried out at a constant temperature of 32◦C.
Temperature was a constant 32◦C for the second procedure.
 Priority can be given in spoken English by stress and emphasis (but the passive is also used in
spoken English perhaps more than you might think – just listen to your native-speaker
colleagues).
 Consistency and clarity of meaning – these go together! Be careful about shifting subject and
voice – if you do, make sure it is really necessary.
 Active and passive are tools to be used by the writer to communicate effectively and
concisely.