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In English grammar, voice doesn't mean the sound you make when you
speak. It shows whether the subject of a sentence is doing the action, or
having the action done to it.
If the subject is the person performing the action, we use the active voice.
When we're not bothered about who or what carried out the action of the
verb ,we use the passive voice. In other words, the subject of the sentence
refers to someone or something who does not perform the action but is
affected by the action of the verb.
Active Voice
Passive Voice
I cleaned the office while you were The office was cleaned while you
out.
were out.
The passive voice is used when the subject of a sentence is the person or
thing affected by the action of the sentence.
The passive voice may use any tense of the verb to be:past
to be
is / are / am
participle
(present simple)
finished.
was / were
(past simple)
(present
being
continuous)
(past continuous)
cleaned.
had been
(past perfect)
will be
(future)
tired.
We particularly use the passive voice when we don't know or aren't bothered
exactly who has done something. This is called passive without agent where
the recipient of the action becomes the subject.
For example:
"The office was cleaned." (What was cleaned? - The office=the subject)
We often use the passive to report what someone has said, but we want to
avoid telling anyone who said it.
For example:
"I was told you weren't coming."
Sometimes it is used in order to deliberately avoid saying who did something,
or more often who's to blame for something. Either because you don't know,
or because you don't want to say. You'll often see it used in politics, the
business world, or in any other activity involving bureaucracy.
"The civilian was shot." (Who was shot? The civilian=the subject)
"The report was mislaid." (What was mislaid? The report =the subject)
Sometimes you may want to use the passive voice but wish to mention who
carried out the action. This is called passive with agent and the agent is
usually introduced with the word by.
For example:
"The office was cleaned by Mrs Smith."
Or you may use a subject such as people, someone, they etc, when you don't
know who the agent is.
For example:
"The car was stolen by joyriders."
Be warned though, the passive voice can sound pompous or evasive.