Understanding the Passive Voice

Introduction

• Topic: Passive form of the verb
• Aim: Explain basic concepts and reasons for using the passive voice.

What is Passive Voice?

• Active Sentence Example: "The cat ate the rat."
  • Subject: Cat (doing the action)
  • Verb: Ate
  • Object: Rat (receiving the action)
• Passive Sentence Structure: Subject receives the action.
  • Example: "The rat was eaten by the cat."
  • New terminology:
    • Object becomes the new subject.
    • Old subject becomes the agent (can be omitted).
• Construction: "Be" verb + Past participle (Verb 3)

Reasons to Use Passive Voice

1. Subject is Unknown, Obvious, or Not Important

• Example: "The building was vandalized."
  • Who did it? Not important, focus on the building.
• Other examples:
  • "The flowers were delivered on time."
  • "The roads were fixed quickly."
  • "The airplane was invented in the early 20th century."

2. Shifting Focus of Subject

• Important for flow when writing, especially for essays (IELTS/TOEFL).
• Example: "John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola."
  • Focus shift: "Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton."
• Helps in emphasizing the most important information.

3. Sentence Variety

• Avoiding repetitive structures enhances engagement in writing.
• Example:
  • Active: "He did A, then he did B."
  • Passive: "C wasn't done until he had completed B."
  • Variety adds interest and liveliness to writing.

4. Coherence and Flow

• Passive voice can help connect ideas and maintain reader's focus.
• Place connected ideas close together for better understanding.
  • Example: "Today, Coca-Cola is a global brand that is consumed by millions of people."
  • Focus on the subject and consumption rather than the consumers.

Conclusion

• Importance of using passive voice for enhancing writing quality.
• Encouragement to practice and apply concepts learned.
• Reference: www.engvid.com for quizzes and more lessons.