VOICE OF THE VERB

VOICE – refers to the form of verb that tells whether the subject is doing the action or not

Note: Only TRANSITIVE VERBS show and have voice.

ACTIVE VOICE – the subject acts (subject = doer of the action); emphasis on the doer
- less wordy, more forceful, and straight to the point

 The accounting firm juggled the books.

PASSIVE VOICE – the person or thing performing the action becomes the object of the sentence; it
does not act, but is acted upon by the verb (subject = object of preposition “by”)
- the direct object (DO) becomes the subject of the sentence (DO = subject)
- wordier because of the use of a helping verb and the preposition “by”

 The books were juggled by the accounting firm.

 The books were juggled. [by the accounting firm]

It is used to:

- express an action when the doer of the action is unknown

 The residents of the village had been warned of the possible eruption of the volcano near their
place.

- describe an ongoing experience

 The PBA basketball games are being played at the Araneta Coliseum.

- avoid giving direct order or to state a rule

 The Child Labor Law has been approved to protect the rights of the children.

- emphasize the receiver of the action or when the doer is not important

 In a science experiment, the chemical is mixed with water; then, the mixture is heated.

- more objective and usually used in reports, scientific papers, etc.

Note:
1. The tense of the verb in passive voice must agree with its tense in active voice, and vice versa.
2. Observe SVA.

 Denise writes essays and poems. (ACTIVE – SIMPLE PRESENT)

Essays and poems are written by Denise. (PASSIVE – PRESENT TENSE)

 Charlene painted the mural. (ACTIVE – SIMPLE PAST)

The mural was painted by Charlene. (PASSIVE – SIMPLE PAST)

 Gege will be doing her projects next week. (ACTIVE – FUTURE PROGRESSIVE)
The projects will be being done by Gege next week. (PASSIVE – FUTURE PROGRESSIVE)

-----------------