passive voice

grammar

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July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

In grammar, voice indicates the relationship between a verb's participants and the event itself. The two primary voices in English are active and passive.12

In the active voice, the subject performs the action. For example, "Jerry knocked over the lamp".1

In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon or affected by the verb's action. This is often formed using a linking verb (like "was") followed by a past participle (like "knocked over"). For instance, "The lamp was knocked over by Jerry".13

The passive voice is useful for emphasizing the action itself rather than the doer, or when the doer is unknown. However, it can sometimes be used to evade responsibility, as in "Mistakes were made".14

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voice
…languages are those of active, passive, and middle voice. These distinctions may be made by inflection, as in Latin, or by syntactic variation, as in English. The active-passive opposition can be illustrated by the following sentences:
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…languages are those of active, passive, and middle voice. These distinctions may be made by inflection, as in Latin, or by syntactic variation, as in English. The active-passive opposition can be illustrated by the following sentences:
Read More