3rd level

How to use the passive voice to sound more objective

Part ofEnglishCritical essay writing

Sentences can be described as active or passive.
Using the passive voice is a way of writing sentences so that the subject has the action 'done' to it.
The passive voice can be useful for making writing sound more formal and objective.

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Find out the difference between the active and passive voice by looking at how these two different examples are written.

Have a go

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Click to see a step-by-step slideshow.
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STEP 1 - Write about making the sandwich in the active voice.
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STEP 2 - ‘I took two slices of bread’ is an example of the active voice. Here, the subject (I) is doing the action (took).
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STEP 3 - Write about making the sandwich in the passive voice.
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STEP 4 - ‘Two slices of bread were taken’ is in the passive voice. In this sentence, the object (two slices of bread) is having the action done to it.
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Here are examples of both the active voice and the passive voice used in writing.
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STEP 5 - Compare the paragraphs. What effect do you think the passive voice has?

Passive voice quiz

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