PASSIVE VOICE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

PASSIVE VOICE IN ACADEMIC WRITING

The passive voice is especially helpful (and even regarded as mandatory) in scientific or technical writing or lab reports, where the actor is not really important but the process or principle being described is of ultimate importance. Instead of writing:

"I poured 20 cc of acid into the beaker," we would write:

"20 cc of acid was poured into the beaker."

A) IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS:

Agent

The agent is the person, animal or thing that makes an action.

Object

The object is the person, animal or thing that receives an action from the subject. (It’s always part of the complement.)

Verb

A verb is an action made by a subject.

B) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE:

*ACTIVE VOICE:

1) USE: It is used to give more importance to the subject that makes the action.

2) FORMATION:

Examples:

Chen performed the experiment in 2006.

Agent: Chen Verb: performed Object: the experiment

ACTIVITY 1: Identify agent, verb and object in these sentences.

1. Southern analysis indicated a single site of insertion.

Agent: Verb: Object:

2. We normally produce a preliminary analysis.

Agent: Verb: Object:

3. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1942.

Agent: Verb: Object:

4. John Pemberton invented Coca Cola.

Agent: Verb: Object:

5. Bill Gates founded Microsoft Corporation.

Agent: Verb: Object:

6. Alchemists promised incredible feast in return for payment.

Agent: Verb: Object:

7. Manufacturers choose plastic containers for many different reasons.

Agent: Verb: Object:

8.. Researches collected data on the behavior of children.

Agent: Verb: Object:

*PASSIVE VOICE:

- USE:

The passive voice is used when the agent is unimportant or unknown, and the sentence emphasizes the action, process, or result instead. The agent is frequently omitted from passive sentences, especially in factual writing found in scientific articles and in journalism:

* Scientific articles:

Supercomputers were developed in order to solve complex problems.

(The agent is unimportant. The sentence emphasizes the result.)

* News report:

Five people were killed by a tornado last night.

(The result is emphasized more than the agent)

* Headline:

Two houses were robbed.

(The agent is unknown. The result is important)

- FORMATION:

+ +

* If you want to add the agent in the sentence, you have to add the word BY + the agent at the end of the passive sentence.

Examples:

* Genetic information is encoded by DNA.

Subject: Genetic information Verb: is encoded agent: DNA

* The liquid is heated to a temperature of 60ºC.

Subject: Verb: Agent:

* The sodium hydroxide was dissolved in water by the chemist.

Subject: Verb: Agent:

- PASSIVE STRUCTURES:

A) Present simple:

+ +

* People speak English in many countries. (Active voice)

English is spoken (by people) in many countries. (Passive voice)

ACTIVITY 2: The following sentences are in active voice. Identify the agent, verb and object. Then change each into the passive voice.

1. Mr. Jones watches the film.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

2. They don’t wear blue shoes.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

3. She doesn’t do the housework on Wednesday and Sunday.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

4. She pays a lot of money.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

5. The policemen always help the children.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

6. My mother waters the flowers every day.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

B) Present progressive:

+ + +

* My grandpa is drinking a cup of tea. (Active voice)

A cup of tea is being drunk (by my grandpa) (Passive voice)

ACTIVITY 3: The following sentences are in active voice. Identify the agent, verb and object. Then change each into the passive voice.

1. My father isn’t washing the car.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

2. Farmer Joe is milking the cows.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

3. My parents are preparing the Christmas dinner now.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

4. I am taking beautiful pictures.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

5. They aren’t playing chess tonight.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

C) SIMPLE PAST:

+ +

* She sang a song two days ago. (Active voice)

A song was sung (by her) two days ago. (Passive voice)

ACTIVITY 4: The following sentences are in active voice. Identify the agent, verb and object. Then change each into the passive voice.

1. They didn’t make the beds.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

2. Somebody hit me.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

3. She won a prize last year.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

4. The dog bit the old lady.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

5. The police arrested the thieves.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

D) Past progressive:

+ + +

* The coach was training the athletes for the competition (Active voice)

The athletes were being trained (by the couch) for the competition. (Passive voice)

ACTIVITY 5: The following sentences are in active voice. Identify the agent, verb and object. Then change each into the passive voice.

1. The host was introducing the guest of honor.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

2. The travel agent was arranging the trip.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

3. They were considering several different options.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

4. You were reporting the events to the police.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

5. My brother was fixing the computer.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

E) Present perfect:

+ + +

* Someone has stolen my collection. (Active voice)

My collection has been stolen (by someone) (Passive voice)

ACTIVITY 6: The following sentences are in active voice. Identify the agent, verb and object. Then change each into the passive voice.

1. That person has damaged my bike.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

2. The company has manufactured the product.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

3. The doctor has recommended a new prescription.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

4. My friend hasn’t paid the bill.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

5. I have opened many birthday gifts.

Agent: Verb: Object:

Passive sentence:

ACTIVITY 7: Write the correct tense of each sentence and underline the passive voice structure.

1. The chemistry lab is being painted now.

(Tense: …………………………………………)

2. Iron was being produced by Mediterranean ironworkers from iron ore. (Tense: …………………………………………)

3. Agriculture and warfare were revolutionized during the Iron Age, and old civilizations were overthrown.

(Tense: …………………………………………)

4. The experiment was designed by the research officer. (Tense: …………………………………………)

5. A disqualified driver has been sent to jail. (Tense: …………………………………………)

6. You are expected to write a lab report for each experiment that you perform.

(Tense: ………………………………………….)

7. A number of important considerations are indicated by these results. (Tense: …………………………………………)

8. Experiments were set up to explore the implications of the findings. (Tense: …………………………………………)

9. The science book is being read by one the chemistry students. (Tense: …………………………………………)

10. The effects of radiation treatment have been studied by Hassanpour since 1982. (Tense: …………………………………………)

ACTIVITY 8: In the following sentences underline the verbs and decide if they are active or passive. In case of active sentences, you have to change them into passive voice.

1. Glenn Seaborg discovered plutonium in 1940. (Voice: ________________________ )

2. Wind disperses plant seeds. (Voice: ______________________ )

3. The honey bees were kept in a humidified chamber at room temperature overnight. (Voice: _____________________________ )

4. The elements in a periodic table are organized in a series of 18 columns and 7 rows. (Voice: ______________________________)

5. Compounds of sodium have been known since ancient times. (Voice: ________________)

6. The protons are found in the nucleus and the electrons are located around the nucleus.

(Voice: ________________________ )

7. We have heated the solution to 90°C for approximately 30 minutes. (Voice: _________)

8. Green plants produce carbohydrates in the presence of light and chlorophyll.

(Voice: _________________ )

9. The modern periodic table was first devised by Dmitri Mendeleyev in 1869.

(Voice: ___________________ )

10. My professor is teaching inorganic nomenclature in English. . ( ___________________________ )

ACTIVITY 9: Read the text and identify the passive voice by underling the sentence.

Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted black and white Americans to live happily together. On the third Monday in January, many Americans honour this hero.

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was a black pastor. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia on 15th January, 1929. He was the leader of the Civil Rights movement demanding equality for black people. Many Southern states in the U.S.A., like Georgia, were segregated in the 1950s : black children couldn't go to the same schools as whites; blacks and whites couldn't sit in the same bus seats, theatres or use the same public toilets. King believed that was wrong.

In December 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman, was on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. A white man demanded her seat and she refused. She was arrested. King, who was working in Montgomery, led a black protest. For a year, black people refused to use the buses. Finally, segregation on the buses was declared illegal. In fact all segregation in Alabama was stopped!

Dr King was now famous and he continued with many other protests. He wanted black and white people to have the same rights. Some white people supported him, but many opposed him. His house was bombed. But King, like Gandhi, refused violence. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

King was an excellent orator. His speeches were famous and convinced many people, including President Kennedy, that he was right. But he continued to have enemies and on April 4th, 1968, he was assassinated. Ironically, the death of this non-violent man provoked riots all over America.

From " Easy Speakeasy " (January 1999)

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