The passive voice is used to emphasize the action or the object of a sentence rather than the subject. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. It is formed by using a form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were) followed by the past participle of the main verb. The agent (the “doer” of the action) is optional and may be mentioned or omitted.
Example: “The cake was baked by Mary.”
Explanation: In this sentence, the passive voice is used. The subject “the cake” receives the action of baking, performed by Mary. The focus is on the cake rather than the doer of the action. The auxiliary verb “was” and the past participle “baked” form the passive construction.
- Emphasizing the Object or Action:
Examples:
- The book was written by a famous author.
- The cake was baked by my sister.
- The house was painted last week.
- The report has been submitted to the manager.
- Come up with your own sentence.
- When the Agent is Unknown or Unimportant:
Examples:
- The car was stolen last night.
- The decision was made by the committee.
- The window was broken during the storm.
- The letter was delivered this morning.
- Come up with your own sentence.
- Talking about General Truths or Observations:
Examples:
- Mistakes are made by everyone.
- English is spoken in many countries.
- Rules are meant to be followed.
- Music is loved by people of all ages.
- Come up with your own sentence.
The passive voice allows us to shift the focus from the subject to the object or action in a sentence. It is particularly useful when we want to emphasize what happened rather than who or what performed the action. The passive voice is commonly used in various contexts, such as academic writing, news reports, or when the agent is unknown or unimportant.
