Q&A for How to Avoid Using the Passive Voice

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How do you get rid of passive voice?

Christopher Taylor, PhD
English Professor
Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor

Expert Answer

Try to break the habit of leading with the object of your sentence. Privileging the subject and linking that subject to your main verb will help you eliminate passive voice.

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Question

How do you eliminate passive voice?

Christopher Taylor, PhD
English Professor
Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor

Expert Answer

Learn to identify subjects, verbs, and objects as you write. Clearly state the subject of each sentence and link that subject to your main verb.

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Question

How do you correct a passive sentence?

Christopher Taylor, PhD
English Professor
Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor

Expert Answer

Identify the subject of your sentence (the person/thing doing the action). Then link that subject to the main verb so the sentence clearly indicates that the subject is doing that main action.

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Question

How do you avoid passive voice when writing?

Christopher Taylor, PhD
English Professor
Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014.

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor

Expert Answer

Keep your subject in mind for each sentence. If you show in your writing who/what is doing the action in the sentence, you will avoid passive voice.

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Question

How do I avoid a passive voice in technical writing when the subject is "I" or "me?"

Knave of dogs

Community Answer

Say that the sentence is "I was hit by the ball." This is in passive voice. The active voice would be, "The ball hit me." Another example of this would be in the sentence, "I was barked at by the dog." The active voice would be, "The dog barked at me."

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How do I change a passive voice sentence with 'be' into a active voice sentence without?

Donagan

Top Answerer

A passive-voice sentence would not contain the simple, present-tense verb "be." Passive voice uses participial verbs (like "being").

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Why does it matter if a sentence is passive or not? Is there a reason to avoid the passive voice, or is it just for recognition?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Some people consider passive voice to be weak and ineffective in comparison to active voice.

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