Passive Voice1

Summary

In this video, the importance of using passive voice in academic writing is explored, especially for improving the professionalism and objectivity of English articles. The video covers various tenses and the rules for converting active voice to passive voice, demonstrating examples for different types of sentences. It explains the structure of passive voice, including the use of auxiliary verbs and the transformation of verbs, and highlights the significance of passive constructions in research reports, news articles, and formal writing. Additionally, the video provides tips on using passive voice with modal verbs and offers practical examples to guide learners in their writing.

Takeaways

• 😀 Passive voice is important in academic writing because it makes the writing sound more formal and objective.
• 😀 Passive voice focuses on the action or recipient of the action, rather than who performs the action.
• 😀 In academic writing, passive voice is used to explain processes, emphasize issues in news, and ensure neutrality in formal documents.
• 😀 Active voice emphasizes the subject performing the action, whereas passive voice emphasizes the action itself or its recipient.
• 😀 To form passive voice, use the auxiliary verb 'to be' followed by the past participle of the verb, and 'by' can be included to mention the agent.
• 😀 In passive voice, the verb tense affects the form of 'to be' (e.g., 'is' for present simple, 'was' for past simple, 'will be' for future).
• 😀 When using modal verbs (can, must, should, etc.), the structure becomes: modal + 'be' + past participle (e.g., 'The book can be read by anyone').
• 😀 Passive voice is useful for emphasizing the result of an action rather than who performed it, especially in research and formal contexts.
• 😀 Understanding the structure of both active and passive voice helps in converting sentences and ensuring proper tense usage in writing.
• 😀 Passive voice can omit the 'by' phrase when the agent is unknown or irrelevant, focusing purely on the action or result.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video?

The video discusses the importance of using passive voice in academic writing to make it sound more formal and objective, particularly to avoid high similarity scores on Turnitin.

Why is passive voice important in academic writing?

Passive voice is important because it helps to make writing sound more formal and objective, which is essential for academic contexts. It also emphasizes the action or process rather than the subject performing the action.

What happens if Turnitin detects a similarity score above 20%?

If the Turnitin similarity score exceeds 20%, it may indicate plagiarism or insufficient originality, which could lead to serious academic consequences.

How does passive voice change the focus of a sentence?

In passive voice, the focus shifts from the subject performing the action to the action itself or the object receiving the action. For example, 'The chef prepares dinner' (active) becomes 'Dinner is prepared by the chef' (passive).

Can you provide an example where passive voice is used to describe a process?

An example of passive voice used to describe a process is: 'The solution is heated to 100 degrees,' where the focus is on the heating process, not who is performing the action.

What is the main difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject performs the action (e.g., 'I sing a song'), whereas in passive voice, the object of the action becomes the subject (e.g., 'A song is sung by me').

How do you form a passive voice sentence in English?

A passive voice sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb 'to be' and the past participle of the main verb, with the subject performing the action optionally introduced by 'by'.

What are the key differences between using active and passive voice with modal verbs like 'can', 'must', 'should', and 'might'?

When using modal verbs in passive voice, the structure is: modal verb + 'be' + past participle (e.g., 'The book can be read by anyone'). The modal verb remains unchanged, while the main verb takes the past participle form.

What are some common uses of passive voice in writing?

Passive voice is commonly used in academic writing, news reports, and formal documents where the focus is on the action or result rather than the person or entity performing the action.

How does using passive voice improve the tone of academic writing?

Using passive voice enhances the tone by making the writing sound more professional, neutral, and objective, which is ideal for formal or scientific contexts.