What are the five reasons to use passive voice?

USE ACTIVE VOICE

As listed below, there are only 5 reasons one should EVER use passive voice. If you don't need to use passive voice for one of those 5 reasons, then you must write active sentences. Simple? Yes. Easy? No. Read on, brave writer!

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What is active voice?

·       The subject does the action.

Example of active voice

Part of speech	Subject	Verb	Object
Sentence	The group	will present	the report	next week.

(table found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/2.xml; accessed 2011/06)

How can you tell if a sentence is active?

·       Ask yourself, "Who/What does the action?" If the answer is clear, the sentence is active.

o   Example: The students tested the samples.

o   Example: The samples failed.

Why use active voice?

·       Where possible, use the active voice. It is direct, brief, and easy to understand.

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What is passive voice?

·       The passive voice places the emphasis on the action, rather than the actor.  

Example of passive voice

Part of speech	Subject	Verb	Object
Sentence	The report	will be presented	by the group	next week.

(table found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/2.xml; accessed 2011/06)

How can you tell if a sentence is passive?

·       The direct object is placed before the verb, which is given in the passive form. The subject, or actor, is usually not mentioned.

o   Example: The samples were tested.

Why use passive voice?

·       Passive voice is used frequently in technical (and academic) writing, where the focus is usually on what was done rather than who did it. It is conventionally used to report experimental procedures and to avoid constant repetition of I or we throughout the report, paper, or thesis.

·       Use passive voice for a specific purpose, not simply out of habit.

·       In order to use passive voice correctly, it is necessary to understand, and be able to recognize, the difference between passive and active voice.

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Exercise

· Find and circle all examples of passive voice in your paper.
· Do they fit one of the five reasons below?

 

Five reasons for using the passive voice

 

1. The 'actor' is not known.

·       Oil was discovered off the coast of Australia.

·       The number of Internet users was estimated to be over one million.

2. The 'actor' is not important.

·       The report has been published.

·       The results will be presented at the conference.

3. It is considered desirable to conceal the identity of the 'actor'.

·       The results are invalid, as the correct testing procedure was not followed.          

·       Research funding will be cut next year.

4. An impersonal tone is needed for academic writing.

·       In this report, the stress fields in a C-shape plate will be analyzed.

An impersonal tone is also used for describing processes.

·       First, the raw materials are loaded into a container ...

5. A tactful tone is needed to smooth over an error or difficulty.

Compare these two examples.

·       Example of passive voice: The samples were not checked at the second stage . . .

·       Example of active voice: We forgot to check the samples . . .

(found at  http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/1.1.xml; accessed 2011/06)

Homework: Find all passive voice sentences that do not fit one of the five reasons. Then, change them into active voice. 

WHAT IS PASSIVE VOICE?

Passive voice is used frequently in technical writing, where the focus is usually on what was done rather than who did it. It is conventionally used to report experimental procedures and to avoid constant repetition of I or we throughout the report, paper or thesis.

In order to use passive voice correctly, it is necessary to fully understand, and be able to recognize, the difference between passive and active voice.

(found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/index.xml; accessed 2011/06) 

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Active and passive voice

• The active voice names an 'actor' which/who is the subject of the verb; the actor does the verb.

Who/What does the verb? 

• If the answer is clear, the sentence is active. 

Note that often, there is a direct object (DO) 'receiving' the action.

 

Part of speech	Subject	Verb
Sentence	The students	tested	the samples.
	The samples	failed.

Who/What is the verb done to? This is the direct object.

Part of speech	Subject	Verb	Direct Object
Sentence	The students	tested	the samples.

Where possible, use the active voice. It is direct, brief, and easy to understand.

The passive voice places the emphasis on the action rather than the actor. The direct object is placed before the verb, which is given in the passive form. The subject, or actor, is usually not mentioned.

Example: The samples were tested.

Formation of the passive

The passive can use any tense of the verb to be + a past participle

Subject	Any tense of the verb to be +	A past participle
The load/s	is/are was/were	calculated.
The report/s	has been have been	presented.
The sample/s	will be can be	tested.
The result/s	is/are being (should) have been (could) have been	compared

(found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/1.0.xml; accessed 2011/06)

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Changing passive to active

To spot passive sentences, look for a form of the verb to be in your sentence, with the actor either missing or introduced after the verb using the word "by":

• Genetic information is encoded by DNA.
• The possibility of cold fusion has been examined for many years.

Try turning each passive sentence you find into an active one. Start your new sentence with the actor. Sometimes you may find that need to do some extra research or thinking to figure out who the actor should be! You will likely find that your new sentence is stronger, shorter, and more precise:

• DNA encodes genetic information.
• Physicists have examined the possibility of cold fusion for many years.

(found at http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/style-and-editing/passive-voice; accessed 2012/04)

Changing active to passive

Example of active voice

Part of speech	Subject	Verb	Object
Sentence	The group	will present	the report	next week.

STEP 1: move the object to the subject position

• The report ...

STEP 2: change the verb to the passive, making sure that BE takes the same tense as the verb in the active sentence

• The report will be presented ...

STEP 3: drop the subject

• Example of passive voice without the subject: The report will be presented next week.

or move it to a position after the verb

• Example of passive voice with the subject: The report will be presented by the group next week.

(found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/2.xml; accessed 2011/06)

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Verbs that can't be used in the passive

Most verbs can be changed from active to passive.

Active voice: We tested the samples. > Passive voice: The samples were tested.

If the verb can be followed by a direct object (a direct object answers the question who or what after the verb) it can be made passive.

Part of speech		Verb	Direct object
Sentence	These difficulties	may delay	the completion of the project.

But the verb occur, for example, cannot take a direct object.

Part of speech		Verb	Indirect object
Sentence	A solution	occurred	to him.

This cannot be transformed to the passive since there is no direct object to become the subject.

Some verbs that can be used only in the active are: occur, rise, happen, arise, fall, exist, consist (of), depend (on),  result (from).

Active and passive verbs

Active (correct)		Passive (incorrect)
Problems may	occur happen arise exist	Problems may be	occurred happened arisen existed
They	consist of depend on	They are	consist of depend on

Note: 'They are dependent on . . .' is correct since 'dependent' is an adjective.

A special case:

Part of speech	Subject	Verb	Object
Sentence	They	lack	resources.

Lack can take a direct object but cannot be transformed to the passive: Resources are lacked (incorrect). However, you could write: Resources are lacking.

Concern and involve

Concerned about means 'worried about'.  Concerned with means 'involved in'. The passive voice can be used with both meanings. Whether or not they can be used in the passive depends on the meaning.

To involve has three meanings:

1. To participate, to take part
2. To include
3. To require

Only the first meaning, to participate, to take part can be used in the passive form.

• This week, students are involved in lab work.

The active voice must be used with the second meaning, to include.

• Example: He often involves his students in his research.

The active voice must also be used with the third meaning, to require.

• Example: The project involves buying new software.

(found at http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/engineering/passive/3.xml; accessed 2011/06)

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Should I use an indefinite article (a/an) or a definite article (the)?

ARTICLES



What is an article?
· Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.


English has two articles: the and a/an.

the = definite article used to refer to specific or particular nouns

a/an = indefinite article used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group 

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book (a non-particular book) rather than a specific book.


Omission of Articles
Not all nouns need articles. Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation in general: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science
Exercise
· Find and circle all of the articles in your paper.
· Can you tell which nouns require definite and indefinite articles, and which require no article at all?

Homework – Find and fix any mistakes in your use of articles.



In addition to MS Word spell check, you might try Vince's "Google that stuff" (GTS) method.
1. Put your article phrase in quotation marks and search Google (.com English version, not co.jp).
· Example: "the veracity of a theory" (I could not find any instances of "a veracity of a theory." Therefore, this phrase always uses the definitive article ("the")
2. If professionally edited sites (not personal blogs) use the phrase as you have written it, then your articles are probably correct.
3. On the other hand, if you only find a few examples, or none at all, then you should probably use a different article, or none at all.


Try Vince's GTS method with the following phrases:
Can you find any indefinite article phrases for the following? (I could not.)
· "The Data Encryption Standard"
· "the Earth's crust"
· "the opposite polarity"
· "the power of reasoning"
· "the Secure Sockets Layer"
· "the theory of relativity"


I found instances of both definite and indefinite articles for the following phrases:
· "a carbon footprint" and "the carbon footprint" (e.g. of The carbon footprint an iPhone)
· "a symbiotic relationship” and. "the symbiotic relationship" (e.g. The symbiotic relationship between humans and domesticated animals)
· "an outlier from the data" and "the outlier from the data" (e.g. How does removing the outlier from the data affect the mean and the median?)


Vince's final observation: I believe the process of learning English articles is somewhat similar to the process of learning Japanese counter words (josūshi 助数詞), which are used along with numbers to count things, actions, and events. Someone learning Japanese simply needs to memorize the proper use of these unique grammatical structures. Perhaps English articles are similar in this regard. Therefore, if you read (and write) English every day, you will eventually develop instincts to differentiate definite and indefinite articles.


Even writers who grew up in English-speaking countries struggle with articles.


Here are some tips from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), which is a fantastic resource.

Using Articles

Summary: This handout discusses the differences between indefinite articles (a/an) and definite articles (the).

Contributors: Paul Lynch, Allen Brizee, Elizabeth Angeli
Last Edited: 2011-03-03 10:04:28

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.
the = definite article
a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group.
For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.
Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

Indefinite Articles: a and an
"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:
"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
"Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.
"When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle
an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour
a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse


In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an. However, a is more commonly used and preferred.
A historical event is worth recording.

Remember that these rules also apply when you use acronyms:

Introductory Composition at Purdue (ICaP) handles first-year writing at the University. Therefore, an ICaP memo generally discusses issues concerning English 106 instructors.

Another case where this rule applies is when acronyms start with consonant letters but have vowel sounds:

An MSDS (material safety data sheet) was used to record the data. An SPCC plan (Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan) will help us prepare for the worst.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:
a broken egg
an unusual problem
a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)
Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:
I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)
Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)
Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as Buddhists.)

Definite Article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.

For example:
"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.
"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.
"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

Count and Noncount Nouns
The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.
"I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).
"He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.
"I need a bottle of water."
"I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of water.
Geographical use of the
There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.
Do not use the before:
names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, thethe Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States Netherlands,
names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami
names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.
names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn
names of continents (Asia, Europe)
names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:
names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific
points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
geographical areas: the Middle East, the West
deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
Omission of Articles
Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:
Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")

Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball
Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science


(found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01; accessed 2011/06)

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"A" PHRASES FOR ENGINEERS and SCIENTISTS

1. a bell curve
2. a blatant error
3. a bold conjecture
4. a brilliant metamorphosis
5. a carbon footprint
6. a cell membrane
7. a confirmatory test
8. a controlled trial
9. a cost-benefit analysis
10. a cryptogram
11. a falsifiable hypothesis
12. a falsification of the facts
13. a favorable variation
14. a fear of contagion
15. a gene mutation
16. a generalized infection
17. a genotype
18. a human embryo
19. a life science ombudsman
20. a life-giving elixir
21. a light receptor
22. a major category
23. a major premise
24. a mechanical contrivance
25. a memory module
26. a negative connotation
27. a negative externality
28. a neurodegenerative disorder
29. a neurophysiological change
30. a paradoxical truth
31. a particle trajectory
32. a perceptible distinction
33. a perennial problem
34. a performance metric
35. a phenotype
36. a physical examination
37. a physiotherapist
38. a plurality of users
39. a practitioner of naturopathy
40. a precipitous decline
41. a prime locus
42. a prominent microbiologist
43. a psychoactive drug
44. a refined experiment
45. a regression into infancy
46. a replication of an experiment
47. a reserve of oil
48. a reciprocal relationship
49. a retrovirus
50. a scientific milestone
51. a scientific article
52. a self-regulating system
53. a sentient being
54. a separate cell
55. a separate entity
56. a skin irritation study
57. a somatic cell
58. a state of disequilibrium
59. a state of flux
60. a supernormal range of vision
61. a symbiotic relationship
62. a systematizer of data
63. a theoretical construct
64. a theoretical discipline
65. a therapeutic process
66. a transfer protocol
67. a transitional fossil
68. a transmutation from A to B
69. a transposition cipher
70. a traumatic procedure
71. a vital clue
72. a water-related epidemic
73. a wiring fault
74. a world-class geophysicist
75. a zero-emission vehicle


________________________________________

"AN" PHRASES FOR ENGINEERS & SCIENTISTS

1. an aberration
2. an able exponent of science
3. an ad hoc explanation
4. an adaptive advantage
5. an add-on device
6. an adult cell
7. an adverse effect
8. an allele
9. an allergen
10. an allopathic doctor
11. an analgesic
12. an anesthetic
13. an aquatic arthropod
14. an area of contention
15. an astrophysicist
16. an elective subject
17. an electron
18. an elementary particle
19. an embryonic stem cell
20. an eminent publicist
21. an empathy with animals
22. an endemic disease
23. an ethical transgression
24. an imaging experiment
25. an impending disaster
26. an impossible dilemma
27. an indigenous species
28. an influential preceptor
29. an ingenious experiment
30. an inner cell mass
31. an insidious disease
32. an insuperable obstacle
33. an interceptor
34. an intermediate stage
35. an optimally-controlled motor
36. an oral vaccine
37. an organ transplant
38. an ornithologist
39. an outlier from the data
40. an underlying reason



"THE" PHRASES FOR ENGINEERS & SCIENTISTS

1. the ability to reproduce
2. the acuity of vision
3. the age of puberty
4. the Arctic rim of Alaska
5. the causal nexus
6. the climate jigsaw
7. the cranium of a cat
8. the Data Encryption Standard
9. the Earth's crust
10. the eaves of a house
11. the efficacy of a treatment
12. the equivalent of a command
13. the evidence of plagiarism
14. the genetics behind cancer
15. the history of cryptography
16. the imperative of justice
17. the impoverishment of Africa
18. the incidence of catastrophes
19. the integrity of science
20. the lexical cohesion
21. the lexicon of medicine
22. the lore of herbal medicine
23. the minutiae
24. the movement of a photon
25. the Neolithic era
26. the neuroscience of dementia
27. the offspring of a hybrid
28. the only method conceivable
29. the opposite polarity
30. the power of reasoning
31. the Secure Sockets Layer
32. the theory of relativity
33. the transcription of a gene
34. the uniformity of nature
35. the veracity of a theory

How can I keep my subjects and verbs in agreement?

Many ESL writers struggle to keep their subjects and verbs in agreement. 

Here are some useful tips from Jane Strauss, author of "The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation".

Basic Rule.	The basic rule states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb. NOTE: The trick is in knowing whether the subject is singular or plural. The next trick is recognizing a singular or plural verb.
	Hint: Verbs do not form their plurals by adding an s as nouns do. In order to determine which verb is singular and which one is plural, think of which verb you would use with he or she and which verb you would use with they.
	Example:	talks, talk Which one is the singular form? Which word would you use with he? We say, "He talks." Therefore, talks is singular. We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.

Rule 1. Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb. Example: My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

Rule 2. Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb as in Rule 1. Examples: Neither Juan nor Carmen is available. Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

Rule 3. When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second and follow it with the singular verb am. Example: Neither she nor I am going to the festival.

Rule 4. When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: The serving bowl or the plates go on that shelf.

Rule 5. When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the plural subject last and use a plural verb. Example: Neither Jenny nor the others are available.

Rule 6. As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and. Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

Rule 7. Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb. Examples: The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly. Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

Rule 8. The pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are singular and require singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of. Examples: Each of the girls sings well. Every one of the cakes is gone. NOTE: Everyone is one word when it means everybody. Every one is two words when the meaning is each one.

Rule 9. With words that indicate portions—percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder, and so forth —look at the noun in your of phrase (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: Fifty percent of the pie has disappeared. Pie is the object of the preposition of. Fifty percent of the pies have disappeared. Pies is the object of the preposition. One-third of the city is unemployed. One-third of the people are unemployed. NOTE: Hyphenate all spelled-out fractions. All of the pie is gone. All of the pies are gone. Some of the pie is missing. Some of the pies are missing. None of the garbage was picked up. None of the sentences were punctuated correctly. Of all her books, none have sold as well as the first one.

Rule 10. The expression the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is followed by a plural verb. Examples: The number of people we need to hire is thirteen. A number of people have written in about this subject.

Rule 11. When either and neither are subjects, they always take singular verbs. Examples: Neither of them is available to speak right now. Either of us is capable of doing the job.

Rule 12. The words here and there have generally been labeled as adverbs even though they indicate place. In sentences beginning with herethere, the subject follows the verb. or Examples: There are four hurdles to jump. There is a high hurdle to jump.

Rule 13. Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time. Examples: Ten dollars is a high price to pay. Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

Rule 14. Sometimes the pronoun who, that, or which is the subject of a verb in the middle of the sentence. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural according to the noun directly in front of them. So, if that noun is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb. Examples: Salma is the scientist who writes/write the reports. The word in front of who is scientist, which is singular. Therefore, use the singular verb writes. He is one of the men who does/do the work. The word in front of who is men, which is plural. Therefore, use the plural verb do.

Rule 15. Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in the sentence. Examples: The staff is in a meeting. Staff is acting as a unit here. The staff are in disagreement about the findings. The staff are acting as separate individuals in this example. The sentence would read even better as: The staff members are in disagreement about the findings.

(found at http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/subjectVerbAgree.asp; accessed 2011/06)