How is the passive voice used?
In the active voice, the do-ers (people/things) are important. But in the passive voice, more attention is on the people/things who receive the action, so these appear at the start of the sentence. We most often use the passive voice for one of three reasons: 1. When the agent isn’t known. For example: My wallet was stolen (by someone). 2. When the agent is unimportant. For example: The restaurant was closed (by the health inspector). 3. When the agent is obvious. For example: Frank will be upset (by the news of his father’s death). Scientific papers often use the passive voice, as well as news broadcasts. A lot of business writing which stresses a product of achievement instead of the people uses the passive voice, too. For example: A new advertising campaign was begun. The new advertising campaign is more important than the people of the department who put it together. Is there additional information on the passive voice? • It’s sometimes impossible to make a passive sentence. Some a
