In argument, the active voice assigns responsibility: “The company polluted the river.” The passive can hide it: “The river was polluted.” Writers and politicians choose voice to shape blame.
In academic writing, the passive may suit descriptions of methods or widely held views: “It has been argued that…”. Nominalisation makes prose formal but can make it heavy: “The committee decided to investigate” is clearer than “The committee made a decision to conduct an investigation.”
When analysing texts, comment on voice. Ask who is made visible and who is hidden.
Worked example
Make more direct: “A decision was made by the committee to conduct an investigation.”
- Make the committee the subject.
- Turn the nouns back into verbs.
Answer:The committee decided to investigate.
Key words
- agentless passive
- a passive sentence with no doer
- nominalisation
- turning verbs into nouns
- responsibility
- who is accountable
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.11-12.3