In English, active and passive verb forms are two different ways of expressing actions and their subjects. Here's a detailed explanation with examples:
1. Active Voice
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. The focus is on the doer of the action.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
Example: The dog (subject) bit (verb) the ball (object).
Here, "the dog" is performing the action of "biting" the ball.
2. Passive Voice
In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The focus is on the action or the recipient of the action, rather than who is performing it. Often, the doer of the action is either mentioned at the end of the sentence (after the word "by") or omitted if it's not important.
Structure: Subject + Form of "be" (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) + Past Participle of the Verb + (by + Agent)
Example: The ball (subject) was bitten (verb) by the dog (agent).
In this passive sentence, the focus is on the ball, which is receiving the action of being bitten, rather than the dog performing the action.
Examples of Active vs. Passive Voice:
Active: She reads the book.
Passive: The book is read by her.Active: They built the house.
Passive: The house was built by them.Active: The teacher explained the lesson.
Passive: The lesson was explained by the teacher.
When to Use Active vs. Passive Voice:
- Active voice is generally clearer, more direct, and preferred in most writing, especially when the subject (doer) is important.
- Passive voice is useful when the action or the recipient of the action is more important than the doer, or when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
For example:
- Active: The chef cooked a delicious meal. (Focus on the chef)
- Passive: A delicious meal was cooked. (Focus on the meal)
