tugas bahasa inggris passive voice

5/28/2018 Tugas Bahasa Inggris Passive Voice

1/10

TUGAS BAHASA INGGRIS

PASSIVE VOICE

NAMA :

CANDRA WASKITO (11213849)


2/10

English passive voice

The passive voice is a grammatical construction (specifically, a "voice"). The noun or noun phrase

that would be the object of an active sentence (such as Our troops defeated the enemy) appears as the

subject of a sentence with passive voice (e.g. The enemy was defeated by our troops).

The subject of a sentence or clause featuring the passive voice typically denotes the recipient of the

action (the patient) rather than the performer (the agent). The passive voice in English is formed

periphrastically: the usual form uses the auxiliary verb be (or get) together with the past participle of

the main verb.

For example, Caesar was stabbed by Brutus uses the passive voice. The subject denotes the person

(Caesar) affected by the action of the verb. The agent is expressed here with the phrase by Brutus, but

this can be omitted. The equivalent sentence in active voice is Brutus stabbed Caesar, in which the

subject denotes the doer, or agent, Brutus. A sentence featuring the passive voice is sometimes called

a passive sentence, and a verb phrase in passive voice is sometimes called a passive verb.

English allows a number of passive constructions which are not possible in many of the other

languages with similar passive formation. These include promotion of an indirect object to subject (as

in Tom was given a bag) and promotion of the complement of a preposition (as in Sue was operated

on, leaving a stranded preposition).

Use of the English passive varies with writing style and field. Some publications' style sheets

discourage use of the passive voice, while others encourage it.Although some purveyors of usage

advice, including George Orwell (see Politics and the English Language, 1946) and William Strunk,

Jr. and E. B. White (see The Elements of Style, 1919), discourage use of the passive in English, its

usefulness is generally recognized, particularly in cases where the patient is more important than the

agent,but also in some cases where it is desired to emphasize the agent.

Identifying the English passive

The passive voice is a specific grammatical construction; not every expression that serves to take

focus away from the performer of an action is classified as an instance of passive voice. The essential

components of the English passive voice are a form of the auxiliary verb be (or sometimes get), and

the past participle of the main verb denoting the action. For example:

... that all men are created equal...

We have been cruelly deceived.

The captain was struck by a missile.

I got kicked in the face during the fight.

(For exceptions, see Additional passive constructions below.) The agent (the doer of the action) may

be specified, using a prepositional phrase with the preposition by, as in the third example, but it is

equally possible to omit this, as is done in the other examples.

A distinction is made between the above type of clause, and those of similar form in which the past

participle is used as an ordinary adjective, and the verb be or similar is simply a copula linking the

subject of the sentence to that adjective. For example:

I am excited (right now).


3/10

This would not normally be classed as a passive sentence, since the participle excited is used

adjectivally to denote a state, not to denote an action of excitation (as it would in the passive the

electron was excited with a laser pulse). See Stative and adjectival uses below.

Sentences which do not follow the pattern described above are not considered to be in the passive

voice, even if they have a similar function of avoiding or marginalizing reference to the agent. An

example is the sentence A stabbing occurred, where mention of the stabber is avoided, but the

sentence is nonetheless cast in the active voice, with the verbal noun stabbing forming the subject of

the simple past tense of the verb occur. (Similarly There was a stabbing.) Occasionally, however,

writers misapply the term "passive voice" to sentences of this type. An example of this loose usage

can be found in the following extract from an article from The New Yorker about Bernard Madoff

(bolding and italics added; bold text indicates the verbs misidentified as passive voice):

Two sentences later, Madoff said, "When I began the Ponzi scheme, I believed it would end shortly,

and I would be able to extricate myself, and my clients, from the scheme." As he read this, he

betrayed no sense of how absurd it was to use the passive voice in regard to his scheme, as if it were a

spell of bad weather that had descended on him . . . In most of the rest of the statement, one not only

heard the aggrieved passive voice, but felt the hand of a lawyer: "To the best of my recollection, myfraud began in the early nineteen-nineties.

The intransitive verbs would end and began are in fact in the active voice. Although the speaker uses

the words in a manner that subtly diverts responsibility from him, this is not accomplished by use of

passive voice.

Reasons for using the passive voice

The passive voice can be used without referring to the agent of an action; it may therefore be used

when the agent is unknown or unimportant, or the speaker does not wish to mention the agent.[5]

Three stores were robbed last night. (the identity of the agent may be unknown)

A new cancer drug has been discovered. (the identity of the agent may be unimportant in the context)

Mistakes have been made on this project. (the speaker may not wish to identify the agent)

The last sentence illustrates a frequently criticized use of the passivethe evasion of responsibility by

failure to mention the agent (which may even be the speaker himself).

Agentless passives are common in scientific writing, where the agent may be irrelevant:

The mixture was heated to 300C.

However the passive voice can also be used together with a mention of the agent, using a by-phrase.In this case the reason for use of the passive is often connected with the positioning of this phrase at

the end of the clause (unlike in the active voice, where the agent, as subject, normally precedes the

verb). Here, in contrast to the examples above, passive constructions may in fact serve to place

emphasis on the agent, since it is natural for information being emphasized to come at the end:

Don't you see? The patient was murdered by his own doctor!

In more technical terms, such uses can be expected in sentences where the agent is the focus

(comment, rheme), while the patient (the undergoer of the action) is the topic or theme[5] (see Topic

comment). There is a tendency for sentences to be formulated so as to place the focus at the end, and

this can motivate the choice of active or passive voice:

My taxi hit an old lady. (the taxi is the topic, the lady is the focus)


4/10

My mother was hit by a taxi. (the mother is the topic, the taxi is the focus)

Similarly, the passive may be used because the noun phrase denoting the agent is a long one

(containing many modifiers), since it is convenient to place such phrases at the end of a clause:

The breakthrough was achieved by Burlingame and Evans, two researchers in the university's genetic

engineering lab.

In some situations, the passive may be used so that the most dramatic word, or punchline, appears at

the end of the sentence.

Advice against the passive voice

Many language critics and language-usage manuals discourage use of the passive voice. This advice is

not usually found in older guides, emerging only in the first half of the twentieth century. In 1916, the

British writer Arthur Quiller-Couch criticized this grammatical voice:

Generally, use transitive verbs, that strike their object; and use them in the active voice, eschewing the

stationary passive, with its little auxiliary itss and wass, and its participles getting into the light of

your adjectives, which should be few. For, as a rough law, by his use of the straight verb and by his

economy of adjectives you can tell a mans style, if it be masculine or neuter, writing or 'composition'.

Two years later, in the original 1918 edition of The Elements of Style, Cornell University Professor of

English William Strunk, Jr. warned against excessive use of the passive voice:

The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive . . . This rule does not, of course,

mean that the writer should entirely discard the passive voice, which is frequently convenient and

sometimes necessary . . . The need to make a particular word the subject of the sentence will often . . .

determine which voice is to be used. The habitual use of the active voice, however, makes for forcible

writing. This is true not only in narrative concerned principally with action, but in writing of any kind.

Many a tame sentence of description or exposition can be made lively and emphatic by substituting atransitive in the active voice for some such perfunctory expression as there is or could be heard.

In 1926, in the authoritative A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), Henry Watson Fowler

recommended against transforming active voice forms into passive voice forms, because doing so

"...sometimes leads to bad grammar, false idiom, or clumsiness.

In 1946, in the essay Politics and the English Language, George Orwell recommended the active

voice as an elementary principle of composition: "Never use the passive where you can use the

active."

The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (1993) stated that:

Active voice makes subjects do something (to something); passive voice permits subjects to havesomething done to them (by someone or something). Some argue that active voice is more muscular,

direct, and succinct, passive voice flabbier, more indirect, and wordier. If you want your words to

seem impersonal, indirect, and noncommittal, passive is the choice, but otherwise, active voice is

almost invariably likely to prove more effective.

Krista Ratcliffe, a professor at Marquette University, notes the use of passives as an example of the

role of grammar as "...a link between words and magical conjuring : passive voice mystifies

accountability by erasing who or what performs an action


5/10

Advice in favor of the passive voice

Jan Freeman, a reporter for The Boston Globe, said that the passive voice does have its uses, and

that "all good writers use the passive voice." For example, despite Orwell's advice to avoid the

passive, his Politics and the English Language (1946) employs passive voice for about 20 percent of

its constructions. By comparison, a statistical study found about 13 percent passive constructions in

newspapers and magazines.

Passive writing is not necessarily slack and indirect. Many famously vigorous passages use the

passive voice, as in these examples:

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall

be made straight, and the rough places plain. (King James Bible, Isaiah 40:4)

Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this sun of York. (Shakespeare's

Richard III, I.1, ll. 12)

For of those to whom much is given, much is required. (John F. Kennedy's quotation of Luke 12:48 in

his address to the Massachusetts legislature, 9 January 1961.)

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. (Winston Churchill

addressing the House of Commons, 20 August 1940.)

MerriamWebster's Dictionary of English Usage (1994) recommends the passive voice when

identifying the object (receiver) of the action is more important than the subject (agent), and when

the agent is unknown, unimportant, or not worth mentioning:

The child was struck by the car.

The store was robbed last night.

Plows should not be kept in the garage.

Kennedy was elected president.

The principal criticism against the passive voice is its potential for evasion of responsibility. This is

because a passive clause may omit the agent even where it is important:

We had hoped to report on this problem, but the data were inadvertently deleted from our files.

(See weasel words.) However, the passive can also be used to emphasize the agent, and it may be

better for that role than the active voice, because the end of a clause is the ideal place to put

something you wish to emphasize, or a long noun phrase, as in the examples given in the previoussection:

Don't you see? The patient was murdered by his own doctor!

The breakthrough was achieved by Burlingame and Evans, two researchers in the university's genetic

engineering lab.

Geoffrey Pullum writes that "The passive is not an undesirable feature limited to bad writing, it's a

useful construction often needed for clear expression, and every good writer uses it.


6/10

The passive voice in each tense:

Tense Auxiliary verb + sample V3 (past participle) Examples

Present simple am, is, are + made Wine is made from grapes.

Many cars are made in Japan.

Present progressive am, is, are + being + sent The document is being sent right now.

I am being sent to work in the London office.

Past simple was, were + invited John was invited to speak at the conference.

We were invited to Daniel and Marys wedding.

Past progressive was, were + being + washedThe dog was being washed when I got home.

Their cars were being washed while they were in the mall shopping.

Future (will)will be + signed The contract will be signed tomorrow.

The documents will all be signed by next week.

Future (going to)am, is, are + going to be + built A bridge is going to be built within the next two

years.

New houses are going to be built in our neighborhood.

Present perfect has, have + been + sold That start-up has been sold for $5 million.

The rights to his book have been sold for $250,000.

Past perfect had + been + hired The new manager had been hired before John left the company.

All the employees had hired before the store opened.

Future perfect will + have been + finished The car will have been loaded by the time he gets home.

The crates will have been loaded by then.

Modals: can/could can, could + be + issued A passport can only be issued at the embassy.

He said the documents could be issued within the week.

Modal: have to have to, has to, had to + be + arranged A babysitter has to be arranged for thisevening.

Joans travel plans have to be arranged by December.

Modal: must must + be + stopped Criminals must be stopped before they commit crimes.

All of the rules for passive negatives and questions are the same as for the active voice.

Note: Verbs that have no object (no one to receive the action) cannot be put into the passive, such

as, arrive, come, die, exist, go, happen, have, live, occur sleep, etc.


7/10

Sentences in Active and Passive Voice

Here are examples of sentences written in both the active voice and the passive voice, with the active

voice sentence appearing first:

Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active)

At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive)

Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. (active)

The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. (passive)

Sue changed the flat tire. (active)

The flat tire was changed by Sue. (passive)

We are going to watch a movie tonight. (active)

A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (passive)

I ran the obstacle course in record time. (active)

The obstacle course was run by me in record time. (passive)

The crew paved the entire stretch of highway. (active)

The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew. (passive)

Mom read the novel in one day. (active)

The novel was read by Mom in one day. (passive)

The critic wrote a scathing review. (active)

A scathing review was written by the critic. (passive)

I will clean the house every Saturday. (active)

The house will be cleaned by me every Saturday. (passive)

The staff is required to watch a safety video every year. (active)


8/10

A safety video will be watched by the staff every year. (passive)

She faxed her application for a new job. (active)

The application for a new job was faxed by her. (passive)

Tom painted the entire house. (active)

The entire house was painted by Tom. (passive)

The teacher always answers the students questions. (active)

The students questions are always answered by the teacher. (passive)

The choir really enjoys that piece. (active)

That piece is really enjoyed by the choir. (passive)

Who taught you to ski? (active)

By whom were you taught to ski? (passive)

The forest fire destroyed the whole suburb. (active)

The whole suburb was destroyed by the forest fire. (passive)

The two kings are signing the treaty. (active)

The treaty is being signed by the two kings. (passive)

The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the office every night. (active)

Every night the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew. (passive)

Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter. (active)

Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry. (passive)

No one responded to my sales ad. (active)

My sales ad was not responded to by anyone. (passive)


9/10

The wedding planner is making all the reservations. (active)

All the reservations will be made by the wedding planner. (passive)

Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale. (active)

For the bake sale, two dozen cookies will be baked by Susan. (passive)

The science class viewed the comet. (active)

The comet was viewed by the science class. (passive)

Who ate the last cookie? (active)

The last cookie was eaten by whom? (passive)

Alex posted the video on Facebook. (active)

The video was posted on Facebook by Alex. (passive)

The director will give you instructions. (active)

Instructions will be given to you by the director. (passive)

Thousands of tourists view the Grand Canyon every year. (active)

The Grand Canyon is viewed by thousands of tourists every year. (passive)

The homeowners remodeled the house to help it sell. (active)

The house was remodeled by the homeowners to help it sell. (passive)

The team will celebrate their victory tomorrow. (active)

The victory will be celebrated by the team tomorrow. (passive)

The saltwater eventually corroded the metal beams. (active)

The metal beams were eventually corroded by the saltwater. (passive)


10/10

Referensi :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_passive_voice

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_passive_voicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_passive_voicehttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/passive.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_passive_voice

tugas bahasa inggris passive voice

Documents