The passive in English (2011)
12 days ago
- #linguistics
- #passive-voice
- #grammar
- The passive voice in English is often misunderstood, with many people unable to correctly identify it.
- Passive clauses involve a reversal of the standard subject-verb-object roles, where the subject typically denotes the 'victim' rather than the 'wrecker'.
- Passive constructions require a participle (usually past participle) and often use auxiliary verbs like 'be', but can also use others like 'get', 'have', or 'see'.
- Prepositional passives involve stranded prepositions, where the subject corresponds to the object of a preposition in the active voice.
- The passive is not inherently vague about agency; it can explicitly mention the agent using a 'by'-phrase.
- Common misconceptions about the passive include that it always uses 'be', hides agency, or is bad writing—none of which are true.
- Notable critics of the passive, like George Orwell and E.B. White, ironically use it more frequently than average writers.