Sentences in active and passive voice play an important role in communication. In a sentence when a subject performs the action on an object, we say the sentence is in active voice. Conversely, when the focus is on the object we say that the sentence is in passive voice. This is the second of seven High English quizzes on the correct grammar to use with active voice and passive voice.
Most sentences are in active voice as the subject performing the action is more important and the speaker or writer would like to make them the focus of attention. However, in instances where we would like to be impersonal, such as in academic writing, when we want to explain a scientific concept, when we want to explain a general concept or when the subject is not important, we use sentences in the passive voice. In scientific writing passive voice helps in creating an appearance of an objective presentation that does not depend solely on individual or personal interests.