Active vs. Passive
Verbs are always written in active or passive voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence has an action performed on it by someone or something else.
Active: The hungry students ATE the pizza.
Passive: The pizza WAS EATEN by the hungry students.
The passive voice is formed by the form to be (in this case was), followed by the past participle.
Verbs are always written in active or passive voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence has an action performed on it by someone or something else.
Active: The hungry students ATE the pizza.
Passive: The pizza WAS EATEN by the hungry students.
The passive voice is formed by the form to be (in this case was), followed by the past participle.
- Do not use other verbs such as get in the passive voice.
Examples:
INCORRECT: The pizza GOT eaten by the hungry students.
INCORRECT: The pizza must GET EATEN by the hungry students.
- Use by only for the active doers of the action.
- Use through and because of when the describing means or instruments, where the subject will be awkward in active voice.
INCORRECT: The pizza WAS accidentally EATEN BY a quirk of fate.
INCORRECT: A quirk of fate accidentally ATE the pizza.
CORRECT: THROUGH a quirk of fate, the pizza WAS accidentally EATEN.
- Passive voice makes sentences long. It also makes it confusing to ascertain who performs the action in the sentence.
- Since the GMAT prefers brevity, active voice is preferred if the sentence in passive voice is wordy or confusing.
- However, do not dismiss passive voice sentences.
- Only Transitive Verbs (words that take direct objects) can be written in passive voice.
- Verbs that do not take direct objects should not be written in passive voice.
INCORRECT: The aliens WERE ARRIVED on Neptune in the 20th century.
CORRECT: The aliens ARRIVED on Neptune in the 20th century.
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