Final answer:
Passive voice occurs when the subject receives the action of the verb, often identifiable by the use of a form of 'be' and a past participle, and sometimes the inclusion of 'by'. Though commonly associated with scientific writing for its neutrality, excessive use can make writing less engaging.
Step-by-step explanation:
In English grammar, there are two voices for verbs: active voice and passive voice. In the active voice, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb. For instance, 'We conducted a survey of 300 students' shows that 'we' are doing the action of conducting. In contrast, passive voice is used when the subject is acted upon by the action of the verb. A sentence like 'A survey of 300 students was conducted' exemplifies passive voice, where the survey becomes the subject that is acted upon.
To determine if a sentence is in passive voice, several steps can be followed:
- The subject is not performing the action but is acted upon.
- A form of the be verb (am, is, are, was, were) appears with the past participle (-ed or –en) form of the verb.
- The preposition 'by' can be added or appears in the sentence.
For example, 'The paper was written by the student' is passive because 'the paper' (subject) is receiving the action of being written, and 'by the student' indicates who is performing the action.
While the passive voice is useful in certain contexts, such as scientific reporting for objectivity, overuse can result in a lack of clarity and vitality in writing. It is generally advised to use passive voice sparingly, reserving it for situations where the actor is unknown or the focus is on the action itself rather than who performed it.