September 19th, 2009 
admin In English grammar voice plays an important role. Voice helps us to describe the relationship between an action or a state which is expressed by a verb and other parts of the sentence like subject, object etc. So let us learn about basics of voice.
Before going into the actual discussion, let’s first define two forms of verbs.
Action Verbs:
Action verbs tell what the subject does in a sentence. The action can be either observed by the senses or mentally felt.
Example: drive, run, enjoy (observed by the senses)
Study, think (mentally felt)
Linking verbs:
They are simply used to join the subject and the predicate. Remember that predicate is the part of a sentence containing a verb and stating something about the subject.
The most common linking verbs include: is, be, look, grow, seem, smell, remain, appear, sound, stay, look, taste, turn and become.
He is a good student.
In the above sentence, he is the subject and ‘a good student’ is a predicate. These two are connected by a linking verb ‘is’.
Defining voice:
Along with relating to time through tense, action verbs in a sentence, also show whether the subject performs the action or receives the action, known as the verb’s voice. Accordingly, the sentence is declared to be either in active voice or passive voice respectively. Note here that the linking verbs do not show voice.
1. A verb is active when the subject performs the action.
I took the boy to school. (‘I’, the subject is doing the action)
2. A verb is passive when its action is performed upon the subject.
The boy is taken to school. (‘The boy’ is a subject. Action is done upon him).
Although the usage seems similar, there is a significant difference in terms of context-sensitivity. Active voice is used in the cases of more direct and forceful. By forceful, it means that it refers much to the subject. But passive voice is used in cases where the subject is given less reference (or even omitted).
The usage of passive voice is preferable under two conditions:
- When one doesn’t want to assign blame on the subject.
The project has been in vain.
- The subject of the action is not exactly known.
A prank SMS arrived at 3:00 A.M.
It is generally considered a rule not too much use of the passive voice. Students are recommended not to frame sentences in passive voice in their academic write-ups.
The passive voice is a kind of polite expression .We encounter situations where the usage of passive voice is appropriate and even essential. The Context decides in most cases what appropriate voice to be used.
Posted in 
Tags: 
