The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Passive Voice: What You Need to Know

What You Need to Know (Oujda Edition!)

Welcome, fellow language lovers, to our guide on passive voice. We bring it to you with a touch of Oujda flair! Whether you're enjoying mint tea or the evening breeze, knowing about passive voice will improve your communication. Let's get started!

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: What in the World is Passive Voice? (And Why Should I Care?)

• Active vs. Passive Voice Explained with an Oujda Example

2.The Building Blocks: How to Construct Passive Sentences

• Key Components: "To Be" Verb and Past Participle
• The Optional "By" Phrase (min taraf)
• Formula for Passive Voice

3.Why Use Passive Voice? The Art of Strategic Emphasis

• Focusing on the Action, Not the Actor
• When the Actor is Unknown or Unimportant
• Diplomacy and Avoiding Blame
• Creating Flow and Emphasis
• Formal and Scientific Writing

4.Spotting the Passive Voice: Your Detective Skills

• Identifying "To Be" + Past Participle
• Distinguishing Passive from Other Verb Tenses

5.Transforming Sentences: From Active to Passive and Back Again

• Step-by-Step Guide to Active to Passive Conversion
• Step-by-Step Guide to Passive to Active Conversion

6.Common Pitfalls: When Passive Voice Goes Wrong

• Overuse and Vagueness
• Weak and Indirect Writing
• Wordiness

7.When to Embrace the Active Voice: Clarity is Key

• Preference for Direct and Engaging Communication

8.Practice Makes Perfect (Especially in Darija!)

• Thinking About Passive Concepts in the Local Dialect

9.The Oujda Takeaway: Use it Wisely!

• Summary and Encouragement for Effective Use

1. Introduction: What in the World is Passive Voice? (And Why Should I Care?)

Imagine a lively scene in Oujda's medina. You might see:

Active: The merchant (subject) sells (verb) the spices (object).

Now, picture the focus shifting to the fragrant spices themselves:

Passive: The spices (new subject) are sold (verb) by the merchant (original subject, now optional).

This is the essence of passive voice! It changes the sentence structure, making the receiver of the action the main focus. Knowing this helps you control the emphasis in your communication.

2. The Building Blocks: How to Construct Passive Sentences

Think of it like preparing a delicious tagine – you need the right ingredients:

Key Components:

A form of the verb "to be" (in the correct tense): This is your base – kan (was), kayn (is/are), ghadi ikon (will be), etc. It must agree with the new subject in number and tense.

The past participle of the main verb: This is the heart of the action – mbee'a (sold), maktoub (written), makul (eaten).

The Optional "By" Phrase (min taraf): Like adding a sprinkle of ras el hanout for extra flavor – min taraf (by). This introduces the original actor if you want to mention them.

Formula:

Subject (receiver of action) + be-verb + past participle (+ min taraf + original actor)

3. Why Use Passive Voice? The Art of Strategic Emphasis

Choosing the right spices for a dish is like picking the right voice for your writing. Passive voice is used for specific effects:

When the action is more important than the actor: "This gate was built in the 14th century." The focus is on the gate's history, not who built it.

When the actor is unknown or unimportant: "My keys were stolen in the souk." The key thing is the theft, not who did it.

To be diplomatic or avoid blame: Saying "A mistake was made" instead of "You made a mistake" is useful in formal settings.

To create a specific flow or emphasis in your writing: Starting with the object of the action can link ideas smoothly. "The delicious couscous was served. It was enjoyed by everyone."

In formal or scientific writing: To stay objective, like in a scientific experiment: "The data were analyzed using statistical methods."

4. Spotting the Passive Voice: Your Detective Skills

Look for signs of passive voice: a form of "to be" followed by a past participle. Don't confuse it with other verb tenses!

Passive: "The mint tea was brewed carefully." (was - form of "to be," brewed - past participle)

Active: "The vendor is brewing mint tea." (is brewing - present continuous, not passive)

5. Transforming Sentences: From Active to Passive and Back Again

Think of it as translating between two ways of saying the same thing:

Step-by-Step Guide to Active to Passive Conversion:

Find the doer (subject), then the verb, and the object.

Move the object to the subject position.

Change the main verb to its past participle and add "to be" (matching the tense).

The original subject can become the object of a "by" phrase, or it can be omitted.

Active: "The artisan crafted the beautiful leather bag."

Passive: "The beautiful leather bag was crafted by the artisan."

Step-by-Step Guide to Passive to Active Conversion:

Find the subject (receiver of the action) and the verb in the passive sentence.

Find the agent (the performer of the action) if present in a "by" phrase. If not, you may need to infer or add a logical subject.

Make the agent the subject of the active sentence.

Change the verb in the passive sentence back to its active form, matching the tense.

Start with the object

Passive: "The delicious tagine was cooked by my mother."

Active: "My mother cooked the delicious tagine."

6. Common Pitfalls: When Passive Voice Goes Wrong

Like too much of one spice, overusing passive voice can make your writing:

Vague and unclear: Readers might wonder who performed the action if the "by" phrase is consistently omitted.

Weak and indirect: It can lack the punch and immediacy of active voice, making your writing feel less assertive.

Wordy: Passive sentences often require more words than their active counterparts.

7. When to Embrace the Active Voice: Clarity is Key

In most everyday situations, and when you want your writing to be direct and engaging, active voice is your best friend. It's like the clear call of the muezzin – direct and unmistakable. Use active voice when you want to emphasize the doer of the action and create a more dynamic feel.

8. Practice Makes Perfect (Especially in Darija!)

While the grammatical rules are universal, thinking about how you might express these concepts in Darija can be helpful. For example, instead of a formal passive structure, you might use more general phrasing or different verb conjugations to convey a similar meaning. Pay attention to how native speakers structure their sentences when the focus is on the action rather than a specific actor.

9. The Oujda Takeaway: Use it Wisely!

Passive voice is a useful tool in writing. It helps you focus on the action, not who did it. It's like adding spices to your writing, making it richer and more interesting.

So, use passive voice wisely. Make your writing clear and effective. And remember, just like Oujda's diverse flavors, it can enhance your message.

Now, go ahead and master the passive voice. Your writing will be clear, your messages will be effective, and your understanding will be as deep as Oujda's culture.

The Passive Voice , Exercises.

Let's Practice. Exercises on The Passive Voice تمارين تطبيقية حول ال Passive Voice

A - Rewrite the following sentences as indicated:

1. People don’t respect children’s rights in many countries.

Children’s rights…………………………………………………......................………

2. Every week, they bring food supplies by helicopter to the refugees.

Every week, food supplies………………………..................……………………

3. Passengers mustn’t use mobile phones on planes.

Mobile phones……………………………………………………………..................…

4. They launched an anti-smoking campaign to sensitize the public to the danger of tobacco.

Anantismokingcampaign………………………………………………………………...........

5. Scientists have made great progress in genetic studies.

Great progress……………………………………………………………………………………….......

6. Some people consider speed as the main cause of accidents on our roads.

Speed…………………………………………………………………....................

7. You should take drastic measures if you want to keep your city clean.

Drastic measures…………………………………………………….....................

8. They deported all illegal African immigrants to their home countries.

All illegal African immigrants……………………………………….....................

9. Many people think that the United Nations Organization ought to be dismantled.

It is……………………………………………………………………………………

10. We need to integrate environmental sustainability into all our policy decisions.

Environmental sustainability………................……………………………….

11. Governments must give the youth more opportunities to participate in decision making.

The youth…………………………………………………………......................

12. Some human rights activists are holding a fund-raising meeting.

A fund-raising meeting…………………………………….................………………..

13. Rich countries are not doing anything to eradicate poverty in the world.

Nothing…………………………………………………………………...................…

14. We still deny women equal status in many parts of the world.

Women…………………………………………………………………...................…

15. They have installed CCV cameras in all public institutions for security measures.

CCV cameras………………………………………………………………...................

16. You must rewrite this report. It’s full of mistakes, I’m afraid.

This report………………………………………………………………..................…

17. The city council has not created any green space since it was elected.

No green space………………………………………………………...................………

18. People say that Mehdi is a gifted humourist.

Mehdi…………………………………………………………………………...............

19. The closure of the factory will make hundreds of workers redundant.

Hundreds of workers………………………………………...................……………..

20. I didn’t realize that somebody was listening to our telephone conversation.

I didn’t realize that our telephone conversation...………..

21. We believe that women are as skilful as men at managing big companies.

Women……………………………………………………………………………...........

22. We should force rural girls to access schools and get appropriate education.

Rural girls…………………………………………………………………...................

23. “We have to ban all nuclear and biological weapons.” A UN Official said.

All nuclear………………………………………………………………………...........

24. Many developing countries are exhausting their natural resources at a high rate.

Natural resources…………………………………………………………..................…

25. “We could have given them a second chance to demonstrate their abilities.”

They………………………………………………………………………………….......

26. They will grant rural women more micro-credits as a form of support.

Rural women…………………………………………………………...................…

27. People say that brain drain is a form of modern slavery.

Brain drain…………………………………………………………………...................

28. People wrongly believe that women cannot combine marriage and employment.

It is wrongly………………………………………………………………...................

29. Our society should educate girls to contribute to their self-empowerment.

Girls……………………………………………………………………………………...........

30. A charity association has recently built a new school for girls in a remote rural area.

A new school…………………………………………………………………

B - Supply the correct form of the verbs in brackets:

In the summer of 1995, a terrible flood hit Ourika, a beautiful tourist spot near Marrakesh. The area (crowd) ___________________ with tourists when a storm hit the Atlas Mountains. The waters quickly (submerge) ___________________ the valley, taking everything with them.

There was a heavy loss of life and property. Hundreds of people (drown) ____________________ in the waters. Many were (injure) ___________________. Others (report) ___________________ missing.

Many cars and vehicles (sweep) ___________________ away by the floods, causing damage. The area (cut off) ___________________ from the world as roads and communication lines (block) ___________________ and destroyed. The flood's damage (estimate) ___________________ to billions of dirhams.