Conventions of Composition Rule 207

Rule: Avoid the passive voice. Subjects need to be doing their verbs.

Examples:

Wrong: This fact is seen when we look at chapter eight.

Better: We see this fact when we look at chapter eight.

Wrong: The automobile was driven into the garage.

Better: She drove the automobile into the garage.

Wrong: After Dr. Smith was conferred with, I understood my test result.

Better: After I conferred with Dr. Smith, I understood my test result.

Practice revising sentences to employ active verbs:

1. German, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French, Latin, and Greek are all studied at Hotchkiss.
2. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested going into his own home.
3. The intent of the passage is seen in the author's use of the raft symbol.
4. The lake can be viewed from most of the classrooms in the English Wing.

Resources for further explanations about passive voice:

Purdue OWL's Active and Passive VoiceOpens a New Window.

San Jose State University Writing Center's How to Recognize and Eliminate Passive Voice