as I love. Passive voice is used when the verb is in the Passive Voice, the person or thing denoted by the Subject is said to suffer something; as
I am loved.”
104
Moreover, Samet Riyanto persuades that “Passive voice is used when we
want to say that the subject I, We, They, You, He, She, It is not the doer, but receives an action
.”
105
Andhika Pratiwi argues that
“Passive voice shows the object get the action or activity from the subject.”
106
According to Azar Passive is “A verb is in the active voice when it
expressses an action performed by its subjects and a verb is in the passive voice when t
he action it expressees is performed upon its subjects.”
107
Walsh argues that “The voice of a verb indicates whether the subject of the verb acts or is acted
upon. Active voice denotes that the subject of the verb is the actor. Passive voice denotes that the
subject receives the action.”
108
In addition, Frank points out that “the passive voice is preferred when the „doer’ of an action or, the agent is
unimportant or unknown. ”
109
2. Use of Passive Voice
Frank points out that Passive Voice is used to the sentence that the subject is not necessary to know.
Therefore, “Because of its impersonal tone, the passive voice is commonly found in textbook, in scientific, technical or business reports,
and in newspaper stories.”
110
Eckersle y states that “We use the Passive Voice
104
Nesfield, M.A., Outline of English Grammar Revised Edition, London: Macmillan co ltd, 1957, p.83
105
Riyanto, A Handbook English Grammar, Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2007, p.171
106
Pratiwi, et.al, 100 Best Guide to TOEFL up to 600, Jakarta: Laskar Aksara, p.104
107
Conlin, George R. Herman and Jerome Martin, Our Language Today, Level H, New York: Litton Educational Publishing Inc., 1978, p.169
108
Walsh and Walsh, Plain English Handbook, Ohio, McCormick-Mathers Publishing Company, 1972, p.29
109
Frank, Modern English, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1972, p.67
110
Frank, op.cit, p.67
when we are more interested in the action than in the person or people who do the action.”
111
Wishon explains that “The Passive Voice gives an object and impersonal touch to writing. It may soften statements that might seem harsh or even accusing
in the active voice. Generally, the passive voice is used when it is not important to know the doer, or when the doer is not known.”
112
Hewings also explains that “the choice between an active and passive sentence allows us to present the same
information in two different orders.”
113
Compare: Active
: The storm damaged the roof
This sentence is about the storm, and says what it did. The storm is the „agent’.
Passive : The roof was damaged by the strom
This sentence is about the roof, and says what happend to it. The „agent’ goes in
a prepositional phrase with by after the verb.
114
Here are some situations where we typically choose a passive rather than an active:
a. When the agent is not known, is „people in general’, is unimportant or is
obvious, as in
My office was broken into when I was on holiday
b. In factual writing, particularly in describing procedures or process, we
often wish to omit the agent, as in
Nuclear waste will still be radioctive even after 20,000 years, so it must be disposed of
very carefully. It can be stored as a liquid in stainless-steel containers which are encased in concrete. The most dangerous nuclear
waste can be turned into glass. It is planned to store this glass in deep underground mines.
c. In spoken English we often use a subject such a people, somebody, they,
we,
or you even who we do not know who the agent is, as in
They’re installing the new computer system next month.
The new computer system is being installed next month. more
formal d.
In English we usually prefer to put old information at the beginning of a sentence or clause and new information at the end, as in
111
Eckersley, op.cit, p.160
112
Wilson and Burks, loc.cit.
113
Martin Hewings, op.cit, p.60
114
Ibid
The three machines tested for the report contained different types of
safety valve. The Boron Group in Germany manufactured the machines
The three machines tested for the report contained different types of
savety valve. The machines were manufactured by the Boron Group in Germany
115
Team of five in Improving Reading Skill in English proposes that situation when Passive voice is used is:
a. When we don’t know who performed the action
b. When it is preferable not to mention the performer
c. When we wish to emphasize the receiver rather than the perrformer
d. In situations of social and historical significance, when the work resulting
from the action is as well or better known than the performer, as in the case of famous music, writing, paintings, and inventions.
116
Murphy comments the use of passive that: a.
We use an active verb to say what the subject does, as in
My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1930.
It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people.
b. We use a passive verb to say what happens to the subject, as in
This house is quite old. It was built in 1930.
Two hundred people are employed by the company.
117
In addition, Thomson comments that “use of passive voice that where there is an indirect and a indirect object, make the indirect object the subject of the
passive verb”
118
, as in “They have her a clock”
119
“She was given a clock”
120
115
Hewings, op,cit, p.60
116
Team of Five, Improving Reading Skill in English Book Two + Workbook Two, Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Group, 2006, p.29
117
Murphy, Grammar in Use Intermediate, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008, p.78
118
Thomson and Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, New York: Oxford University Press, 1986, p.83
119
Ibid.
