Chapter 1
Fundamentals of Critical Thinking and Essay Preparation
Course: Gre
Subject: Gre Analytical Writing
Chapter: Enhancing Style Tone And Rhetorical Persuasion
Introduction: The Passive-Aggressive Friend
Everyone has encountered that friend who never seems to say directly what they mean. The roommate who wanders around the kitchen wondering aloud where all the milk went when only two people live in the apartment. The message is clear, but the delivery is indirect, frustrating, and ambiguous.
In English grammar, sentences written in passive voice resemble this passive-aggressive friend. Instead of clearly stating who performed an action, passive voice obscures the doer, making the action seem to happen mysteriously on its own. Active voice, by contrast, states directly who did what, creating clarity, energy, and directness.
This lesson explores the difference between active and passive voice, explains when each is appropriate, and provides strategies for identifying and revising passive constructions.
What Are Active and Passive Voice?