Using the Passive
The passive voice is often used to explain how things are done. But that’s not all. If you want to be more diplomatic, choose the passive, too.
The passive voice is often used when people want to describe processes and procedures at work. Here, we look at some authentic examples of the passive voice being used.
1. Procedures: the “be”-passive
In this dialogue, Ann is training a new employee, Meg, and explaining how to handle invoices and other documentation.
The “be”-passive is used in a number of cases here because it is the procedure that is important, not who does it:
Meg: I wanna ask you about things I wasn’t sure about sorting bills of lading?
Ann: That comes with every order and it can be thrown away.
Meg: OK.
Ann: I don’t know if I explained this already or not, but the stuff that’s already been paid COD, which is indicated by that little green stub, is not that high of a priority to code and enter until around the end of the month, and if something has to be put off...
Meg: ...and we leave it for last.
Ann: That’s why GM and West Farm and Tree of Life, and some other miscellaneous pay things, are always at the back of the pile.
Meg: OK.
Ann: Because they’ve already been paid.
Meg: OK.
Ann: That’s the most important thing.
Meg: Right. So, the priority is... the things that still need to be paid.
2. The “get-passive” and “have something done”
Sometimes, we form the passive with “get” instead of “be”. This is more informal and used mainly in spoken language. Ann uses this variant when Meg shows her a document:
Ann: That’s for the Save the Earth stuff. It will eventually probably get thrown away, but if you haven’t come across a packing list for Save the Earth products, hang on to it.
Another construction is “to have something done”. This is
often used to talk about getting a supplier to do a job for you:
■ I had some envelopes made by J.G. Mark’s the other day, and it took a couple of weeks.
3. Explaining your services
If we want to emphasize who is doing something, we often prefer to use the active voice. In the next example, Ian, a representative from a paper supplier, uses “we” and an active verb to describe a production procedure. He wants to emphasize the services that his company provides:
Ian: So, what we’re doing is... we run the wheels until we’ve got enough paper made for you. And then we make, you know, a few hundred sheets extra, and then we just revert to stock sizes.
4. Being diplomatic
The passive is also commonly used when people want to be diplomatic and avoid blaming someone directly:
Maria: How come that wasn’t done much sooner?
Maria uses the passive (“How come that wasn’t done...?”) because the active would have sounded more aggressive (“How come you didn’t do that much sooner?”).
Source: www.falibo.com
The passive voice is often used to explain how things are done. But that’s not all. If you want to be more diplomatic, choose the passive, too.
The passive voice is often used when people want to describe processes and procedures at work. Here, we look at some authentic examples of the passive voice being used.
1. Procedures: the “be”-passive
In this dialogue, Ann is training a new employee, Meg, and explaining how to handle invoices and other documentation.
The “be”-passive is used in a number of cases here because it is the procedure that is important, not who does it:
Meg: I wanna ask you about things I wasn’t sure about sorting bills of lading?
Ann: That comes with every order and it can be thrown away.
Meg: OK.
Ann: I don’t know if I explained this already or not, but the stuff that’s already been paid COD, which is indicated by that little green stub, is not that high of a priority to code and enter until around the end of the month, and if something has to be put off...
Meg: ...and we leave it for last.
Ann: That’s why GM and West Farm and Tree of Life, and some other miscellaneous pay things, are always at the back of the pile.
Meg: OK.
Ann: Because they’ve already been paid.
Meg: OK.
Ann: That’s the most important thing.
Meg: Right. So, the priority is... the things that still need to be paid.
2. The “get-passive” and “have something done”
Sometimes, we form the passive with “get” instead of “be”. This is more informal and used mainly in spoken language. Ann uses this variant when Meg shows her a document:
Ann: That’s for the Save the Earth stuff. It will eventually probably get thrown away, but if you haven’t come across a packing list for Save the Earth products, hang on to it.
Another construction is “to have something done”. This is
often used to talk about getting a supplier to do a job for you:
■ I had some envelopes made by J.G. Mark’s the other day, and it took a couple of weeks.
3. Explaining your services
If we want to emphasize who is doing something, we often prefer to use the active voice. In the next example, Ian, a representative from a paper supplier, uses “we” and an active verb to describe a production procedure. He wants to emphasize the services that his company provides:
Ian: So, what we’re doing is... we run the wheels until we’ve got enough paper made for you. And then we make, you know, a few hundred sheets extra, and then we just revert to stock sizes.
4. Being diplomatic
The passive is also commonly used when people want to be diplomatic and avoid blaming someone directly:
Maria: How come that wasn’t done much sooner?
Maria uses the passive (“How come that wasn’t done...?”) because the active would have sounded more aggressive (“How come you didn’t do that much sooner?”).
Source: www.falibo.com
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