Zombies: The Hot New Grammar Secret Weapon

Thanks to a tweet from @johnsonr, who teaches the brave men and women of the USMC, we all have a foolproof and fun way to determine whether a sentence is in the passive voice:

If you can insert 'by zombies' after the verb, you have the passive voice.
 

Try it. It works.

• The concert was staged [by zombies] in the park instead of the auditorium.
• That test was given [by zombies] to juniors and seniors.
• Those lawns have already been raked [by zombies].
• Mistakes were made [by zombies] and lies were told [by zombies].

In the Passive Voice, All Verbs are Transitive

Danielle writes in:

Hi Snarky! Love your blog!  Okay, I thought I understood the difference between intransitive and transitive verbs. But yesterday my teacher said that when you're using the passive voice, all verbs are transitive. Huh? Please explain this. Thanks! 

Hi Danielle! Your teacher is absolutely right.

As you know, many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on context. So don't bother trying to memorize which verbs are which. Instead, learn the rules so you can always get it right.

Quick rules: 

• Transitive verbs are action verbs that require a direct object. The verb's action is transferred directly to the object, which can be a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause.
• Find the direct object by asking Subject + Verb + What/Whom? I eat a sandwich for lunch every day. I eat what? A sandwich. That's the direct object. Therefore, in this sentence 'eat' is a transitive verb.
• Intransitive verbs don't require a direct object. Right after taking a shower every morning, I eat. I eat what? The sentence doesn't say, so there is no direct object. In this sentence, 'eat' is an intransitive verb.
• Sentences in the passive voice always contain a transitive verb. When we use the passive voice, the subject is hidden there is always a direct object, which means the verb is always transitive.

Try this: Take any sentence in the passive voice and turn it around using the Subject + Verb + What/Whom? formula. Fill in the hidden subject.

1. My bike was stolen. [Someone] + stole + what? My bike (direct object). Steal is a transitive verb.
2. Students are given detention if they are late to class. [The teacher] + gives + what? Detention (direct object). To whom? Students (indirect object). Since there is a direct object, give is a transitive verb.
3. Mistakes were made. [We/they] + made + what? Mistakes (direct object). Make is a transitive verb.
4. The football game was played under the bright lights. [The teams] + played + what? The football game (direct object). Since there is a direct object, play is a transitive verb.

Epic Sentence Fail: That Was Awkward!

Joe sent in a screengrab of an Associated Press story that was plucked from TheNewsTribune.com. His message was short but sweet:

Ha ha! Airports are making arrests!

Amanda Bynes had another run-in with the law when she was pulled over for driving on a suspended license by a Southern California airport.

Wow! That is one spectacularly awkward sentence.

So where does the AP reporter go wrong? Using the passive voice is rarely a good idea when you have a sentence that's particularly long and unwieldy. Who pulled over Amanda Bynes? This sentence seems to say that an airport did.

Of course, we know that the police pulled over Bynes. Except we don't see the word 'police'. In a short sentence, using the passive voice might not be such a big deal. But this sentence has a string of prepositional phrases.  She was pulled over (1) for driving (2) on a suspended license (3) by a Southern California airport. For clarity's sake, the order of prepositional phrases matters. And finally, the preposition 'by' is particularly confusing—again, because there is no evident subject. It would have been clearer to say 'near a Southern California airport'.

Correction:

• Amanda Bynes had another run-in with the law when police pulled her over near a Southern California airport for driving on a suspended license.

Verbs: Intransitive vs. Transitive

Todd writes:

Aaaaaargh! I don't understand transitive and intransitive verbs. I especially don't understand how sometimes the same verb can be one and sometimes the other. Please explain. I need to get at least an 86 on the quiz next week. Thanks!

Todd, you're in major luck. Yesterday I received a question from Lily about direct and indirect objects, and you should read that post first. After all, before you can ace transitive and intransitive verbs, you need to know how to spot a direct object.  

Quick rules:  

• Transitive verbs are action verbs that require a direct object. The verb's action is transferred directly to the object, which can be a noun, pronoun, phrase, or clause.
• Find the direct object by asking Subject + Verb + What/Whom? My dad is driving Fred to his friend's house. My dad is driving whom? Fred. That's the direct object. Therefore, drive is a transitive verb.
  
• Intransitive verbs don't require a direct object. My dad goes to work every morning. My dad goes what or whom? That doesn't make sense, so there is no direct object. Therefore, go is an intransitive verb. [In this sentence, the natural question is: My dad goes where? Where questions are answered by prepositional phrases, such as 'to work.']
  

The tricky part: Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on context.

1. After we eat at my house, we can go outside. (intransitive)
   After we eat our sandwiches, we can go outside. (transitive)
   
2. The truck runs on diesel gasoline. (intransitive)
   My uncle runs a restaurant. (transitive)
3. I'm reading. (intransitive)
   I'm reading an article in TIME magazine about sharks. (transitive)

Quick tip: Sentences written in the passive voice always contain a transitive verb. It makes sense when you think about it. When the writer uses the passive voice, the subject is hidden and the focus is on the direct object. Break it down using the same Subject + Verb + What/Whom? formula, and fill in the missing subject.

1. Rachel was given detention. [The teacher] gave what? Detention (direct object). To whom? Rachel (indirect object). Since there is a direct object, give is a transitive verb.
2. The ball was hit past third base. [The batter] hit what? The ball (direct object). To/For whom? We don't know (no indirect object). Since there is a direct object, hit is a transitive verb.

Active vs. Passive: Voices Inside My Head

Anna writes:

Help, Snarky! My creative writing teacher keeps writing little notes ('don't be passive!' and 'use the active!') in the margins of my papers. I understand the difference between the passive and the active. But I just don't see anything grammatically wrong with the passive. What's the big deal?

I understand your frustration, Anna. But this really isn't about grammar; it's about style and clarity. Your teacher seems to think you use the passive voice too often. Too much of the passive voice can lead to dull and somewhat lazy writing. Also, with the passive voice, it is often unclear who is doing what to whom.

On the other hand, I can think of many situations where the active voice is not the best choice. When the object of the sentence is more interesting than the subject, for example, it can call for the passive voice. The TMZ headline (above) works better in the passive voice because it puts Paris Hilton's name first. Hilton being sued is more interesting than who is suing Hilton. Compare these two versions:

Paris Hilton Sued for $35 Million over Hair Extensions (passive)
Hair Extensions Company Sues Paris Hilton for $35 Million (active)

Want to be a better writer? Mix it up. Inject more of the active voice into your stories and essays, but use the passive voice where it feels right. My guess is that your writing will become more lively and readable.

Quick rules:

• In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. The dog ate the steak. The Blue Devils won the game.
• In the passive voice, what should be the subject of the sentence becomes the object. The steak was eaten by the dog. The game was won by the Blue Devils.

Need to know: The typical construction of the passive voice is:  

form of 'to be' (is, are, am , was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) + past participle (often ends in '-ed')

Practice spotting the passive voice and turning it into the active voice.

• It is argued that... >> John Smith argues that...
• You're being tricked. >> He is tricking you.
• Women were discriminated against in the 1920s. >> Society discriminated against women in the 1920s.
• The main character was portrayed as an idiot. >> The writer portrayed the main character as an idiot.
• Kids were not treated well at the school. >> The school did not treat kids well.