What characterizes passive voice in writing?

Passive voice in writing is characterized by the subject receiving the action of the verb. In a sentence written in passive voice, the focus shifts from the doer of the action to the recipient of the action. This construction often uses a form of the verb "to be" followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, in the sentence "The ball was thrown by John," "the ball" is the subject receiving the action, while "John" is the doer of the action but is placed after the verb or omitted entirely.

This construction can be useful for emphasizing the action or the recipient rather than the actor, which is sometimes preferable in contexts where the actor is unknown or less relevant to the message being conveyed. In contrast, active voice directly attributes the action to the subject, making it clearer and more straightforward, which is why passive voice should be used thoughtfully to avoid ambiguities in writing.