What is passive voice?

Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence is acted upon by the verb, meaning the action is received rather than performed by the subject. In this construction, the doer of the action may not always be stated and, when included, often follows the verb, typically introduced by the word "by." For example, in the sentence "The ball was thrown by the boy," "the ball" is the subject that receives the action of being thrown. Understanding this concept is crucial for recognizing how sentence structure can affect the clarity and emphasis of writing.

The other choices do not accurately describe passive voice, as they relate to active voice, narrative techniques, or story tension, which are not relevant to the definition of passive construction in grammar.