Which characteristic best describes "passive voice"?

The characteristic that best describes "passive voice" is that the subject is receiving the action. In sentences written in the passive voice, the focus shifts away from the doer of the action (the subject) to the recipient of the action, which is typically indicated by the verb being in a form of "to be" followed by a past participle. For example, in the sentence "The ball was thrown by John," "the ball" is the subject receiving the action of being thrown, rather than actively doing the throwing itself.

This construction can lead to less direct and often less clear communication, as it may omit the doer of the action altogether, which is not a characteristic of active voice or the other options provided in the question. Understanding this distinction is crucial for recognizing how sentence structure impacts meaning and clarity in writing.