In the English language, all sentences are in either “active” or “passive” voice. The use of either depends on what you want to emphasise in a sentence.
Using the passive voice is often considered bad form, yet there are definitely times when using it can enhance a statement’s clarity. When used correctly and in moderation, the passive voice is helpful.
Our experience suggests that most people are able to write in both and make a choice of which voice to use based on context.
Understanding the correct use of active and passive voices will help you to write more clearly and effectively, so read on to learn more.
The Difference Between Active and Passive Voice
A sentence in the active voice describes what a person or thing does, putting emphasis on the person or thing driving an action. The subject is the ‘doer’ performing the action (verb) and typically comes before the action. In an active sentence it is immediately clear to the reader who is doing what. For example:
The dog jumped over the moon. (Active)
In contrast, the passive voice puts emphasis on the person or thing experiencing an action. The subject doing the action is not mentioned until after the action (verb) itself.
The moon was jumped over by the dog. (Passive)
You can recognise a passive sentence because it includes a form of the verb ‘to be’, followed by the past tense of the main verb (the action). Forms of the ‘to be’ verb include:
- Be
- Been
- Is
- Are
- Was
- Were
For example:
The safety manager reviews the process. (Active)
The process is reviewed by the safety manager. (Passive)
Or…
The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the offices every night. (Active)
Every night the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew. (Passive)
As you can see above, active sentences are shorter, clearer and more direct. Writing the same content in a passive voice can make it longer, wordier and more indirect.
When used inappropriately, the passive voice can obscure the subject of the sentence and confuse the reader with an awkward sentence structure.
The passive voice also lends an impersonal tone which may be perceived as formal. People can therefore overuse passive voice in an effort to sound official or to cover a lack of knowledge.
Making a Choice
We have the privilege of training individuals and teams to write more effectively.
In an informal study, we asked almost 100 of our students to write an email to friends persuading them to join a group they were a part of. When reviewing submissions, we found that almost all students had written in clear, concise and simple English, mostly made up of the active voice.
We then asked the same participants to translate a complex business piece into similarly simple terms. When we reviewed their writing, the content was still much more complex, despite the request to be as clear and concise as possible and used significantly more passive voice.
This informal experiment suggests that people make the choice to write in an active or passive manner based on the context of their writing. The choice to use passive voice can come from a perceived need to demonstrate business proficiency, yet this is not necessary!
You should always strive for clarity in your writing and being selective in your use of passive voice will help you do this.
When to Use Passive Voice
The passive voice is not something to avoid at all costs. There are times when it is the right choice.
If you are writing something that requires objectivity, such as a research paper, passive voice is useful. It allows you to more easily avoid personal pronouns and present information in an unbiased manner. It also helps focus on the action performed, if that is more important. For example:
The submissions were assessed based on the approved criteria. (Passive)
Similarly, passive voice helps if the subject needs to remain anonymous, for example:
Information was leaked. (Passive)
You can also use the passive voice when the subject of an action is unknown or is irrelevant. For example:
Each March XYZ completes a range review. (Active)
Each March, a range review is completed. (Passive)
Passive is useful when you want to avoid repetition and add variety. If the doer has already been stated and you don’t want to start every sentence with I or We, the passive voice is a better choice.
We heated the mixture to 120°C for approximately 10 minutes. We then allowed it to cool to room temperature. (Active)
The mixture was heated to 120°C for approximately 10 minutes. It was then allowed to cool to room temperature. (Passive)
In another instance you might want to use passive voice to draw attention to the person or thing affected by the action of the subject. For example:
The possum was chased by the dog. (Passive)
This sentence construction would be helpful if the possum were the focus of your writing and not the dog.
If you would like to get a better understanding of how much passive voice you use in a piece of writing, Microsoft Word’s Readability statistics show a % count. Ideally strive to keep your use of passive voice to less than 20%.
In Conclusion
Whilst the active voice is more direct, clear and concise, there are times when the passive voice is helpful and appropriate.
Think about what your reader needs to know and choose the voice that makes your text as clear and comprehensible as possible.
A good rule of thumb is to try to put the majority of your sentences in the active voice, unless you truly need to write your sentence another way. Don’t use the passive voice just because it sounds a bit fancier than the active voice.
Hone Your Skills
Would you like to learn more about how to make your written communications clear, concise and effective? TechWriter can help.
Our highly practical courses incorporate the most common problems experienced in the preparation and writing of business communications. TechWriter’s reader-focused approach is based on years of practical experience and relevant research into how people read and absorb information.
The content of our programs makes it easy for you to decide what information to include, write for multiple audiences and structure information to optimise successful outcomes.
