Be active, not passive.
Active voice is dynamic and adds energy to your writing. When you use active voice you identify the “actor” in the document, and your writing seems more personal. Active voice sentences are direct, concise, and easy to understand. It shows accountability.
Passive voice sentences use forms of the verb “to be”: is, are, am, was, were, be, been. Passive voice tells what happened and gives the reader less information than active voice. Passive voice sentences are harder for some people to follow. Passive voice also gives your writing a more formal tone.
Sometimes, passive voice is appropriate. Use passive voice when you don’t want to identify the actor or you don’t know who performed the action. It can also be politically correct to not identify the actor. For example, it might be more politic to write, “We lost the bid because the cost analysis was not included,” not “We lost the bid because James forgot to include the cost analysis.”
Use of active or passive voice also depends on what you want to emphasize. For example, how does the emphasis shift in each sentence below?
The company was founded in 1833.
Abraham Stokes founded the company in 1833.
In the first sentence, the emphasis is on the company; in the second, it’s on the founder.
The sentences that follow are written in passive voice and have been rewritten in active voice.
Passive: The car was test-driven by a potential buyer.
Active:
Passive: The chart is designed to help readers follow the process.
Active:
Passive: A check for $15 is being sent to you.
Active:
Passive: The process may be changed only with the approval of a vice president or higher.
Active:
Passive: It has been determined that the new procedures will be able to save the organization time and money.
Active:
Passive: A list of faculty can be found on page 33.
Active:
