The Mechanics

Good Morning! It's Wednesday once again and the day I talk about the mechanics of writing.

Today I thought I'd talk about active and passive voice.

Active voice is a way of using verbs in an' active' way. It is more engaging to the reader and uses less words than passive voice. For example, "The Gazette released a new report on writers' needs today."

The passive voice, on the other hand, would sound like this, "A new report on writers' needs has been released today by The Gazette."

Both are grammatically correct. In the active voice, the verb and subject of the sentence are closer together thus the action in the sentence happens more quickly for the reader.

In passive voice, the verb and subject are usually further apart and it takes the reader longer to find out what information the sentence conveys.

Active voice is the right tone to use when you want to engage your reader quickly.

It is used more now than ever before and complements the current trend of using simple language wherever and whenever possible. Because active voice shortens sentences and creates action quickly it is an ideal technique to use when documents need to be brief, easily understood and to the point.

So when should we use passive voice?

Passive voice can be useful when linking two sentences. For example, the political climate changes in response to the economic situation of the country. This economic situation can be influenced by foreign investors as well.

The second sentence has been written in the passive voice to help the reader follow the argument quickly and easily. This is a solid technique, especially when you are trying to convey complicated ideas and arguments clearly and precisely. (You will see the passive voice throughout legal documents. No wonder they're usually so long and meandering!)

I have also noticed that we often speak in the passive voice, for example, "He would have gone home earlier if he had known his headache was going to turn into a migraine."

I think that this is likely why a lot of people naturally write in the passive voice. As an editor, I often have to recast sentences to the active voice. I think for a lot of people it just feels more natural to write like they speak. That's likely how the words play out in their head, like dialogue.

The active and passive voice both have their uses and used correctly each is equally valuable.

The rule of thumb is to tailour your document for the intended audience and use as much active voice as you can.