By Zombies: Active vs. Passive Voice

 

As a technical writer for the Federal Government by day, the issue of passive versus active voice is often the subject at the center of editing sessions. Active voice increases clarity and ease of readability and strengthens the message. Using passive voice is not an error, per se, and may be preferred stylisticly for some writers. I aim for 80% active voice in my writing or better. Writing with active voice is the most challenging concept for new writers at my work to learn. Let's break it down. What is the difference between passive and active voice? With passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. For example, the car was driven by the girl. With active voice, the subject does the action. For example, the girl drove the car. Here is a little trick to differentiate passive and active voice. Add the words "by zombies" at the end of a sentence; if it makes grammatical sense, it is passive. Let's test it out. The report was edited and returned...by zombies. The active voice alternative is as follows: I edited and returned the report. Here are a few more examples. Passive: The battle was lost... by zombies. Active: We lost the battle. Passive: A cake is being baked...by zombies. Active: Ryan baked a cake. Passive: The puzzle was solved...by zombies. Active: He solved the puzzle. And, if you don't like to think about zombies, feel free to use a substitution. Instead of zombies, consider using dinosaurs, fairies, or puppies. Happy writing!! Image by Freepik.com