Active vs passive writing
Writing is a magical craft that allows the writer to breathe life into mere words. Part of this craft is understanding the nuances of language, particularly when choosing between active and passive voice. It might seem like a minor grammatical decision, but it can significantly impact the clarity, engagement, and power of your prose.
What are active and passive voices?
Before we delve deeper, let’s clarify what we mean by active and passive voice.
Active voice: The subject of the sentence performs the action. In simple terms, it follows a “doer-action-object” structure.
Example: “The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).”
Passive voice: The subject of the sentence is acted upon by some other agent or by something unnamed.
Example: “The mouse (subject) was chased (verb) by the cat (agent).”
When should you use active voice?
For clarity and directness: Active voice is direct and to the point, leaving little room for misinterpretation.
To create dynamic writing: Action sequences or any situation where there’s energy, in particular, benefit from active voice. It drives the story forward.
To establish authority: When you want to sound assertive or convey confidence in your writing, active voice is your ally.
When should you use passive voice?
To emphasise the action, not the doer: If the focus is on what happened rather than who did it.
Example: “A cure for the disease was discovered.” Here, the emphasis is on the discovery rather than the scientist.
To introduce variety: Passive voice can vary sentence structure, which can be useful in breaking the monotony of repeated active voice sentences.
For formal or scientific writing: In some scientific contexts, the “doer” of the action might be irrelevant compared to the action itself.
Pitfalls of passive voice
It can make writing vague: Over-relying on passive voice can lead to ambiguity about who is responsible for an action.
It might slow down the pace: Passive sentences can be wordier than their active counterparts.
May diminish impact: Passive voice can sometimes dampen the impact or urgency of a statement.
Benefits of active voice
Engages the reader: Active voice often feels more ‘alive’, pulling readers into the narrative.
Creates clearer statements: Active sentences are typically more concise and straightforward, reducing the risk of confusion.
Offers stronger storytelling: Particularly in fiction, active voice can lend more punch to a narrative, making events feel immediate and dynamic.
Tips to find and rectify passive voice
- Look for “to be” verbs like is, are, was, were, be, being, and been.
- Identify sentences where the doer of the action isn’t clear or comes after the action.
- Use grammar check tools – many highlight passive constructions.
Choosing your battles
Active and passive voice are tools in a writer’s toolkit. Neither is inherently bad or good; they serve different purposes. The key is to be conscious of when and why you’re using them, ensuring your choices align with the effect you want to achieve. The road to mastering voice in writing is paved with practice, so keep refining, revising, and, most importantly, writing!
