Summary

While many comments on TRP decry poor writing skills, I have seen very few posts that go over actual techniques to help improve writing. This post will explain a very common technique in writing: passive versus active voice.

Body

Utilizing active voice in writing immensely improves clarity and readability of one’s thoughts. Used primarily for non-scientific writing, active voice tends to make writing easier to understand, and lowers the amount of words necessary to relate a point. The core principle at work in active writing relates back to the subject of a sentence. In active voice, the subject of the sentence will perform the action, whereas in passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action.

For example, here are a couple sentences that relate the same information in both passive and active voice.

Passive voice:

It is believed by the candidate that a ceiling must be placed on the budget by Congress.

Active voice:

The candidate believes that Congress must place a ceiling on the budget.

Passive voice:

The man was bitten by the dog.

Active voice:

The dog bit the man.

The simplest and most straightforward use of active voice begins with the removal, or at least the purposeful use, of being verbs. Quite simply, one can define a being verb as any variation on the verb “to be.” Notice the passive sentences above use the verbs “is,” “be” and “was,” whereas the active sentence removes these verbs. These verbs and phrases invoke passive voice by distancing the subject from the action in the sentence. Here’s a short list of common “being verbs”:

Has been

Will be

Been

Being

Be

Are

Were

Is

Am

Was

Including these words in writing will not always detract from the writing, however in order to write actively, one must choose specifically when to include passive voice in a sentence, and avoid the trap of relying on being verbs to relate a point. There are many good reasons to use passive voice in a sentence, however the majority of writers tend to rely on passive voice to make a point, instead of coherently deciding when and where to use passive voice versus active voice in their writing. For a more in-depth guide on changing passive sentences to active sentences, here’s a link from Towson University on the subject:https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/activepass.htm

Lessons Learned:

• Active voice tends to garner better results in any sort of non-scientific, persuasive writing.
• The majority of writers use passive voice unconsciously. Choosing when and where to employ passive and active voice will make you more aware of your writing style, and help you clearly emphasize your points.
• Writing style and skill in writing are incredibly important tools in life. A man must not only train his body, but his mind as well.

Tip Burritohunter for their post.