Blog:
In other words
Active versus passive voice
Remember those English lessons about active and passive voice? Did your teacher tell you that you should avoid passive voice in your writing? Well, I am here to tell you that both voices are fine, as long as you use them appropriately and in the right context.
Active voice is a direct writing style. It tells us who made an action happen. Example: “We used ANOVA to analyze the differences in the means.” Passive voice is more objective and detached: It focuses on what happened rather than who made it happen. Example: “ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in the means.”
So when should we use active voice, and when is passive voice better?
In this article, I describe the differences between active and passive voice and when we should use them. Don’t worry: I won’t drone on about the grammatical structure and how exactly a passive sentence is formed.
I will focus on how these two voices impact our writing and how we can skillfully apply them depending on the message we want to get across.
What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?
Active and passive are grammatical voices we can use as stylistic tools depending on which part of a sentence we want to emphasize.
Consider the following sentences:
“We used ANOVA to analyze the differences in the patient groups.” (Active voice)
“ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in the patient groups.” (Passive voice)
Note that the sentence in passive voice sounds more detached and less direct than the sentence in active voice. That is because passive voice focuses on what happened (ANOVA was used) rather than who did it (we, the researchers).
In active voice, the focus is on the actor who performs the action, which is expressed by the verb. The tone is direct and clear.
Here is another example:
“The dog chased the kitten.” (Active voice)
The dog is the subject and performs the action of chasing the kitten (the object of the sentence).
Now consider this version:
“The kitten was chased by the dog.” (Passive voice)
Here, the focus is on the kitten, which becomes the subject of the sentence. The action is the kitten being chased. The dog is the object.
In passive voice, the focus is on the action, not the actor. In other words, the subject is being acted on or affected by the verb.
You can often recognize passive voice by a form of “to be” (was, has been, etc.) followed by a past participle of the main verb and, if known, the object of the sentence (“by XY”).
And that’s all I will say about the grammatical structure of active and passive voice. That wasn’t that bad, was it? Now let’s look at the different situations in which you should use these different voices.
When should you use active voice?
You use active voice when you want the tone in your writing to be clear and direct. Active voice makes your sentences less wordy and complicated. The reader easily understands who performs the action.
Imagine you have to give a eulogy at your best friend’s funeral. Which of the following versions is better:
“My friend was great. Peter could always be counted on when needed. Whenever there was a problem with my family, he could be contacted for moral support. And the best steaks in the world were made by him.”
Or this:
“Peter was my best friend. I could always count on him when I needed his help. Any time I had a problem with my family, he was there for me to provide moral support. And he made the best steaks in the world.”
Do you see how the first version sounds more distant and clunky than the second? That is the effect of the passive voice (e.g., “could be counted on” versus “I could count on him”). In a eulogy, the speaker wants to connect with the audience and elicit emotion. One of the best ways to do this is to use active voice.
So what about academic writing, then? Does that mean that we should not use active voice in our papers at all? No. We should absolutely incorporate active voice in our scholarly work, but the trick is to do so in the appropriate places and with the appropriate frequency.
For example, we should use active voice in the sections of our paper where a more explicit tone is desirable, such as in the introduction and discussion.
Rather than writing: “In our study, it was shown that …”, we can be more direct and succinct by identifying the subject: “In our study, we showed that …”.
In academic writing, we often discuss complex subject matters, so we need to use as few words as possible to avoid tiring the reader out. Passive voice tends to make a text wordier, so it often helps to switch some sentences to active voice.
However, there are instances where passive voice is more appropriate.
When should you use passive voice?
We use passive voice when we want to sound objective and authoritative, or we want to emphasize the action, not the actor.
For example, in academic writing, we need to use an objective tone. This applies in particular to the methods section where we describe the steps we have taken to answer our research question, e.g., how we sampled our data, which statistical tools we used (and why we chose them) to analyze our data, etc.
As the author, we don’t need to specify who performed the statistical analyses. It is more important for the reader to know which actions were taken rather than who took them.
In those cases, we can use passive voice more often.
However, in academic writing, you need to make sure that you strike the right balance between active and passive voice. Otherwise, your writing sounds overly detached and wordy (“It was determined that …”; “The data were analyzed …”).
If you randomly select five published scientific articles, you will see that the authors switch between passive voice and active voice throughout their paper. Academic writing doesn’t have to be boring, so we need to be sure to use the two voices in the appropriate sections.
Another great example of where we often find passive voice is in the news:
A news statement sounds more objective in passive voice. For example, if it is unclear who has performed the action, reporters can use passive voice to focus the message more on what has happened rather than who made it happen.
Take the following example:
“The store was robbed last night.”
The sentence does not say who the perpetrator was (it could have been one person, or it could have been several). Perhaps the authorities don’t know yet who has committed the crime. Or perhaps they have a suspect but do not want to share that information with the public quite yet.
Thus the report focuses on the fact that a robbery occurred rather than providing a vague statement or making an accusation that could turn out to be false.
You should use passive voice in the following situations:
- When you want to emphasize the action, not the actor. Example: “Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences in the groups.”
- When you do not want to name the actor (be tactful). Example: “The store was robbed last night.”
- When you do not know who the actor is, or the actor is unimportant. Example: “Patients were treated twice a week.”
- When you want to sound authoritative. Example: “Dogs are prohibited inside the compound.”
Carefully think about the information you want to emphasize in each sentence and consider how the different voices affect the flow.
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- In active voice, the focus is on the actor who performs the action, which is expressed by the verb. Use active voice when you want the tone to be clear and direct.
- In passive voice, the focus is on the action, not the actor. Use passive voice when you want to sound objective, authoritative, or want to emphasize the action, not the actor.
- Make sure to switch between active and passive voice throughout your writing to maintain an appropriate pace, but also choose the voice that suits the tone of your particular text.
- Always bear in mind your target readership and what you want them to think or feel while reading.
- Consider the information you want to emphasize in each sentence.
I hope you now have a better idea of the differences between active and passive voice and when you should use them in your writing.
Are you unsure whether you are correctly using passive and active voice in your text? Whether it’s an academic paper or a piece of creative writing, I’m happy to help you choose the appropriate voice for your text.
Christina Stinn is a professional translator, proofreader, and editor with a background in ecological research and experience in publishing peer-reviewed articles in academic journals. She is a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and has a M.Sc. degree in International Nature Conservation. So far her work has included fiction and non-fiction books, academic journal articles, and marketing materials in English and German. She loves working with clients who strive to bring their writing to the next level and enjoys taking part in their journey. Find out more
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
