Tell a writer that he should avoid the passive voice in writing, and he’ll usually agree – although the passive voice is perfectly acceptable grammatically.
Most writers know that the sentence, “The cow jumped over the moon” is better than “The moon was jumped over by the cow.” However, if you check a few documents with Grammarly’s Add-in for Microsoft Office Suite, you’ll see that this ghost continues to haunt. Even veteran writers have a problem with the passive voice on occasion.
But, why?
Active voice involves writing that jumps off a page and immediately grabs a reader’s interest. Let’s look at a breakdown of passive vs. active voice (and how to switch between the two) for a better understanding:
What is an Active Sentence? Active sentences have a subject that directly performs the action of the sentence. For example: “He washed the dishes.” The subject of the sentence, the pronoun “he,” directly performs the action, “washed.”
What is a Passive Sentence? Passive sentences switch the direct object and the subject, allowing the subject to receive an action passively. For example: “The dishes were washed by him.” Here, the pronoun, “him,” takes a back seat to the target of the sentence. It is also important to notice that the verb, “washed,” got a bit longer. It turned into “were washed.” File this away in your mind for a moment. Sentence length and complexity are lures that often hook us into the regular use of passive voice.
What are “To Be” Verbs? Many times, it is the “to be” verb that alerts us to a passive voice sentence. Watch out for phrases like “have been,” “will have,” and “are being.” Although not universally the case, they often point to the use of passive voice in a sentence.
Why Use Active Voice? Active voice makes our writing more exciting and energetic. It snags a reader quickly and encourages him to continue reading. Active voice sentences are also easier to read, so using active voice broadens your audience. Finally, passive sentences are usually wordy. Active voice provides us with succinct and precise writing.
How Do You Change a Sentence from Passive to Active? Once you’ve spotted a passive sentence, changing it to active is fairly easy. Turn the direct object of the sentence into the subject. Change the form of the verb used in the sentence, and then remove any unneeded prepositional phrases, simply by removing the preposition.
Passive sentence: Yesterday, the job was completed by her.
Make “her/she” the subject, and move the object, “job.” Then, discard the preposition “by,” and move “yesterday.”
Active sentence: She completed the job yesterday.
Passive sentences can be far more complex, but the basic solution to transforming them into active voice is the same.
The Trap: Sentence complexity is the basic trap that usually locks our writing into passive voice. Often our sentences need to be complex, due to a complicated thought or a stylistic choice. However, the passives can slip in whenever complexity becomes a necessity.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that active sentences have to be simple. They do not. This insidious illusion often summons the passive voice. Let’s look at a complex sentence expressed in passive voice that can be changed to active.
Complex passive sentence: Before they left for the theatre, a pearl necklace with silver beads was given to Sally by her husband Joe.
Using the simple solution of switching the direct object and the subject works here too. Remember to remove the unnecessary preposition, “by.” The only extra step involves moving around the clauses, and this sentence becomes active.
Complex active sentence: Joe gave his wife, Sally, a pearl necklace with silver beads before they left for the theatre.
If you want much more immediate and dynamic writing, it is best to use active voice. Aside from academic use, passive voice rarely makes for sparkling prose.
How do you insure that your writing falls into the active category? The solution is simple: active voice has to become a habit. Write with it every day, and do so consciously. Whenever you see a passive sentence slip into your writing, change it to active. Soon you’ll find that your passive sentences begin to fade as your active voice naturally emerges.
No comments:
Post a Comment