Which Style of Writing Is Better: Active or Passive?

Q: What is the use of the active and passive voice in my everyday life?

Always evaluate whether to use the passive or active voice while writing. It depends on what you want to portray as the writer: if you want to attract attention to the doer, use the passive voice; if you want to focus on the action, use the active voice. For example, "The book was read by many people" uses the passive voice because readers are the ones who do the reading, not the book. "People read the book" uses the active voice because it describes what happens to the book instead of referring to someone or something that is done. In general, avoid using the passive voice unless you have a good reason to do so. For example, don't use it to hide information or escape responsibility, especially when you're writing about things that happened earlier in time. Instead, choose an active voice construction so that your readers can follow what's going on more easily.

Q: Which is the clearest voice for writing?

In general, we talk and write in active voice, which is seen to be more clear and straightforward. When sentences are phrased in the passive voice, it implies that something is being done to the subject. For example, "The book was read by everyone." Here, everyone is the recipient of the action of reading the book. Passive sentences can be used to show causation. For example, "People come to see the exhibit because there is a display about dinosaurs." Or, "Children like eating apples because they contain vitamin C." But often, its use is confusing and causes readers to lose track of who is doing what to whom. Active sentences always show who or what is performing an action and how this person or thing is making things happen. They can also be used to show why someone has done something or to explain complex processes. For example, "Students attend class because it is required for graduation." Or, "Animals eat vegetables because they contain vitamins." Active sentences are usually easy to understand because you know who is acting and why they are acting like they are. Clear language is important for getting your message across so that people understand what you are saying. It is also useful when you want to avoid confusion or conflict. Choosing clear words will help you create correct sentences with minimal ambiguity.

The active voice is preferable in this extremely basic statement. It is more succinct (shorter), direct, and powerful. In this situation, the passive voice is very wordy and clumsy. It is used when you cannot or do not want to use the active voice.

What is the difference between the active and passive voices? In short, they are different ways of expressing a single idea. Using the active voice gives your sentence more power and clarity. The passive voice is used when you do not want to commit yourself to one specific way of saying something.

For example, instead of saying "I like eating apples," you could say "Apples taste good." You are not committing yourself to liking only apples; you are just stating what has been discovered about the situation. This keeps your sentence neutral and does not suggest that you only like apples.

Now let's look at how these styles can be applied to writing. In general, the active voice is best for descriptive writing because it is more precise and less vague. The passive voice is used when you do not want to specify exactly which part of speech each word belongs to so that it can take on other meanings within the sentence.

Which style of writing is better: active or passive?
What is the use of the active and passive voice in my everyday life?
Which is the clearest voice for writing?
What is using an active voice in writing?

What is the use of the active and passive voice in my everyday life?

Always evaluate whether to use the passive or active voice while writing. It depends on what you want to portray as the writer: if you want to attract attention to the doer, use the passive voice; if you want to focus on the action, use the active voice. For example, "The book was read by many people" uses the passive voice because readers are the ones who do the reading, not the book. "People read the book" uses the active voice because it describes what happens to the book instead of referring to someone or something that is done.

In general, avoid using the passive voice unless you have a good reason to do so. For example, don't use it to hide information or escape responsibility, especially when you're writing about things that happened earlier in time. Instead, choose an active voice construction so that your readers can follow what's going on more easily.

Which is the clearest voice for writing?

In general, we talk and write in active voice, which is seen to be more clear and straightforward. When sentences are phrased in the passive voice, it implies that something is being done to the subject. For example, "The book was read by everyone." Here, everyone is the recipient of the action of reading the book.

Passive sentences can be used to show causation. For example, "People come to see the exhibit because there is a display about dinosaurs." Or, "Children like eating apples because they contain vitamin C." But often, its use is confusing and causes readers to lose track of who is doing what to whom.

Active sentences always show who or what is performing an action and how this person or thing is making things happen. They can also be used to show why someone has done something or to explain complex processes. For example, "Students attend class because it is required for graduation." Or, "Animals eat vegetables because they contain vitamins." Active sentences are usually easy to understand because you know who is acting and why they are acting like they are.

Clear language is important for getting your message across so that people understand what you are saying. It is also useful when you want to avoid confusion or conflict. Choosing clear words will help you create correct sentences with minimal ambiguity.

What is using an active voice in writing?

The active voice is used to express a phrase in which the subject does the action specified by the verb. It has a simple subject + verb + object structure that is easy to understand. Indeed, statements written in the active voice have an effect on your writing. The verb acts on the subject while using passive voice. In general, sentences written in the active voice are more direct and assertive than those written in the passive voice.

Examples of verbs used in the active voice include: study, apply, use, sell, buy, give, hire, fire, promote, demote, complain, ask, order, admit, deny, forgive, commit, convict, protect, train, visit, write.

Verbs such as sit, stand, walk, run, drive, fly, sink, climb, stretch, yawn, laugh, cry, drink, eat, sleep, read, watch, radio, television (TV), listen to music, use computers, phone, email, social media - these verbs tend to be used in a passive voice. They are not done actively. They remain the same regardless of who or what is doing them. Writing sentences in which these verbs appear in the passive voice makes your writing vague and unclear.

It is very important to use the active voice when you write. This allows your readers to understand who is doing the acting and why they are doing it.