Your use of active and passive voice in your content can have a significant impact on the clarity and effectiveness of your message. It’s therefore important to understand the different purposes and nuances so that you can use these constructions effectively.
What’s the difference between active and passive voice?
The key difference between active and passive voice is that with active voice, it’s clear who is performing the action, whereas with passive voice the subject performing the action is not included at all or is secondary to the action:
Active: Your financial adviser will submit the application forms on your behalf.
Passive, no subject: Your application forms will be submitted.
Passive, with subject: Your application forms will be submitted by your financial adviser.
Note that the subject does not necessarily have to be a person:
Active: Complexity often characterises employee contracts.
Passive: Employee contracts are often characterised by their level of complexity.
Active voice is generally preferred for its directness and clarity
Sentences written in active voice are generally more straightforward, easier to understand and shorter. Active voice also conveys a sense of responsibility and accountability in terms of who is taking the relevant action. In the first example above, this means that if you find out your forms have not been submitted, you know who to follow up with, i.e. your adviser. This is especially important in B2C (business-to-consumer) communication, where building trust and credibility is key.
When to use passive voice
Despite the prevalence of active voice, there are instances where using passive voice is acceptable and even preferable:
1. When the object is more important than the subject
Sometimes the action is more critical than who’s performing the action. Think of an actor receiving a lifetime achievement award or a new president being sworn in. The focus should be on the actor or the president, not on the person handing over the award or conducting the swearing-in ceremony, which is irrelevant. Phrasing like “The president was sworn in on Tuesday” will therefore be the best option.
2. When you don’t know who took the action
Passive voice is also appropriate in cases where the doer of the action is unknown. Consider the sentence “My house was broken into yesterday”. Irrespective of the identity of the intruder and whether or not they will be caught, the fact is that your house was broken into.
3. When it’s not important who the subject is
You can also use passive voice when the identity of the subject is unimportant. “The grass was cut yesterday” simply confirms that the task has been completed, emphasising the result rather than the doer.
4. In broad statements presenting widely accepted opinions and norms
Passive voice is useful to express general truths or widely accepted norms, such as “Rules are made to be broken”, indicating the universal nature of the statement.
Choose wisely
Understanding when to use active and passive voice can make your writing more impactful and effective. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. To make the right choice you must consider the purpose of your communication, for example the key messages you want to convey, the appropriate tone and level of formality, and which actions you want readers to take. Taking this custom approach can help you optimise your use of active and passive voice to reach your objectives and engage your readers.
