Writers, bloggers, and marketing professionals are often told to write in an active voice. While there is nothing wrong with using the passive voice, most readers prefer the active voice for non-scientific content. Active voice sentences are typically shorter and less likely to create confusion than those written in the passive voice.

If you're wondering how to write in an active voice, know that practice is the key. Start with your blog or marketing copy. Look for passive voice sentences and try to convert them to the active voice.

For example, would you prefer to say "The technician fixed my computer" or "My computer was fixed by the technician?" The first sentence sounds better, isn't it? It's shorter, easier to read, and highlights the logical flow of action.

But what's the difference between the two from a reader's standpoint? Does it matter when it comes to search engine optimization? Most importantly, when should you use the active voice and when to use passive voice sentences?

Let's find out!

Active vs. Passive Voice

Medical journals, technical reports, and scientific studies typically use the passive voice. Mose sentences contain a form of "to be" followed by a past participle verb.

This structure emphasizes the object or person receiving the action. The active voice, on the other hand, emphasizes the object or person performing the action.

Most readers prefer the active voice over the passive voice—and so do the search engines. However, passive voice sentences have a role in oral and written communication.

For example, it's recommended to use the passive voice when the performer is irrelevant or unknown, as in: "The house was built in 1965." In this case, the name of the building company (the "performer") is not relevant.

Likewise, you may use passive voice sentences when the performer is less important than the action, such as "The phone was charged for three hours."

As far as non-technical writing goes, the active voice is your best bet. Active voice sentences are more dynamic and succinct and have a strong, direct tone. Here are a few examples:

• Children love this game.
• The dog chased the cat for hours.
• Most stores sell fish oil and other supplements rich in omega-3s.

These sentences have a basic structure: subject, verb, and object. Passive voice sentences, by comparison, start with the object followed by a passive verb. The preposition "by" typically precedes the subject.

Note that using the verb "to be" (in any form) doesn't always constitute the passive voice.

For example, the sentence "Your kids are concerned about this problem" isn't passive. "Are," the plural form of the verb "to be," is simply describing how they feel about a particular situation.

Why Is It Important to Use the Active Voice?

The active voice can make your writing more powerful and engaging. Plus, your readers won't have to guess what you mean.

Active voice sentences clearly state the action being performed, which helps eliminate confusion. They also use concrete verbs, making it easier to communicate with your readers.

Passive verbs, by comparison, make your writing sound more formal. They may also give the impression that very little action is taking place. As a result, your brand story or blog posts will be less engaging.

When you use the active voice, your tone becomes more conversational and natural. This approach also evokes emotions, as in: "The criminals stole her purse and left her in tears." Don't you feel sorry for the character after reading this?

Depending on the context, the active voice may create a sense of urgency. Plus, it makes your sentences more concise and less wordy.

Need one more reason to use the active voice in your writing? Think about search engine optimization, or SEO.

Yoast and other SEO tools take into account the number of passive verbs as part of their readability analysis. A blog post, article, or website page that overuses the passive voice will be more difficult to read and understand. As a result, it may affect your SEO efforts, as well as the message you want to convey.

Passive voice sentences are more complex and hence require more cognitive effort than those using the active voice. Your readers may lose interest or find the text ambiguous.

As a rule of thumb, you should try to get your point across in as few words as possible. That's where the active voice can make all the difference.

Learn How to Write in an Active Voice

Writing in the active voice is easier than you think. First, check your content for passive voice sentences. Pay attention to the following aspects:

• Sentences and phrases that include the "by" clause
• The subject is not explicitly stated
• Forms of the verb "to be," such as "have been," "was," or "where"
• Past participle verbs, such as those ending in "-ed"

Always focus on who the subject is.

In an active sentence, the subject is the person or object performing the action, as in: "The tourists polluted the lake." If you say "The lake was polluted by tourists," that's a passive voice sentence.

Sometimes, you may need to read the entire paragraph or text to identify the subject. If the subject is somewhat anonymous, you may use a general term like "people," "scientists," or "they" when switching to the active voice. The overall message should remain unchanged.

No one expects you to write an entire page in the active voice. The key is to figure out where you should use active voice sentences and where it's preferable to switch to the passive voice.

Make Your Writing More Engaging and Concise

Whether you're a published author, blogger, or marketer, there is always room for improvement. Start by learning how to write in an active voice. Think of it as a simple, effective way to make your content more engaging.

Remember that practice makes it perfect. Join our team to hone your writing skills and build a meaningful career! If you're a business owner, sign up on our platform to hire top talent.

In order to write effective copy, you need to understand the core mechanics of grammar and sentence structure. A common issue that writers encounter involves the use of passive voice, and many people aren't sure how to use it appropriately.

Not quite sure how to begin? We’ve got all the info you need.

Let's explore everything you should keep in mind about how to write in a passive voice.

What Exactly Is Passive Voice?

As the name suggests, passive voice involves phrasing your sentence in a way that isn't quite as strong or direct as 'active voice.' In general, the subject of a sentence in passive voice has something done to it as opposed to the subject performing the action.

Let's take a look at a variation of the same sentence in both active voice and passive voice.

• Active: Mom slammed the door.
• Passive: The door was slammed by Mom.

We previously established that, in the passive voice, the subject is the part of the sentence that the verb affects. This means that 'Mom' is no longer relevant once the sentence is changed from active to passive.

So, you could even phrase the sentence like this:

"The door was slammed."

In this scenario, the above sentence in its 'purest' form of passive voice isn't very interesting. It also doesn't tell the reader the circumstances, such as that Mom was the one who slammed the door.

How Can I Recognize a Sentence in Passive Voice?

In general, it's fairly easy to discern when you're reading a sentence in the passive voice. More often than not, it will sound overly 'wordy' or awkward. But, it's not always this obvious in every case.

You can quickly figure out whether or not a sentence is in passive voice by looking for specific keywords. Some of these include:

• Was
• By
• Are
• Were
• Is

More often than not, the above words are used when writing a sentence in the passive voice. A few examples are:

• The ball was hit by Brady.
• The candy was eaten.
• Each year, food is given to the homeless.

Of course, you'll still need to use your best judgment— not every passive sentence is quite this obvious.

Why Do People Advise Against Using Passive Voice?

When used incorrectly, passive voice easily detracts from the overall clarity of the sentence. As we saw with the sentence about slamming the door, the passive voice version removed the subject 'Mom' entirely.

In many scenarios, it could be difficult to determine who slammed the door. Let's give that particular sentence more context.:

Due to the overwhelming amounts of homework David had to deal with, he didn't complete the chores like his mother had asked him to. When she arrived home at 6 PM, she entered his bedroom and the two got into a heated argument. The door was slammed.

As you can see, it's unclear whether David or his mother was the one who slammed the door, resulting in a loss of overall clarity.

In copywriting, it's best to do all that you can in order to establish a high-quality experience for the reader. This means that you should generally avoid using the passive voice unless you're able to do so effectively.

But, that doesn't mean that you can't ever use it.

When Is It Appropriate to Use?

There are a handful of situations where using passive voice can actually be more effective as opposed to active voice.

For example, it's particularly useful for placing less emphasis on irrelevant actors. In turn, this places more emphasis on the subject of the sentence.

Example: Over 100 fires were ignited last week throughout the entire state, and law enforcement is struggling to find an answer.

In this scenario, the perpetrator(s) who started the fires haven't yet been identified, so the main focus is on the fires. The same use of passive voice is applicable in sentences where the reader doesn't need to know who's responsible for the action.

Passive voice can also be sued to emphasize a particular object.

Example: The clock displayed that there were 60 seconds of time left, and only two more points were needed to win the game.

PAssive voice helps make the scenario much more captivating to the reader.

How Can I Use It Creatively?

You can easily use passive voice to help deflect blame that's associated with a statement. Unfortunately, this is something we often see with politicians.

Instead of saying "They were responsible for the accident," you could say "an accident occurred." This is ideal for acknowledging situations where you don't want to place the blame directly on another party.

As previously mentioned, you can also use passive voice creatively in order to emphasize certain parts of a sentence. A common example would be when writing about an incident that resulted in the injury or death of another individual.

It's far more common to write "(celebrity) was killed in a plane crash" than "there was a plane crash earlier this afternoon that killed (celebrity) and five others."

As long as using passive voice provides extra value to your writing, it's more than likely an appropriate option.

Understanding How to Write in a Passive Voice Can Seem Complicated

But the above information will make the process far smoother. From here, you’ll be able to know how to write in a passive voice and how to recognize the most appropriate times to do so.

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