This handout is also available for download in PDF format. We refer to a sentence as being in the "active voice" when the subject is performing the action of the sentence (the verb). A sentence is in ...

As an example of the passive voice I offer the following sentence: “The dog was hit by a car.” I then ask students to make it active: “A car hit the dog.” It is usually clear that the second sentence ...

The passive voice can be useful for making writing sound more formal and objective. STEP 2 - ‘I took two slices of bread’ is an example of the active voice. Here, the subject (I) is doing the ...

To choose between active and passive voice, consider above all what you are discussing (your topic) and place it in the subject position. For example, should you write "The preprocessor sorts the ...

Which is the better way to compose your research; the direct, bold language of active voice, or the objective, nuanced tone of passive voice? We’ve gathered two expert wordsmiths from the world of ...

However, in each pair one sentence uses the active voice and one uses the passive ... is closer to the beginning of the sentence. For example:‘The exam was passed by the pupil’ would change ...

Writing in the active voice makes the meaning clear while keeping sentences from becoming complicated and wordy. Sentences using passive voice are not necessarily wrong, just less effective than ...

Here is an appropriate example: "In the past three decades ... If only for the sake of using fewer words, then, the active voice is ordinarily preferable to the passive voice.