![]() Passive Voice: When to Use It and When to Avoid It (University of Toronto) The article then suggests a trick to determine when to use passive or active voice. M.N. You may have learned that passive voice is bad, but did you know that there are certain instances when passive voice can be appropriate, or even the best choice for your paper? The University of North Carolina busts several myths about the passive voice, defines it in clear terms, and then provides situations when passive voice is or is not acceptable. P assive Voice (University of North Carolina) Do you want your paper to be active? Passive? Both? If you do not know the intricacies of using these forms of voice, or you just want to sharpen your active/passive knowledge, check out this site for a clear and simple explanation of the subject. Passive Voice (Towson University)Īre you writing your paper or is your paper being written by you? That last sentence contained both the active and passive voice (respectively). It will also review how to convert passive sentences into active ones. This article will explain the difference between active and passive voice and detail when to use each. However, particular situations are awkward or incorrect when expressed in the active voice. Usually, effective writing uses the active voice and dodges the passive. While the Eberly tutors hope you find these sites useful, we encourage you to come and visit us for a face-to-face session in the Writing Center. In the annotation that follows each site, a tutor explains that benefits of the site. ![]() ![]() She is the editor of Briefs, the Ingham County Bar Association e-newsletter, and The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.The Eberly tutors have identified these sites as ones that are personally useful to them. Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. Roberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News. You can start by reviewing your profile on the SBM Member Directory-is it in first person, and does it use active sentences? If so, your readers will easily and quickly learn more about you and find the information they need to contact your office. Writing in the active voice creates content that is direct, easy to understand, and quick to read. Passive voice: The dog was chased by the cat.Yes, the most common reasons are: (1) you don't want to name the actor, (2) the action that took place is more important than the actor, (3) you don't know who did the acting, or (4) you need to use a passive sentence to smoothly connect with the sentence before it.Ī quick way to find the passive sentences in your blog is to look for an extra "to be" verb-"is, are, was, were," and the word "by." ![]() Is There Ever a Reason to Use the Passive Voice? While they work well in those settings, the passive voice doesn't work well in a blog being skimmed for information. The passive voice allows the writer to omit the identity of the actor creating a rambling sentence, such as the words found in statutes and legal opinions. Passive voice: "The reasons behind their decisions must be explained by judges.".Active voice: "Judges explain the reasons for their decisions.".The sentence, "The man directed traffic." is four words long. Passive voice: "The man was arrested by the police officer." The man is the subject and isn't doing anything.Active voice: "The police officer arrested the man." The police officer is the subject and doing the arresting."In case you're a little hazy on the whole active/passive voice thing," wrote King, "it has to do with the verbs you choose." In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is doing something, while in passive voice, the subject is being acted upon: Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, states that a "passive voice equals timid voice-and timidity never makes for good writing." To keep the reader on the page, use the active rather than the passive voice. The visitors to your website and blog want writing that is clear, concise, formatted correctly, and helpful in finding the information they seek.
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