![]() The theory goes that passive voice is inferior in writing because it’s less direct and less forceful. For example: ‘The blog was being written by a tedious know-it-all.’ Active voice, on the other hand, puts the subject first, followed by the verb: ‘The tedious know it all wrote the blog.’Īs you can see, the distinction is a bit vague until it’s pointed out to you, and we all see examples every day of passive voice without noticing it at all. ![]() Passive voice can be defined as a sentence where the object of the verb comes first, and usually involves use of the verb form was or were. While it might seem obvious to people who work in language in any capacity, some folks don’t. Activeįirst, let’s make sure we all know what I mean. And I don’t buy it: Passive voice is no worse or better than active voice, and vice versa. But since I do work in language translation I think I do have some insight into the question, and I’ve put some thought into it. Now, I work in translation and not as a professional writer – despite the obvious greatness of this blog. Everyone simply agrees that passive voice is bad form and active voice is better – but I’ve never been sure that’s true. Chances are you’ve heard this in other writing scenarios as well – it’s become one of those widely accepted truisms. If you’ve ever taken a creative writing course – even a low-level, basic one – chances are you have been told in no uncertain terms to avoid the passive voice when writing. While most writing advice says to avoid passive voice, that isn’t a universally agreed-upon rule.
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