Here’s a question from Brian in Iowa. He writes, “It drives me crazy when people write in passive voice. How can I teach people how to tell the difference between passive and active voice and to stay away from passive voice?” Well, Brian is right, the first step is to help peopl...
Even in scientific writing, overuse of passive voice or use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences can cause readers to lose interest or to become confused. Sentences in active voice are generally--though not always-- clearer and more direct than those in passive voice. passive (...
Rhodes,S.The Active and Passive Voice are Equally Comprehensible in Scientific Writing. . 1997The Active and Passive Voice are Equally Comprehensible in Scientific Writing. Rhodes,S. . 1997Rhodes, S. (1997). The Active and Passive Voice are Equally Comprehensible in Scientific Writing. UMI, A ...
People love to tell others what to do with their voice: “Lower your voice,” or “Save your voice.” And one suggestion that causes a lot of confusion is: “When faced with active voice vs. passive voice in your writing, use your active voice when possible.” My active voice? Not m...
Although seasoned writers usually prefer active voice, passive voice still has a place. For example, scientific writing often relies on passive voice to evoke a sense of subjectivity and authority. Also, passive voice allows a writer to emphasize the action rather than the actor. The key to wri...
Although it’s commonly suggested to avoid passive voice in writing in favor of active voice, there are times when passive voice is the best choice. Most times, active voice is optimal. Whether you’re crafting a compelling narrative, presenting scientific findings, or composing a business ...
Use the active voice whenever you can because it conveys more energy than the passive voice and results in more concise writing. Use the passive voice when you don't know who is taking the action (actor), when you don't want to name the actor, or when you want to emphasize the person...
Passive Tenses and Active Equivalents:Notice that in passive sentences, the tense of the verb 'to be' corresponds to the tense of the main verb in the active voice:I keep the butter in the fridge. (Active) The butter is kept in the fridge. (Passive)The painting was stolen. ...
less preferred than active voice sentences, later studies pointed out a number of communication situations when passive sentences were not more difficult to process and were indeed preferred to their active counterparts.; The present investigation focused on the use of passive voice in scientific ...
If you are teaching students to write scientific papers in the passive voice, STOP! There is no reason for students to practice bad writing. If, at some point in the future, they actually have to write like that, they can write a first draft in the active voice and then translate. ...