Passive Sentences Versus Active Sentences

When I decided that it was time to quit my office job and become a full-time freelance writer, I also discovered that I was in serious need of a refresher course in English. I enrolled in college classes, read everything I could get my hands on and reviewed various websites in my quest to re-discover proper grammar. While trying to get various writing styles down, I discovered that many content sites wanted writers to write articles using an "active" voice as opposed to a "passive" voice. (Maybe I'm not the smartest tool in the shed, but I'm sure I'm not the first one who had no idea what this meant. After all, high school, for me, was a million years ago.) This is why it's important for beginning writers to take a step back in time and revisit their high school English course. Back then, sentence structure wasn't the most important thing in the world, what with parties to attend, friends to socialize with and all of the gossip going around.


Simply put, in a sentence constructed with an active voice, the subject acts. Mike swung the bat. This sentence is cuts to the point and the tells the reader what is happening. What did Mike do? He swung the bat, that much is obvious, but when the same sentence is written in a passive voice the author tends to sound unsure of Mike's actions. The bat was swung by Mike. Timid writers will use a passive voice, because to most people constructing a sentence in a passive voice makes them "sound" more intelligent. In fact, the opposite is true. Passive sentences tend to sound awkward and contain words that are unnecessary. When a writer writes in a passive voice, the subject isn't taking action, instead the subject has something done to it or is simply in a state of being. (As is poor Mike when the bat was swung by him.)

Active Sentence:

The cat scratched the boy.

Passive Sentence:

The boy was scratched by the cat.

There are instances when a passive voice should be used, (The robbery was committed at 10 PM. In this case, the subject of the sentence is unknown and a passive voice is necessary.) but in most cases and active voice is preferred. Companies want writers to master this skill. Not only does writing in an active voice make the writer sound more knowledgeable in the subject they are writing about, but it engages the reader and holds their interest longer. Master this skill; you will be glad you did.

Still unsure about your skills? Review what the sites below have to say and try your hand at some of the activities they list.

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