What is the active voice? A sentence is in the active voice when the subject does the acting instead of being the recipient of the acting. Active: Jim wrote a report on the study. Passive: The study report was written by Jim.

What is an active verb? A verb that conveys action—as opposed to a verb that merely links the subject to a thought. Active: Jim tossed the report away. Linking: Jim was tired of the report.

Active Verbs (Active Voice) Versus Passive Verbs (Passive Voice) Active verbs express meaning more emphatically and vigorously than their weaker counterparts— forms of the verb be or verbs in the passive voice. Forms of the verb be (is, am, are, be, being, been, were was,) lack vigor because they convey no action. Verbs in the passive voice lack strength because their subjects receive the action instead of doing it.

The active voice is generally stronger. Both kinds of verbs are useful in writing. That’s why we have both. But, unless you’re a diplomat or bureaucrat or some other kind of weasel, you need to rely on the active voice more than the passive.

Compare passages in the active and passive voices to see for yourself which is more effective. Stay away from the hot wire. It can kill you. The hot wire should be avoided. You can be killed by it.

The whistle was sounded by the referee. At twilight, the little house could hardly be seen by passersby. The ball was tossed high into the air Who’s doing it? To change a sentence from the passive to the active voice, determine carefully who or what is performing the action…

Example: Passive: Results will be published in the next issue of the journal. Active: The researchers will publish their results in the next issue of the journal. Wait…WHO is doing it? Sometimes the performer of the action does not appear in a passive-voice sentence. (This is popular with politicians)

Why bother? Quit trying to up the word count Example: Original: Burying nuclear waste in Antarctica would be in violation of an international treaty. Revised: Burying nuclear waste in Antarctica would violate an international treaty.

The meeting is being held by the human resources department. It’s a great honor to be applying to a prestigious company.