Which of the following sentences is more engaging?

1. She jumped out of bed.

2. The bed was jumped out of by the woman.

While the first sentence demands attention, the second falls flat. The reason lies in the difference between active and passive voice. Using passive voice might risk inducing disinterested yawns from audiences. To avoid sleepy writing, anyone can inject energy into a composition. Producing lively prose requires distinguishing between active and passive voice, understanding their impact on readers, and knowing when to use each.

Voice, Defined

In writing, voice refers to how subjects, verbs, and objects interact in sentences (Folse, 2009). As the first example above shows, sentences written in active voice start with a subject (she), then a verb (jumped), and end with an object (bed). The word order is direct and concise. Passive voice, as demonstrated by the second example, is less direct. It begins with an object, or receiver of action (the bed), then a verb (was jumped), and finishes with a subject, or who/what acted on the object (the woman). Structuring sentences this way can be wordy, partly because of the inclusion of to be verb forms. These are words like is, was, are, were, been, or being that appear in front of past-tense verbs like jumped or awoke. Active voice omits to be verbs (jumped vs. was jumped), typically resulting in shorter, more straightforward sentences. Table 1 below shows added examples.

Table 1

Comparing Active and Passive Voice

Note. Reproduced from “Active Vs. Passive Voice” by Purdue University Global, n.d. (https://campus.purdueglobal.edu/article/active-vs-passive-voice). Copyright by Purdue University Global.

Holding a Reader’s Attention

Dynamic writers know that active voice engages readers best. Research confirms this. Lubis et al. (2024) say passive voice takes longer to read and is harder to remember than active phrasing. Relatedly, the American Psychological Association (APA, n.d.) warns against overuse of passive writing, noting it occurs too frequently. Instead, successful writing captures and keeps a reader’s attention with active language for optimum readability. As such, experienced writers employ active over passive voice nearly twice as often (Charles, 2013, as cited in Lubis et al., 2024). In general, active writing energizes language and aids reader comprehension.

Time and Place for Each

Even so, each voice has its place. The purpose of writing, its target audience, and the context of a composition may determine which voice is most appropriate. Science writing, for example, employs passive expressions to highlight the results of an action, instead of focusing on who conducted it (APA, n.d.). In other words, passive phrasing works well when an outcome matters more than who/what caused it. Table 1 above illustrates the best use of each voice in bold font. Contrastingly, active phrases focus on who/what initiated actions. When writing to inform, this direct structure aids a reader’s understanding of complicated concepts. For the same reason, when audience attention is paramount, as in persuasive writing, active voice may be more compelling than its passive counterpart. The conciseness of active voice also makes it fitting for conforming to page limits. Keeping in mind the goals of a composition helps clarify the most suitable use of voice.

No More Sleepy Writing!

When in doubt, writers who want alert, interested audiences should follow the syntax of active voice. Key points are beginning sentences with who/what brought about actions, and avoiding to be verb phrases, like has been written. Readers will appreciate this simple, direct approach. However, to report results, passive syntax helps audiences zero in on relevant findings. Following these guidelines can arouse a reader’s attention, sparing them from boredom by creating a memorable composition.

References

American Psychological Association (n.d.). Active and passive voice. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/active-passive-voice

Folse, K. S. (2009). Keys to teaching grammar to English language learners. University of Michigan Press

Lubis, M. Y. A., Miranti, R., & Lubis. Y. (2024). Passive voice and active voice in sentence   structure. Journal Of Psychology, Counseling and Education, 2(1), 59–64.

Purdue University Global (n.d.). Active vs. passive voice. https://campus.purdueglobal.edu/article/active-vs-passive-voice