Active vs. Passive Voice - Which Should You Use?

When you write an academic essay, or anything for that matter, the words you choose are the most important thing, particularly when English is not your first language. However, the tone of your writing is also important. It can help the reader interpret the words you have chosen and better understand your meaning. The tone of your writing is largely dictated by the structure of your sentences, which is influenced by your use of the active or passive voice.  

In this Turtle Talk guide, we’ll explain what the active and passive voices are, what makes them different and the types of writing you can use them for.  

What are the active and the passive voice? 

A sentence is written in the active voice when the subject of the sentence (the person, place or thing) performs the action. Whereas in the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action.  

Take a look at this example: 

Active voice: The girl (subject) kicks (action) the ball. 

Passive voice: The ball (subject) is kicked (action) by the girl.  

In the sentence written in the active voice, the girl is performing the action. However, in the passive voice, the subject becomes the ball, which receives the action. 

Generally speaking, you should try to use the active voice as much as possible in your writing. It makes your sentences short and simple and gives them a clear, direct tone. The passive voice is often criticised as being a weaker form of expression as it can lead to unclear, less direct and wordier sentences. However, it does still have its uses.  

Should you use the active or passive voice? 

The active voice is usually a more engaging way to communicate your ideas. You can use it in emails, blogs and most of the essays you write, although that does depend on the subject you study. 

Active voice: The researchers (subject) found (action) that doing more exercise can help people sleep. 

Passive voice: It was found (action) by the researchers (subject) that doing more exercise can help people sleep.  

The use of the active voice in this example makes the sentence clearer and more concise.   

People are often taught that using the passive voice is just bad writing, but that’s not always the case. It’s often used in journalistic and scientific writing, where the action itself is more important than the person or the thing performing it.  

Active voice: Someone (subject) broke into (action) a shop on Clive Street last night.   

Passive voice: A shop (subject) was broken into (action) on Clive Street last night. 

In this example, the person performing the action is unknown, so the passive voice is a better choice as it emphasises the action rather than the perpetrator.  

How to change the passive voice into the active voice 

Once you’ve finished an essay or a piece of writing, read it back to see if you’ve used the passive voice where the active voice would be better. You can then change it to the active voice by thinking about who or what performs the action and using that person or thing at the start of the sentence.