Active Voice

What is active voice?

Active voice is a grammatical voice in which the subject of a sentence is also the one performing the action expressed by the verb. The subject comes before the verb and a direct object is not always necessary, but when present it follows the verb directly. Examples of sentences in active voice include “My friend bought a new car”, “She enjoys watching movies”, and “Barney is talking to his sister”.

When to use the active voice

The active voice is usually preferred over the passive voice because it is more concise and makes the relationship between the verb and its subject clearer. It is also considered the standard voice in English. However, there are certain situations where it is better to use the active voice.

When there is no direct object

Sentences without direct objects must be in the active voice because passive voice sentences require a direct object. Sentences like “That man has painted for more than 40 years”, “We departed immediately after the grand finale”, and “The kids chatted for several minutes” cannot be put into the passive voice because there is no direct object to become the subject. For example, if we try to make the first sentence passive, it becomes “For more than 40 years, has been painted by the man” which doesn’t make sense as there is no direct object to indicate what has been painted.

When the agent is important

Active voice is often used to emphasize the significance of the subject or agent of the sentence in relation to the action. The active voice highlights the agent’s responsibility or participation in the action, while the passive voice de-emphasizes the agent and places emphasis on the action itself. For example,

• “The employees drink lots of coffee before work every day” (active voice) emphasizes the employees’ actions, while
• “Lots of coffee is drunk by the employees before work every day” (passive voice) emphasizes the act of drinking coffee. Similarly,
• “Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity more than 300 years ago” (active voice) emphasizes Newton’s role in the discovery of gravity, while
• “Gravity was discovered by Sir Isaac Newton more than 300 years ago” (passive voice) emphasizes the discovery of gravity over Newton’s involvement.

When the agent is known or relevant

Active voice is preferred when the subject or agent is identifiable and contains information that is relevant to the sentence. For instance,

• “Shawn stole a menu from the restaurant.” (The speaker knows or is familiar with Shawn.)
• “A veterinarian found an abandoned puppy by the road.” (The speaker knows that it was a veterinarian who found the puppy and believes the information is relevant.)
• “Dr. Li opened the hospital in 1989.” (The speaker knows the name of the person who started the hospital and the information is relevant to the conversation.)

On the other hand, when the agent is unknown or irrelevant, the passive voice is usually used, eliminating the agent altogether. For example:

• “A menu was stolen from the restaurant.” (passive voice)
• “An abandoned puppy was found by the road.”(passive voice)
• “The hospital was opened in 1989.”(passive voice)

When expressing an authoritative tone

Using active voice is a powerful tool in copywriting, advertising, and marketing, as it emphasizes the power and authority of the person or thing doing the action. By placing the emphasis on the agent, it makes the action appear more dynamic and powerful. This can be used to create a sense of urgency and persuade people to take action. For example, “Our new shampoo will leave your hair looking shiny and smooth” emphasizes the effectiveness of the product, making it more appealing to potential customers.

Additionally, using active voice can also convey a sense of command or authority. This can be particularly useful in a professional setting, where it is important to convey a sense of control and responsibility. For example,

• “You will complete the task by 5pm today” emphasizes the speaker’s authority over the task, making it clear that it is an expectation or a requirement. The use of active voice in this context, highlights the accountability of the agent, making it clear who is responsible for the outcome of the task.

Overall, an active voice can be a powerful tool in persuasion, and it is widely used in copywriting, advertising, and marketing to create a sense of authority and to get the audience to take action.

When the agent is an ongoing topic

When a person or thing is the primary subject of a text, it can be treated as a topic, and the focus is not just on the actions that it performs, but also on the agent itself. This can be seen in works of fiction, where the protagonist is often the topic throughout the story. This can be used to create a sense of continuity and familiarity with the character, making them more relatable to the reader.

For example, in the passage “Caroline jumped back and gasped. She was afraid of spiders and despised the feeling of their silky webs on her skin. But she knew it was time to face her fears. Sighing and brushing herself off, Caroline slowly continued down the path toward the hill,” the protagonist Caroline is the topic, and the focus is not just on her actions but also on her as a person. This passage not only describes her actions but also her emotions and her motivation for taking these actions.

Another example could be a story about a detective named Jack, who is the protagonist and the ongoing topic, even though he is performing various actions throughout the story, such as investigating, interviewing and solving crimes, the focus is not only on the actions but also on Jack himself, his personality, his motivation, his past, etc.