Turns out, being active is not only good for the body and the brain, but also for your writing clarity. Active voice, where the subject performs the action, is direct and thus clear. So, I wrote this blog post. Passive voice would be: This blog post was written by me. Passive voice generally makes your writing less engaging and adds unnecessary complexity. An editor/academic writing tutor can help you review your syntax (sentence structure) patterns, and shift to writing that prioritizes the active voice.
Scientific writing used to encourage passive voice, to emphasize the experiment, rather than the researcher, and for a more objective tone. This is especially true, and entirely appropriate, in the methodology section: “The solution was titrated with acid.” Today, scientific writing style guides emphasize a judicious mix of active and passive voice, and encourage the active voice for introductory sections.
Academic writing, and some bureaucratic writing, has also historically favoured the passive voice. Style guides will tell you that the active voice adds immediacy and clarity to your writing; do you really want to miss out on that? Passive voice should be reserved for dense methodology. Equally, if you do not know the identity of the “doer,” or want to deemphasize the doer, then passive voice is your best option.
If you can identify the doer, think hard about why you are using passive voice. “Research has been conducted that reveals shifts in public perception… .” Research by whom? Try and find out. Your reader will thank you for it.
The University of Toronto Writing Centre has an excellent guide on how to avoid overuse of the passive voice:
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