Active vs Passive Voice

The active voice and the passive voice are two distinct sentence constructions that significantly impact the clarity and emphasis of written communication. USAC uses the active voice for maximum clarity.

What is the active voice?

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, creating straightforward and direct sentences.

What is the passive voice?

The passive voice shifts the focus onto the object of the action, making it less clear who or what is performing the action.

In the following example, the object is the request form, and the subject is the account holder.

• Active voice: The account holder must submit the request form to USAC.
  (It is clear what action must be taken and who must do it).
• Passive voice: The request form must be submitted to USAC.
  (The reader cannot tell who must submit the form).

How to tell when you are using the passive voice

You are using the passive voice if you can insert “by a person” after a word in your sentence that describes an action, state, or occurrence (a verb) and the sentence still makes sense.

Use the free Hemingway app or Grammarly to identify instances of passive voice.