active vs passive voice in academic writing

So now you know that you shouldn’t automatically trust the “Don’t use passive voice EVER!” rule, but how do you decide which style to use in a given situation? Keep reading to find out when to use active voice and when to use passive voice –and, even more importantly, why. However, the “don’t use passive voice ever!” rule is also misleading, since there are times that it is appropriate. In most writing, you’ll want to use active verbs because they are more energetic and specific. The second sentence tells you right away who discouraged the passive sentences, which helps the reader immediately understand what the sentence is about. While the first sentence doesn’t break any rules, its meaning is more vague-you have to read to the very end of the sentence before you know who discouraged the passive sentences. In general, teachers recommend avoiding “to be” verbs and using more specific verbs because this makes writing more active and more concise. Active: The teacher discouraged passive sentences.īoth sentences say the same thing, right? So why do teachers forbid the passive voice?.Passive: Passive sentences were discouraged by the teacher.Here’s an example of two sentences that say the same thing but in passive versus active voice: Grammatically, “passive sentences” are sentences that use forms of “to be” as their main verb –things like be, am, is, are, was, were, being, and been. Most of us have heard the order from teachers: “Make your sentences active!,” they say, or “Don’t use the passive voice!” But what exactly is the passive voice? What does that even mean?

Active vs passive voice in academic writing