🥑 passive voice vs. active voice

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“Don’t be passive.”

Great advice for relationships . . . and for writing?

Even George Orwell said, “Never use the passive where you can use the active.”

This week, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of passive and active voice.

But first, what’s the difference?

Roy Peter Clark puts it succinctly in his excellent book, Writing Tools:

Active verbs convey strength, purpose, and clarity. E.g., the word “convey” in that sentence. They demonstrate the action in a straightforward, compelling manner.

Some of the shortest, most basic active verbs—feel, watch, know, find—form the backbone of strong emotional prose. And longer, more specific verbs bring your subjects, objects, and qualifiers to life.

Victimhood is conveyed by passive verbs. E.g., the verb “is conveyed” along with the preposition “by.” They highlight the receiver of an action.

The advice of “active, not passive” falls into the same realm as “show, don’t tell.” It is bold, prescriptive, and very incomplete.

Here’s a fun exercise: read an scene from your WIP or a short story (here’s one of mine) and categorize each verb as passive, active, or linking.

Next time: how to replace passive verbs with active verbs.

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