Passive: “The treaty was signed by two generals.” Active: “Two generals signed the treaty.” In Modern English, New York University’s Marcella Frank provides a more academic treatment: “The active ...

Using the active voice is straightforward and simple, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the passive voice is to be avoided at all costs. What’s the passive voice?

The SAT prefers active voice because sentences written actively are more concise, clear, and direct than passive sentences.

Passive Voice: "Responsible for answering phones and directing calls." Active Voice: "Answered calls and directed lines to the appropriate individual." See how the first example makes it sound ...

What is the difference between the active and passive voice? We usually try to write in the active voice because it’s easier to understand. In the active voice the subject ‘does’ the action ...

Both sentence pairs make sense. Both describe the same facts. However, in each pair one sentence uses the active voice and one uses the passive voice. Which sentence would you use? That would ...

To spot the difference, you have to know what passive voice is. Let’s start with a quiz. Is this sentence in the passive or active voice? “Bob had been planning on doing some serious thinking ...

But even phrases that really are in the passive voice are often better than their active-voice equivalents, or at least no worse.

Passive speech is awkward and sometimes hard to understand. Let Word find your passive voice content and help you correct it.