Active Voice

Introduction

Technical writing should prioritize active voice in most cases. Converting awkward passive constructions to active voice can create a clear, concise, and engaging reading experience.

Quickly jump to the content you need:

• Distinguish Active & Passive Voice

• Exceptions to Use Passive Voice

• Tips for Converting Voice

Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

Definition

Active voice and passive voice are two grammatical structures that describe the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence:

• Active Voice: The subject of the sentence performs the action.

• Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence receives the action.

Distinguish Active & Passive Voice

Here are two ways to distinguish active voice and passive voice.

• By definition, you can distinguish the voice by the relationship between the subject and the verb, which often reflects in the structure of the sentence.

  • Active Voice: The subject is the doer performing the action.

    doer + verb + recipient

  • Passive Voice: The subject is the recipient of the action.

    recipient + verb + doer

• You can also identify passive voice by the characteristics of the passive verb.

  • A passive verb typically follows the structure below:

    passive verb = form of “be” (is/are; was/were) + past participle

  • A passive verb typically introduces the doer by a preposition (This part is sometimes omitted):

    passive verb + preposition + actor

Examples

• Secure Boot protects a device from running any unauthorized code.

  This sentence is in active voice. The subject, “Secure Boot”, is the doer of the action “protect”; while the object, “device”, is the recipient of the action, following the typical structure of active voice listed above.

• Once this feature is enabled, firmware is flashed as plaintext, and then the data is encrypted in place on the first boot. 1

  This sentence is in passive voice. In the sentence, the first subject, “firmware”, is the recipient of the action “flash”; and the second subject, “data”, is the recipient of the action “encrypt”. This sentence follows the typical structure of passive voice listed above.

  You can also identify this passive voice by its verb “is enabled” and “is encrypted”, which are passive verbs with the typical structure “be” + “past participle”.

  1

  Though in passive voice, this sentence construction is reasonable based on the exception case 1 below.

Prefer Active Voice

Advantages of Active Voice

Active voice is preferred for the following advantages.

• Intuitiveness: Active voice provides a first-person perspective, which is engaging and easy to understand. Passive voice can obscure the meaning by inverting the sentence structure, requiring extra effort for processing and understanding.

• Clarity: Active voice states the actor and target of an action clearly. Passive voice sometimes omits the actor, forcing readers to guess the actor’s identity.

• Conciseness: Active voice is often more concise, while passive voice is often more verbose. Passive voice often requires additional words (e.g., auxiliary verbs and prepositions like “by”), expressing the same meaning with a longer sentence.

• Attitude: Active voice shows a bold and active attitude. In some languages, passive voice tends to carry a negative connotation of passivity.

Exceptions to Use Passive Voice

Passive voice is generally used in the following situations, with most cases we meet fall into the first category.

1. Use passive voice if the performer of the action is unknown or very irrelevant in the context. In the example below, the intended focus is the function, instead of the designers who are irrelevant in this context.

Example 1

Passive (preferred)	Active
The function was designed to enhance user experience.	The designers designed the function to enhance user experience.

2. To avoid blame or soften the tone. Passive voice can maintain neutrality and reduce accusatory phrasing.

Example 2

Passive (preferred)	Active
The issue was caused by incorrect input.	You caused the issue by entering incorrect input.

Tips for Converting Voice

Before turning to passive voice, try to rephrase the sentence in active voice. Consider the following strategies:

1. Direct Conversion: For passive sentence with an explicit subject, verb, and object, rephrase by identifying the doer and placing it at the start, and replace passive verb with its active counterpart.

Example 3

Passive	Active (preferred)
The following keys are used by the secure boot process.	The secure boot process uses the following keys.

2. Use Imperative Voice: Replace passive voice with directives when the subject is irrelevant.

Example 4

Passive	Active (preferred)
If the upload fails, the serial port name may have been entered incorrectly.	If the upload fails, please check the serial port name.

3. Reword for Simplicity: Simplify verbose passive sentences.

Example 5

Passive	Active (preferred)
The file was not found.	The file is missing.
The report has not been submitted on time.	The report is overdue.

Conclusion

Prioritizing active voice in technical writing enhances clarity, conciseness, and engagement. While passive voice has its place, especially in specific contexts, prioritizing active constructions generally leads to more effective communication. By following the tips above, you can convey messages more clearly and effectively, refining your overall writing style.

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