In Usage you learned to tell active from passive voice. This topic is about choosing between them. Strunk’s Rule 11 is “Use the active voice,” and his reason holds up: “The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive.” Like concision, it is about getting the doer and the action to the reader quickly.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The committee approved the budget. | The budget was approved by the committee. |
| Someone stole my bike. | My bike was stolen. |
| Volunteers planted forty trees. | Forty trees were planted (by volunteers). |
But Strunk himself added: “This rule does not, of course, mean that the writer should entirely discard the passive voice, which is frequently convenient and sometimes necessary.” His example: “The dramatists of the Restoration are little esteemed to-day” fits a paragraph about the dramatists; “Modern readers have little esteem for the dramatists of the Restoration” fits a paragraph about modern readers.
Key idea
Why it works
Worked example: When the passive is right
- The paragraph is about the bridge, so the bridge should be the subject.
- B keeps the focus on the bridge and still names the builders.
- In a paragraph about the stonemasons’ work, A would be better.
Answer: B, because the paragraph is about the bridge.
Worked example: When the passive hides something
- The passive with no by-phrase leaves out who made the mistakes.
- Sometimes that is fine (the doer is unknown). Here, readers want to know who is responsible.
- Active version: “Our billing team made mistakes, and we are fixing them.”
Answer: The doer; the active version takes responsibility.
Common mistake