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What is Active Voice?
The active voice is a grammatical voice that indicates that the subject of a sentence is performing the action of the verb. Active voice is a sentence construction where the subject performs the action stated by the verb.
In other words, the subject is doing something. It is used to emphasize the doer of an action. In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. For example, “The cashier counted the money.
A verb is in the active voice when its subject is a doer.
- I talked to the teacher.
- The teacher talked to me.
The active voice is used more often than the passive voice. Active voice is a sentence construction where the subject performs the verb. This construction is used in most areas of writing. This sentence construction is more efficient and concise than passive voice.
The tone of the active voice is clear and concise. Use this construction when you want the reader’s attention to be on the sentence’s subject and the action it is performing rather than the action’s intended target.
What is Passive Voice?
The passive voice means that the subject is acted on by the verb. This means that the subject is in the passive voice form. The passive voice is often used in scientific writing to increase objectivity. In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb. This often makes the sentence sound more objective, because it is not focused on the subject. For example, consider the following two sentences: The experiment was conducted by the researcher.
The passive voice sentence sounds more objective because it is not focused on the researcher.
- The lamp was knocked over by the cat.
The lamp is in the passive voice because the subject, lamp, is being acted on by the verb, knocked over. The person or thing doing the action, the cat, is unknown or unimportant.
- The lamp was knocked over.
The lamp is in the passive voice because the subject, lamp, is being acted on by the verb, knocked over. The person or thing doing the action, is unknown or unimportant.
A sentence in passive voice is one where the subject is acted upon by the verb. In other words, the subject is not doing the action.
For example: The ball was hit by the player. Here, the subject (the ball) is not doing the action (being hit). The action is being done to the subject. The passive voice is often used to avoid saying who is responsible for an action.
For example: Two people were killed in the accident. (We don’t know who killed them.) The building was damaged by the storm. (We don’t know who damaged it.)
Difference Between Active Voice and Passive Voice
If you’re a writer, it’s important to understand the different voices that you can use in your writing. Voice is the unique style and perspective that you bring to your work. It’s what makes your writing distinctive and interesting to read. There are two main types of voice: active and passive.
The passive voice is frequently used in writing to produce simpler and more attractive phrases, but it is important to select and use passive voice wisely.
On the other hand, for most of the writing styles, the active voice is preferable because it is more direct and dynamic. The active voice is stronger and more direct than the passive voice, which is subtler and might come out as more distant.
Comparison Table Between Active Voice and Passive Voice
| Comparison | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| Key Difference | more strong and clear | employed to make phrases sound brief and elegant |
| Preferable | More direct and Dynamic | it feels like a trope |
| Role | The subject is liable for the act, it appears first. | After the action has been done on an object, the actor then appears in the end |
| Example | Our community has always loved Julia’s’ singing | Julia’s singing has always been loved by our community |