When you are writing, you can use the active or the passive voice. The active voice is a strong and direct way to say something, whereas the passive voice is usually reserved for professional and government documents. The passive voice almost sounds as though the writer is trying to avoid the subject.
Active voice places the subject of your sentence first (for example your character’s name). This is followed by the action that the subject is performing (the verb), and then the object that is being affected by that verb. Passive voice is the opposite of active voice. The sentence is written in reverse order.
Examples:
Active Voice: Sara lifted the glass.
This is the active voice. Sara is the subject. Lifting is the verb. The glass is the object that she is lifting.
Passive Voice: The glass was lifted by Sara.
This is the passive voice. The object is first, followed by the verb, and finally the subject.
Read the example sentences aloud. You are probably more likely to speak in the active voice than in the passive voice. The passive voice removes the reader’s attention from the main focus of the sentence, which should be your subject.
Written by: Laura Clark
* Laura is a 23 year old English woman with a history degree residing in the UK. She has been writing for many years and enjoys writing horror/fantasy stories, as well as poetry. You can view her work at: https://inspiredstoriesandpoems.wordpress.com/
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