Active & Passive Voice

What are the Active & Passive Voices?

• Both sentences convey action.
• The active voice is clearer, more decisive and confident.
• For our purposes, active voice should always be used to assert actions.
• Passive voice may weaken your message.
• Active voice tends to result in shorter sentences.

6 Top Tips for Using the Active & Passive Voice

1) Use Active Sentences as much as Possible

- This helps fully convey your message, rather than a vague figure with no
explanation.

2) Use a passive sentence when you do not know/want to mention the actor.
- When admitting a mistake, the passive voice accepts responsibility but doesn’t
‘name and shame’ an individual or overly accept the mistake.

3) Use a passive sentence when receiver is more important to the customer than
the actor.
- This tool can really help clarify the sentence and focus on the customer benefit,
rather than the specific processes giving you that benefit.

4) Use passive construction to link sentences.

- When you want to focus on two services offered or two sections of your proposal, it
is better to link them using the passive voice.
- This keeps a complicated question simpler for the customer, and conveys your
message in a more effective way.

5) Use personal pronouns and active voice to convey clarity.

- When you use the active voice and personal pronouns like ‘I’ or ‘We’, your proposal
becomes more personable and human to your customer and is more likely to
establish connection.

6) Convert passive sentences to active by simple re-thinking.

- All sentences can be converted with a little thought, don’t lose hope!