Active Voice Facilitates
In English prose, active voice often makes it easier to identify who does what. Passive voice can still be useful when the actor is unknown or the action’s recipient is the focus.
THE IDEA
Active Voice Facilitates
Morgan D. Jones recommends active voice because it often places the actor before the action and its object. The active example is “Tom throws the ball,” while the passive example is “The ball is thrown by Tom.” The first makes the actor explicit at the start; the second places the ball first.
This is a useful editing heuristic for English, not a universal rule about hardwired brain processing or the order of every language. Passive voice can be clear when it fits the context, especially when the actor is unknown or unimportant.
The supplied passage ends by introducing a further sentence but does not include it.
When to use it
Writing clear instructions or procedures where the order of action matters.
Presenting arguments in debates or essays to make points more direct and persuasive.
Teaching language learners the difference between active and passive constructions.
Editing technical or legal documents to improve readability and reduce mental effort.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Children’s Speech
Jones contrasts “Tom throws the ball” with “The ball is thrown by Tom,” using children’s speech to illustrate his preference for actor-first English sentences. The contrast alone does not establish an innate processing order.
Complex Passive Sentence
Consider: “That Bob threw the ball before the school bell rang is not doubted by anyone.” The main clause uses passive voice and delays the people doing the doubting until the end. The opening clause, “that Bob threw the ball…”, also makes the sentence longer; passive voice is not its only source of complexity.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
When writing an important email, how can using active voice improve clarity and reduce misinterpretation?
Identify a passage in a recent document you wrote that uses passive voice. Rewrite it in active voice and compare the cognitive ease of reading.
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Thinkers Toolkit by Morgan D Jones