Active voice vs passive voice examples how to#

Redish, Janice C., How to Write Regulations and Other Legal Documents in Clear English, 1991, American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC, p. Office of the Federal Register, Document Drafting Handbook, 1998, p. Murawski, Thomas A., Writing Readable Regulations, 1999, Carolina Academic Press Durham, NC, pp. Garner, Bryan A., Garner's Modern American Usage, 2003, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, pp. Garner, Bryan A., Legal Writing in Plain English, 2001, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. Garner, Bryan A., A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, 2nd edition, 1995, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, pp. Passive Voice: The entire cake was eaten (past participle) by himself. Active Voice: He ate (past tense verb) the entire cake by himself. and Charrow, Robert P., Clear & Effective Legal Writing, 4th edition, 2007, Aspen Publishers, New York, NY, pp. The verb form can determine if a sentence is active or passive. “If you do not pay the royalty on your mineral production, your lease will be terminated.” SourcesĬharrow, Veda R., Erhardt, Myra K. You might also use passive when it doesn’t matter who is doing an action. For example, when one action follows another as a matter of law, and there is no actor (besides the law itself) for the second action, a passive sentence may be the best method of expression. In a few instances, passive voice may be appropriate. Use passive voice when the law is the actor Its structure is- Object + verb +subject. Passive voice expresses an action that is carried out on the subject of the sentence. Its structure goes like this- Subject + Verb+ Object. A past participle (generally with “-ed” on the end) Active voice describes a sentence where the subject is the doer of an action.A form of the verb “to be,” such as “are,” “was,” “were,” “could be,” or “have been”).Passive sentences have two basic features, although both may not appear in every passive sentence. More than any other writing technique, using active voice and specifying who is performing an action will change the character of your writing. Our state office must approve your permit. The permit must be approved by the agency’s state office. We will withhold your bond if you don’t comply with all permit terms and conditions. You must include the following information in your application.īonds will be withheld in cases of non-compliance with all permits and conditions. The following information must be included in the application for it to be considered complete. Passive sentences often do not identify who is performing the action.

In a passive sentence, the person or item that is acted upon is the subject of the sentence. In an active sentence, the person or agency that’s acting is the subject of the sentence. Don’t confuse passive voice with past tense.

Not “It must be done,” but “You must do it.” Passive voice obscures who is responsible for what and is one of the biggest problems with government writing. It eliminates ambiguity about responsibilities. > Keep it conversational Use active voiceĪctive voice makes it clear who is supposed to do what. Tips for starting a plain language program.