Explain the active and passive voices, as well as the reasons to use both

The term voice is used to mean several different things in writing. In this course, the focus will be on the more technical sense of the term as the active and passive voices are discussed. The passive voice has likely been heard of by you. The passive voice is often warned against because a lack of urgency and a feeling of monotony can be created by overuse of the passive voice.

Was that last paragraph a difficult read? Perhaps you found yourself rereading sentences to determine exactly what thing was doing what action. The previous paragraph was written entirely in the passive voice. This kind of passive voice stack up is what makes English teachers (and word processors) rail against the passive voice as a whole. However, there are some instances where the passive voice is a better choice than the active.

In this outcome, we’ll learn about the active and passive voices, their construction, and their correct use.

What You Will Learn to Do

• Explain the active voice
• Explain the passive voice

The Learning Activities for This Outcome Include

• Text: Active and Passive Voice
• Text: Using the Passive Voice
• Self Check: Voice
• Try It: Voice