Why is active voice generally preferable for business messages it identifies the doer of an action?

People love to tell others what to do with their voice: “Lower your voice,” or “Save your voice.” And one suggestion that causes a lot of confusion is: “Use your active voice when writing, not passive.”

My active voice? Not my passive voice? I thought I only had one voice…

In writing, there are two grammatical voices—active voice and passive voice. And you may have been warned by your well-meaning English teacher to avoid passive voice like the plague. But both voices have a right to be heard. However, one will definitely trump the other in helping you become more adept at business writing.

Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

If you’ve used Grammarly or Microsoft Word to edit your documents, you’ve probably been chastised on multiple occasions to use less passive voice. MS Word will even underline the sentence in squiggly red (the scary color editors use to invoke fear in a writer). If you don’t have a proper understanding of what active voice and passive voice mean, you may have clicked “Dismiss” and ignored it.

Both are grammatically correct—it’s not a mortal sin to use passive voice. But the style you choose will have a dramatic impact on your writing. And how your message is received. Therefore, it’s important to have a clear understanding of how the two differ.

What is Active Voice?

Active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the verb’s action. In other words, it tells what a person or thing does. The sentence is direct, strong, and easy to read. For example:

• Horses love oats.
• The police chased the robber.
• Our business strategy expanded the network in two years.

In each of these examples, the active voice put the subject first. Next, the subject performs the action that the rest of the sentence explains. Active voice is enhanced when you add action verbs (e.g., climb, ask, make). Action verbs express what a person or object can do (e.g., read, smile, bake).

Passive voice tells what is being done or was done to the person or object. It is often made up of a form of the verb “to be.” It may use the past participle of a verb (e.g., is enjoyed, was eaten, were chosen). The sentences below are all written in the passive voice:

• Oats are loved by horses.
• The robber was chased by the police.
• The network was expanded in two years.

Passive voice tends to be more prolonged and even tedious to read. You may waste words (and time) in getting to your point. Or it may make your writing sound impersonal.

Passive Voice in Business Writing

Passive voice has its place in writing. This is especially true in more formal settings such as legal. Or when presenting scientific statements. And what if you are reporting on an event, but you are unsure who performed the action? For example:

The gate was crashed down again.

In this case, the passive construction indicates that you do not know who the culprit is (e.g., a bad driver, a cow with a grudge). Or you may use passive voice to direct the attention away from or change who or what the subject of the sentence is. In this example, the focus is on what happened to the gate, not who crashed through it.

Active Voice in Business Writing

Active voice is a way to take control of your writing. When you sound confident, your reader or audience is more likely to trust what you have to say. Passive voice often makes the writer appear unsure. So, if you want to present a solid argument and influence your reader, learn to use active voice in your business writing.

Another benefit to writing in active voice is that your sentences will be easier to read and understand. Active voice emphasizes the subject. It clears up any misconceptions about who or what was at fault or performed the action. For example:

• I made a mistake in tabulating the sales for the third quarter.
• The teller approached the man in the bank.

There is no question about who made the mistake or who approached the man. Passive voice would have removed the clarity. For example:

• A mistake was made in tabulating sales for the third quarter.
• The man was approached in the bank.

How to Use Active Voice

As you proof your writing, identify sentences written in the passive voice. Change the composition to create an active voice. Your goal is to make it clear in your reader’s mind who is performing the action. Like this:

Passive: The job offer was accepted by Matt.

Active: Matt accepted the job offer.

Passive: An investigation will be conducted.

Active: The HR officer will conduct the investigation.

Passive: The memo was read by the supervisor and the employees were asked questions.

Active: The supervisor read the memo and asked the employees questions.

It may take a little extra time in editing your documents in this manner. But the exercise will help you quickly identify passive voice and train your brain to formulate active voice sentence structure.

Your goal is to become a better writer and excel at business communication. Using passive voice sparingly and active voice generously will help you to do so.

Which of the following is the effect of using active voice while writing business messages? It diverts the attention from the subject so that the writer does not sound bossy. It allows for slanting of facts, which increases the credibility of the message.

What impact does beginning sentences with it is or there are have on a business message?

What impact does beginning sentences with it is or there are have on a business message? The message is less precise because it is wordy and lacks a specific subject.

Which of the following should be avoided in business writings?

What should be avoided in business writings? Unprofessional words, texting abbreviations, and swear words.

Which guideline for phone conversations with business colleagues is most helpful?

Which guideline for phone conversations with business colleagues is most helpful? – Multitask as long as you can do so without the other person suspecting.

Why is active voice generally preferred for business messages?

Why is active voice generally preferable for business messages? It emphasizes the business orientation of action. It helps the writer connect with readers emotionally.

Which statements about active voice and passive voice is true?

Which statement about active voice and passive voice is true? The active voice diverts attention from the doer. People tend to think in a doer-action-object pattern. The active voice is best when you do not want to attribute blame.

Which of the following is most likely to be true about excellent business writers?

What impact does beginning sentences with it is or there are have on a business message? The message is less precise because it is wordy and lacks a specific subject.

Why should business writers avoid using buzzwords?

Buzzwords, which are workplace terms that become trite because of overuse, can stir negative feelings among some readers. In order to be concise, you must sometimes leave out relevant information. When you write concisely, your message is far easier to read. Conciseness does not imply removing relevant information.

Why is it important to use positive language in business messages quizlet?

Why is active voice generally preferable for business messages? It emphasizes the business orientation of action. It helps the writer connect with readers emotionally.

What are basic questions you should consider before writing a business communication?

What are the three basic questions you should consider before writing any business communication? 1) Who is the audience? 2) What is the purpose? 3) What tone should be used?

Which of the following is one of the primary purposes for business writing?

Because the goal of business writing is to impress your reader, you should use specialized language such as jargon frequently in all your business messages. Jargon describes technical or specialized terms within a field.

Which of the following is a goal of business writing quizlet?

The goal of business writing is to get the desired reaction from your receiver while building/maintaining goodwill. You just studied 11 terms!

Which of the following identifies the three parts of the writing process?

In broad terms, the writing process has three main parts: pre-writing, composing, and post-writing. These three parts can be further divided into 5 steps: (1) Planning; (2) Gathering/Organizing; (3) Composing/Drafting; (4) Revising/editing; and (5) Pro ofreading.

Which of the following is the best way to make a business phone call more personal?

Which of the following is the best way to make a business phone call more personal? You should use your callers name.

Which of the following should you do during business phone calls to get the most out of them?

Which of the following should you do during business phone calls to get the most out of them? you should make the call your entire focus; you should avoid multitasking.

Which of the following should be done at the beginning of a business phone call choose every correct answer?

Which of the following should be done at the beginning of a business phone call? You should use the callers name.

Which guidelines should people who maintain professional blogs follow in order to be responsive to their readers?

Which guideline should people who maintain professional blogs follow in order to be responsive to their readers? Read the comments to learn read or concerns. What is the term for a unique set of professional skills and attributes?

When should passive voice be used in business writing quizlet?

What impact does beginning sentences with it is or there are have on a business message? The message is less precise because it is wordy and lacks a specific subject.

What is the difference between active voice and passive voice?

The active voice asserts that the person or thing represented by the grammatical subject performs the action represented by the verb. The passive voice makes the subject the person or thing acted on or affected by the action represented by the verb.

Which is true about a passive voice?

What is the passive voice? In general, the active voice makes your writing stronger, more direct, and, you guessed it, more active. The subject is something, or it does the action of the verb in the sentence. With the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by some other performer of the verb

What is true of sentence in the active voice?

When the subject of a sentence performs the verbs action, we say that the sentence is in the active voice. Sentences in the active voice have a strong, direct, and clear tone

What are the rules of active and passive voice?

Active VoicePassive Voice (Auxiliary Verb is/am/are)Subject + V1+s/es+ objectObject+ is/am/are+ V3+ by + subjectSubject + Do/does+ not + V1 + ObjectObject + is/am/are+ not + V3+ by SubjectDoes+ Subject+ V1+Object+?Is/am/are + Object+ V3+ by subject +?Jul 10, 2019

What attitude do effective business writers?

What attitude do effective business writers take toward members their reading audience? They attempt to understand them. what are ways an inexperienced newcomer can improve a professional reputation? provide value to the audience.

Which step is typically included in the planning stage of writing an effective business message quizlet?

Answer: D In order to create an effective business message, during the planning stage you should understand the needs of the audience, generate the best of ideas to address a business issue, and identify the primary message and key points.

Which of the following should be one of the goals of a business communicator?

Which of the following should be one of the goals of a business communicator? One of your primary goals as a communicator is to express your messages in ways that respect and inspire others.