Comparing Active and Passive Voices

There are times when the passive voice is appropriate, but some writers use it unnecessarily. To keep your sentences direct and concise, you should review your writing for overuse of the passive voice and revise if necessary.

You can be deliberate about your choice of active or passive to suit your purposes for writing. Whatever you choose, you should have a good reason for your decision. Following are a few reasons for each.

Benefits of the active voice	Benefits of the passive voice
The active makes it clear who is performing the action in the sentence (i.e., the doer).	The passive tends to emphasize the event itself, rather than the doer.
The active voice is more concise and direct.	The passive may be useful when the doer is not known.
The active voice gives the writer the option of being more personal.	The passive can disguise the doer.