Active voice is when a subject is directly acting, and passive voice is when the subject has something done to them. The debate on active vs passive voice use is an ever-present issue in writing. Is active voice necessary when writing a blog?
Active voice is not necessary for writing a blog post. However, using active voice provides clarity and makes it easier for people to read. At the very least, your answer snippets should be written in active voice so they’re as direct as possible.
An active and passive voice both have their place in writing. If you want to create genuinely engaging content, the best practice is to use both to create a natural, easy flow.
Do You Need Active Voice When Writing Blogs?
Active voice is not technically necessary for blog writing. If you wanted to, you could write an entire piece in passive voice.
However, using active voice in your writing has many benefits, including:
- Making content easier to read and more concise.
- Allowing the author to speak directly to their audience.
- Showing readers that the content creator has authority and confidence.
- Giving written work a conversational quality and better flow.
- Engaging readers so that they feel they are part of the conversation.
- Decreasing formality in writing encourages more people to read.
These benefits of active voice can improve the SEO performance of blog posts because concise, confident, and engaging writing will make more people want to click on your article.
Additionally, using active voice in your answer snippets ensures that the reader will get exactly what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. If they feel like you’re being too vague or taking too long to answer their question, they’re going to look elsewhere.
Many people looking to hire content creators will ask for a thorough understanding of English grammar and punctuation. This includes understanding the difference between active and passive voice and when to use them, but not everyone really has a solid grasp of it, even if English is their native language.
Best Times to Use Active Voice
Active voice is when the subject of a sentence acts directly. It is best used in the following circumstances:
There are some instances when using passive voice is the better choice. The best pieces balance both and use them at the right time.
When Should You Use Passive Voice in Blog Writing?
Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence has something done to them, instead of doing the action themselves. Use passive voice in the following instances:
- When you do not want readers to know the subject of a sentence.
- When the outcome of an action is more important than knowing who did it.
Knowing when to use both active and passive voice means nothing if you don’t have a clear understanding of what they are though.
The Real Difference Between Active Voice and Passive Voice
Passive voice is indirect and states that the subject is not presently involved in what happened to them. Once you look at them side-by-side, the difference is clear:
With active voice, the reader knows that the subject brought the horse into the barn himself. The tone is confident and assertive. If this were an answer snippet, the second one would immediately tell the reader what they need to know, leaving them feeling satisfied.
Tips for Using Active Voice
Moving from passive to active voice is easier than it looks, so long as you:
- Check that sentences have a clear subject
- Remove helping verbs such as were, been, being, have, has, may, or might
- Ensure that the subject of the sentence is doing the action (removing the helping verb will help with this)
- Read the sentence out loud: if it sounds awkward and unclear, it’s usually because of passive voice.
When considering using active or passive voice, it is important to remember that no writer should be expected to write an entire piece in active voice. Passive voice is needed in some instances, and both styles have different use cases.
If you struggle to decide between using active or passive voice, change any passive voice you see to active voice. If it makes your writing clearer, keep the active voice structure. If not, change it back
If you try rewording a sentence and can’t figure out how to transform the passive voice into active voice, delete the sentence and start from scratch. Odds are, it needs to be rewritten for clarity regardless.
Content Agencies Can Help You Find a Happy Medium
Some content agencies train their writers specifically to use active voice all the time, but that can be a little too much. At Text Goods, our writers are trained to use their best judgment to create a balance between the two.
Text Goods has a team of 100% human writers, so we’re able to create engaging content that sounds appealing to read. If you know you’re looking for mostly active voice, all you have to do is note that with your order and we’ll handle the rest!
