Written by Martin Wiles
Voices are as different as the people who use them. But it’s not all about the audible. Chances are, we’ve never heard the voices of many authors we read, especially if we love the classics.
But not all my favorite authors are dead. I have an author friend who lives in Canada. We have corresponded numerous times by email, but I have never heard her voice. But I know her writing before I see her name. She has a distinct writing voice.
Every writer has a unique voice. Yet, two other types of voice appear in the writing world: active and passive. As a nonfiction freelance editor, I frequently find myself correcting these voices. Voice and tense are not interchangeable. Tense refers to the time of the action. The English language has three primary tenses: past, present, and future.
Voice, on the other hand, relates to who or what performs the action in the sentence. When the subject acts, we call it active voice. An example would be, “John ate the cake.” An active voice sentence has an object (cake) on which the subject (John) performs some action.
Generally, writers should prefer active voice, and editors should help writers make this correction. Often, however, we lean toward the passive voice. I’ve wondered why Christian writers frequently choose the passive voice. Perhaps it’s because so much of the Bible and other theological writings lean toward the passive voice. Since we (hopefully) read and study many of these writings, passive voice gets stuck in our heads.
Reading books on writing and attending writing conferences can also lead us to believe passive voice is incorrect. But it’s not. Active voice may be preferable, but passive voice has its place too. The following are some of those times.
When Making a Broad Statement
Example: Failing to bring a present to a wedding reception is considered rude.
We don’t know of a specific subject performing this action, nor do we need to. The emphasis is on the failure to bring a present.
When the Doer of the Action Is Unknown
Example: My shrubbery was trimmed yesterday.
If I lived somewhere that hired a landscaping company to trim the shrubbery, I would not know the name of the person who did it. Nor is that important. What’s essential is the shrubbery being trimmed.
When There Is a Scientific Context
Example: The volatile liquid was placed in a tube.
Although a scientist did this, the emphasis is on the liquid, not the scientist.
When Someone Wants to Avoid Blame
Example: Errors were made during the school year.
We don’t want to point the finger at anyone in particular—just make a general statement.
When the Focus Is on the Action or the Receiver, Not the Doer of the Action
Example: John was transferred to another section of the sixth grade.
We don’t care to focus on who transferred him but on the transfer itself.
When none of the above apply, choose active voice. It will make your fiction or nonfiction writing better. But there is also a time and a place for passive voice. Make sure to choose the right voice, and your writing will ring clear in your reader’s ears.
Martin Wiles is an author, pastor, English teacher, freelance editor who resides in Greenwood, South Carolina. He is a Gold PEN member and PEN instructor, the managing editor for VineWords: Devotions and More, and the Managing Editor for Christian Devotions. He is the founder/editor of the internationally recognized devotion site, Love Lines from God. His most recent book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, is available on Amazon. He has also been published in numerous publications. He is the husband of one, the father of two, and the grandfather of seven.