The Passive Language

This blog blurb is about the use of passive voice in writing. What is passive voice? Is it really bad? Below are examples of its usage.

The pen is being held by me. - This is in the passive voice.

I am holding a pen. - This is the active voice.

Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It's a stylistic issue that is related to clarity. There are times when using the passive voice can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean.

Now when I considered the above when editing the first draft of my first novel, I felt it important that my readers to understand what I was saying in the active voice where possible. Actually, I wanted my readers to understand the meaning and clarity of what I was writing for them to enjoy the story. As I continue to read the passive and active voice, I began to see the subtle differences in the voice. The next part of this discussion is something I found I was over using.

The use of to be is considered passive voice that you can’t always avoid. What I discovered in my writing, to my amazement, is that I used to be more than I had realized. With that in mind, when I wrote something and fell into only using to be, I would stop, look at what I was saying, and change it, when possible, to active voice.

I think I understand the basic concepts of the passive vs active voice and I continue to read about it. I know I still need work, because I’m not ready to teach it. I talked about it here in this blog in order to bring attention, more to myself, and to those grasping with this structure.

I would appreciate comments from anyone on this subject and how they dealt with it.

Keep smiling.