Writer, Choose the Right Voice
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 by email numerous times, but I
have never heard her voice. Yet I know her devotion before I see her name. She
has a distinct writing voice.
Every writer has a unique voice. As a nonfiction freelance
editor, I frequently find myself correcting the use of voice. 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. Although many
variations of these three tenses exist, depending on how many actions are
occurring, things can only happen in one of those three time periods.
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, we writers should prefer active voice, and we editors
should help writers make this correction. Often, however, we lean toward the
passive voice. I’ve wondered why we Christian writers frequently choose the
passive voice. Perhaps it’s because so much of the Bible and other theological
writings trend toward the passive voice. Since we (hopefully) read and study a
lot 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 may be
preferable, but passive voice has its place too. 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 There Is an Unknown Doer of the Action
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 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.
After constantly hearing don't use passive voice, thanks for sharing situations where passive is acceptable.
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