Pros and Cons of Using Passive Voice in Papers
Many of us have been told that using passive voice in papers is bad and using active voice is encouraged. So should we use a passive to active voice converter and stick strictly to active voice? The fact is that there are both positive and negative aspects to using passive voice. The negative aspects of passive voice include:
- It is less concise. Sentences written in passive voice typically contain more words than those written in active voice.
- More difficult to understand. Passive sentences use more words and it isn’t always immediately clear who is doing what
- Distances the reader. The reader won’t feel as close to the ideas or action being presented
However there are times when using the passive voice is appropriate. Some of the positive aspects of the passive voice include:
- When the actor is unknown. Passive voice is useful when it isn’t known who or what performed the action.
- To conceal the subject. Use passive voice when you don’t want to reveal who performed an action
- Emphasize an action. When you want to focus on action more than who/what performed it, it is a good time to employ the passive voice.
In general it is true that the active voice is preferable. It makes your writing more concise and easier to understand. It also generates a stronger connection with the reader. These are all desirable traits in writing. The problem is many people don’t know how to eliminate passive voice from their writing nor are they able to determine those instances when using passive voice is the better choice. One option is to employ a passive voice misuse fixer or active voice to passive voice converter free when editing papers and other written content.
Benefits of Using Free Passive Voice Checker
Using a free passive voice checker and passive to active converter can save a lot of time when you edit your text. Changing passive verbs to active verbs is something many people don’t know how to do. Some may not even recognize a passive sentence when they see one. Even experienced writers who know how to fix passive voice sentences may spend hours editing their text and still overlook passive voice misuse in their own work. Employing a passive voice to active voice converter online will catch every instance of the passive voice being used and will do it quickly. Passive to active sentence converter will also provide suggestions on changes that should be made to your text. As an added benefit novice writers will learn more about recognizing and correcting passive voice misuse through using passive voice to active voice generator.
Finding the Right Online Passive Voice Detector
There are numerous options available when you start looking for a passive vs active voice checker. So what should you look for when you select a voice detector? First it should do the basic job it was intended for and differentiate between active and passive voice. A good active voice to passive voice converter should not only recognize passive and active voice. It should also offer suggestions on making adjustments to your text. Sometimes knowing there is an error isn’t enough. We also need to know how to fix it. Another thing to look for in a passive voice generator is additional features. Things such as a spelling and punctuation checker are extremely useful when editing papers. Speed and accuracy are definitely a consideration when choosing the right voice detector for your needs as is ease of use. Finally there is also price to think about. It doesn’t matter how good passive voice to active voice tool is if it isn’t within your budget.
We offer a passive voice converter that meets all of the criteria discussed above. Our voice converter identifies passive and active voice use quickly and accurately and also provides a report on suggested adjustments for you to make to your text. In addition it functions as a spelling, punctuation and dictionary checker and examines your text for tone and word usage. It can be used for any type of text including academic papers and essays, articles, blog posts emails and others. Our passive voice recognizer is also easy to use. Just copy and paste your text into the provided field and click the button to begin the analyzing process. Within seconds you will be provided with a report detailing errors as well as suggested adjustments to make to your paper. After the suggested edits are made you will end up with a well written paper ready to be submitted in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise.
Difference between active and passive voice
Grammatically speaking, voice is the state of a verb in which either the subject performs an action or it receives an action. Thus, the state in which the subject of a sentence accomplishes an action is known as the active voice, and when the subject of the sentence receives an action is referred to as the passive voice. The other major differences between the active and passive voice that can be found through the passive voice tester or our active voice finder app are mentioned in the table.
Active voice | Passive voice |
It is simple and clear form of voice to express the meaning of the sentence eloquently | Passive voice version of the sentence is a bit tricky and complex to express meaning less eloquently |
The subject of the sentence is the main doer of an action in the sentence | The subject is the receiver of the work or action in the sentence |
Subject sits in the start of the sentence and object at the end of the sentence | Object sits in the start of the sentence and the subject at the end |
Active sentences are more common in descriptions where writers/speakers are more sure about the story with greater responsibility | Passive voice sentences are commonly used where the writers/speakers are not fully sure to take responsibility of the story firmly |
In active voice sentences, the main verb goes in the original form associated with its respective type of tense | In passive voice sentences, the original verb always changes to past participle form preceded by a conjugated “to be” verb according to the associated type of tense |