Using the active and passive forms of verbs

The active form of a verb deals with doing something, while the passive deals with something being done. For example, the first of the following two sentences contains an active verb, while the second contains a passive one.

Janet drove the car.

The car was driven by Janet.

The classic advice is to use the active and avoid the passive wherever possible, because the active is both shorter and more direct. Unfortunately, there is a very long tradition among lawyers of using the passive as their standard style, which means you will have to make a special effort not to find yourself slipping into the same bad practice. However, the effort is well worthwhile for two reasons. First, the active genuinely is a more direct – and, therefore, better – means of communication in most cases. Secondly, habitual use of the active means that, on those occasions when you feel the passive would make your point more clearly, it will stand out much more effectively. The following two sentences show how the emphasis of a sentence can depend on whether the verb is used actively or passively.

Janet drove the car, while John rode the bicycle.

The car was driven by Janet, while the bicycle was ridden by John.

The first sentence emphasises the identities of the people, while the second emphasises the means of transport.