How to use Active Voice

What is Active Voice?

Active Voice is where the subject promotes the action.

I.e. He killed them.

Rather than the Passive;

They were killed.

Active Voice uses Active Verbs such as Slept, Ran, Coughed, Jumped, Ate, Shouted, Roared, the list goes on. You also remove Filler words such as Had, Has and When.

The argument between Passive and Active Voice is very similar to Show Vs Tell, but we'll go into that another time.

More examples are;

Active - Becky caught the ball.

Passive - Becky was thrown the ball.

Active- John danced the night away.

Passive - John had danced the night away.

What are the Pros of using the Active Voice?

1. Reader Involvement

The Active Voice gets the reader involved in your work, the action is happening to the character and they don't want to stop mid-flow.

2. Your work Jumps

It helps your work jump out of the page. An Active verb is an action. If your reader can picture your character doing those motions, then they will feel like your work is alive.

3. Instant

Unlike Passive Voice, the Active Voice happens instantly. The reader cannot put the book down because the characters will not stop in their mind.

4. Interesting and Powerful

Think of receiving an e-mail from your boss. If they say "Do this now," you will do the work immediately. If they say "Could you possibly do this?" Then you may wait a while as the work doesn't feel that urgent. It is the same when a reader is reading your book.

5. Easy to Follow

Finally, Active Voice is easy to follow. It makes sentences shorter and direct.

Now for the Cons;