A C T I V E V E R S U S P A S S I V E V O I C E The active voice is much more effective in conveying your personality through your essay.
Not only is the active voice clearer and more direct, but it conveys your meaning more eas-
ily. In the active voice, you literally become the source, or cause, of the action.
In the passive voice, the subject (most often you) is acted upon. Sentences written in the pas-
sive voice tend to be too wordy, or lack focus. For these reasons, it should be used only when
necessary. The good news is that passive-voice errors are easy to omit from your writing.
Compare these sentences:
