Voice

Voice

From English K-10 Syllabus–Glossary

Grammatically, voice refers to the way of indicating who is doing the action:

• Active voice is where the 'doer' of the action comes before the verb, for example 'Ann broke the vase'.

• Passive voice is where the 'receiver' of the action is placed before the verb, for example 'The vase was broken by Ann' (see theme).

Stylistically, active voice is usually preferred in writing, as it places the agent of the verb at the start of the sentence and has a sense of immediacy, whereas passive voice creates a sense of detachment between subject and verb and is not so easily read and understood.