The active voice is a grammatical voice that describes a sentence in which the subject performs the action described by the verb. The subject of the sentence is the “doer” of the action. In an active voice sentence, the subject is typically followed by a verb and an object. For example:
- “The dog chased the ball.”
- “The teacher graded the exams.”
- “The company launched a new product.”
In these examples, the subject (“dog”, “teacher”, “company”) performs the action described by the verb (“chased”, “graded”, “launched”). The subject is actively doing something.
Active voice is often considered more direct and clear, as it clearly states who or what is performing the action. It can also be more engaging, as it puts the focus on the subject of the sentence, which can make the sentence more interesting.
On the other hand, passive voice is a grammatical voice that describes a sentence in which the subject receives the action described by the verb. In a passive voice sentence, the subject is typically followed by a form of the verb “to be” and then the past participle form of the main verb. For example:
- “The ball was chased by the dog.”
- “The exams were graded by the teacher.”
- “A new product was launched by the company.”
In these examples, the subject (“ball”, “exams”, “product”) is the receiver of the action described by the verb (“chased”, “graded”, “launched”). The subject is passively receiving something.
Using passive voice can make sentences less direct, less clear, and less engaging.