What is the active voice?
In active voice sentences, the subject (the doer) appears first, so readers immediately know who is doing the action upfront.
It follows this structure: subject ➔ action ➔ outcome/object. For example:
Sarah approved the final report.
Active voice sentences are clearer, more concise and more direct, making them the best choice for most everyday business and content writing.
What is the passive voice?
In a passive voice sentence, the subject of the action comes at the end of the sentence – or is omitted altogether. For example:
- Doer at the end: The final report was approved by Sarah.
- Doer missing altogether: The final report was approved.
Overusing the passive voice can make your business writing vague, evasive or even patronising because it obscures responsibility. For example:
- A decision was made to delay the launch. (Who made the decision?)
- Approval will be needed shortly. (Who needs to approve?)
Why is the active voice a better choice?
In business, your readers want to know three things:
- What happened?
- What does it mean?
- What needs to happen next?
Active voice helps them answer those questions quickly. It removes ambiguity, makes accountability visible and gives your writing a more confident, authoritative tone.
Is the passive voice ever okay?
Passive voice still has a place in business writing. Use it when the person, team or organisation doing the action is unknown or less important than the action itself.
For example, in this sentence the outcome is more important than the cause:
The system was updated overnight.
Passive voice can also be useful when you need to be diplomatic or maintain a neutral tone. It’s common in legal, compliance and HR writing, where the focus is often on the process or outcome rather than the individual. For example:
- The complaint was reviewed under the organisation’s conduct policy.
- The employee was advised of the next steps in writing.
But as a rule of thumb, use the active voice unless you have a good reason not to.
How do I spot passive writing?
Start by looking for a ‘by…’ phrase at the end of a sentence. For example:
- The proposal was approved by the executive team.
- The meeting was facilitated by the project manager.
But remember, not every passive sentence includes a by phrase because the doer may be missing altogether. When in doubt, add ‘by the dinosaur’ to the end of the sentence. If it still makes sense? Chances are you’ve written in the passive voice. For example:
- The client has been contacted about the delay… by the dinosaur. ✓
- The contract needs to be signed… by the dinosaur. ✓
- Priya contacted the client about the delay… by the dinosaur. ✗
Once you’ve spotted a passive sentence, ask yourself: Who is doing the action? If you know the answer, move that person, team or organisation to the front of the sentence.