Simplifying Our Writingusing Active Voice
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Citation | Vol. 52 No. 10 Pg. 18 |
| Pages | 18 |
MODERN LEGAL WRITING
Simplifying Our Writing Using Active Voice
BY JOHN HISKI R IDGE
This is the second in a series of articles about simplifying our writing. Here we address the use of the active voice. This begs the question, ''Do we really need another article advocating active over passive voice?'' Probably not. The information is out there, and in abundance. The problem isn't a lack of available information; the problem is that we frequently don't let the information affect our writing. We hear it, but we don't apply it.
This article is a reminder to pay attention to voice when we're editing our writing. Nothing more. But sometimes we need these reminders.
A Humorous Example
I've previously used this example because it illustrates quite well the need for active voice. Fans of Jack Nicholson will remember these lines from A Few Good Men:
Colonel Jessup: You want answers?
Lieutenant Kaffee: I think I'm entitled to them.
Jessup: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessup: You can't handle the truth!
Who among us hasn't daydreamed about using Jack's legendary line in an advocacy setting? The dialogue thrills us because it's simple, and it's simple because the writer used the active voice.
Now try to imagine the courtroom interchange if that line were in the passive voice:
Jessup: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessup: The truth can't be handled by you!
We have to think a little harder about what Colonel Jessup is trying to say. As a result, the whole dialogue loses its impact.
Applying the Active Voice
When we use the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. Here's an example:
Example 1. The taxpayer [subject/actor] rejected [verb/action] the settlement offer.
In this instance, the taxpayer is the subject of the sentence. This same person is also the individual who performed the action: rejecting the settlement offer.
We can identify the active voice by its form: when the active voice is used, the subject performing the action generally precedes the verb. This is illustrated below:
Example 2. The highway department [subject/actor] replanted [verb] the dead trees in the living snowfence.
These examples seem simple precisely because they are. The active voice makes our writing simpler, easier to understand, and shorter.
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