Speechwriters should mostly use active voice rather than passive voice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On June 22, 2024 I blogged about how I write speeches in active voice – not passive voice. An article by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from The Writing Center – College of Arts and Sciences titled Passive Voice [Tips & Tools] explains:

 

“A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at the passive reframing of a familiar joke [Why did the chicken cross the road?]:

 

‘Why was the road crossed by the chicken?’ “

 

On December 19, 2017 I blogged about More speechwriting resources from the Congressional Research Service. In that post I discussed a publication by Thomas H. Neale and Dana Ely from April 12, 2007, their CRS Report 98-170, titled Speechwriting in Perspective: A Brief Guide to Effective and Persuasive Communication.

 

Under Contemporary Style and Tone the fourth paragraph explains:

 

“Writers should generally use simple declarative sentence, preferably in the active voice, when making important statements of fact, assertion, or opinion. Use of the passive voice should not be dismissed out of hand, however; it is sometimes the more desirable form, and can lend grace and variety to the speaker’s flow of words that stimulates the listener. It is excessive use that should be avoided. Similarly, exclusive use of the active voice can impart a choppy, juvenile cadence to even a content-rich speech.”

 

A detailed article by Jacob M. Carpenter from 2022 in Legal Communication & Rhetoric titled The Problems and Positives of Passives: Exploring Why Controlling Passive Voice and Nominalizations Is About More Than Preference and Style states that you should use passive voice:

 

To emphasize something other than the actor

When the actor is unimportant or unknown

To improve cohesion and concision through dovetailing

To portray objectivity or deflect responsibility

To distance the reader psychologically

 

He also notes that:

 

“Passive voice at the beginning of a sentence may create an effective ‘dovetail’ connecting adjacent sentences….

 

In subsequent telephone conferences the defendant’s counsel promised to produces the documents within 30 days. The documents were never produced.”

 

My graphic uses a modified version of the man posting a sign from the Library of Congress.