Technical Writing: Active vs. Passive voice

This blog post explains the difference between active voice and passive voice. I also cover when to decide which is best to use, depending on the situation.

Active Voice

An essential aspect of Technical writing is highlighting who or what is performing an action. When using an active voice, the subject acts. The verb action of the sentence creates an active voice.

• Active example: Daphne wrote the technical blog post.
• Active example: The web application includes a new programming language.
• Active example: Incorporating accessibility during the design process ensures a better experience for users.

Active voice is considered more concise, direct, and easier for readers to understand. It is often the preferred choice for Technical writing.

Passive Voice

When using passive voice, the subject is acted upon. The past participle of the verb is used to create passive voice.

• Passive example: The technical blog post was written by Daphne.
• Passive example: A new programming language was included in the web application.
• Passive example: A better user experience was ensured by incorporating accessibility during the design process.

Depending on the situation, passive voice can be necessary. Diplomacy and neutrality are effective with using passive voice to avoid accusing…