The Power of Sentences That Move

Good writing moves — literally. It has rhythm, momentum, and a pulse that carries readers forward. The secret behind that motion? The active voice.

Active voice isn’t just a grammar rule you half-remember from school; it’s a principle of energy. It’s what turns “The ball was thrown by Sarah” into “Sarah threw the ball.” Suddenly, you’ve got agency, clarity, and punch — all in one line.

In active voice, your subjects take action instead of having action happen to them. That small shift transforms writing from limp to alive.

Active vs. Passive Voice: The Real Difference

Here’s the simplest breakdown:

• Active voice: The subject performs the action.
  Example: “The writer finished the article.”

• Passive voice: The subject receives the action.
  Example: “The article was finished by the writer.”

Passive voice isn’t wrong — it’s just weaker, slower, and often unnecessary. It buries the doer beneath the done. When you use it too often, your prose starts to sound like it’s apologizing for existing.

Active voice, on the other hand, makes your writing sound confident and intentional — like it knows where it’s going.

Why Writers Slip Into Passive Voice

The passive voice is sneaky. It creeps in when we’re trying to sound formal, polite, or detached. It’s common in academic papers, corporate emails, and government memos — places where accountability conveniently disappears.

“Mistakes were made.”
Sure they were. By whom?

We use passive voice when we don’t want to assign blame or take ownership. But in storytelling, essays, and persuasive writing, vagueness kills connection. Readers want to know who did what, and they want it now.

The Active Voice Builds Trust

There’s a reason journalists, novelists, and copywriters swear by active voice: it sounds human. It gives readers the sense that someone is actually speaking to them, not filing a report about them.

When your sentences take action, your readers feel that energy. It builds rhythm, urgency, and credibility. Active writing tells the reader: “I mean what I say, and I’m not hiding behind abstraction.”

In other words, it sounds like you have something worth listening to.

How to Spot Passive Constructions

Here’s a quick trick: if you can add “by zombies” at the end of your sentence and it still makes grammatical sense, it’s passive.

• “The book was written (by zombies).” → Passive.

• “The zombies wrote the book.” → Active.

If your sentence can survive a zombie attack, flip it.

You can also spot passives by looking for versions of “to be” — is, was, were, been, being — followed by a past participle (words ending in -ed, -en, etc.). These are classic indicators that the action is being done to something, not by someone.

When Passive Voice Works

Here’s the twist: not all passive voice is evil. Sometimes, it’s the right choice.

Use it when:

• You don’t know who performed the action: “The files were deleted overnight.”

• The doer doesn’t matter: “The window was broken.”

• You want to emphasize the object instead of the subject: “The law was changed to protect workers.”

Passive voice can also soften tone when diplomacy matters. But it should be a deliberate choice, not a default habit.

Rewriting for Power

Here’s how to transform weak sentences into strong ones:

Passive: “The proposal was approved by the board.”
Active: “The board approved the proposal.”

Passive: “The issue was discussed at length by the team.”
Active: “The team discussed the issue.”

Passive: “Mistakes were made.”
Active: “We made mistakes.”

Each revision feels clearer, tighter, and more accountable. The reader knows who did what, and the writing wastes zero oxygen getting there.

The Rhythm of Action

Active voice also sharpens pacing. Short, direct sentences hit harder because they mimic how people think and speak. They propel readers forward.

Compare these two:

• “The dinner was being prepared by the chef while the guests were seated by the hostess.”

• “The chef prepared dinner while the hostess seated the guests.”

The first drags like a wet towel; the second flows.

If your writing feels heavy or slow, chances are your verbs have lost their spine. Put your characters — or your ideas — back in charge.

Writing Like You Mean It

The deeper truth of the active voice is this: it forces you to take responsibility for your words.

When you write “Mistakes were made,” you hide behind the syntax. When you write “I made mistakes,” you stand in your truth. It’s vulnerable, yes — but it’s also powerful.

Active voice isn’t just grammar; it’s integrity on the page.

Make Your Sentences Move

Writing in the active voice is about more than trimming fat or pleasing editors. It’s about energy, honesty, and intention. It’s how you make every sentence do something instead of just being something.

So the next time you catch yourself typing, “was done,” stop. Ask: Who did it? Then put that person — or idea, or emotion — back in charge of the sentence.

Because good writing doesn’t just sit there waiting to be read.
It moves, it acts, and it leaves a mark.