Writing Style Guide - Part One - Active & Passive

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Active & Passive

At its heart, news is about people doing things. Activity is interesting. Where you can, write sentences with subjects that are doing things, and not subjects that are simply receiving actions upon them.

Compare these two sentences:

• A meeting will be held by the company’s directors next week.
• The company’s directors will meet next week.

The first is an example of what grammarians call the passive voice; the second is the active voice.

Don’t be put off, it’s really very simple.

Active voice: A does B.
Passive voice: B is done (usually by A).

The active voice will help give your scripts some vitality and life. It can also make a weak sentence more emphatic and give it greater impact.

Compare these examples. The first is in the passive, the second active:

• There were riots in several towns in Northern England last night, in which police clashed with stone-throwing youths.
• Youths throwing stones clashed with police during riots in several towns in Northern England last night.

The there is,there are construction is overused. Why waste time stating that something exists when you could get on and describe the action? The imagery in the second version is so much more vivid and powerful and helps the audience to imagine what went on.

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