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Using an Active Voice

1. What Is Active Voice?

In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb.

Formula

Subject → Verb → Object

Examples

  • The team won the game.
  • The company released the update.
  • The player hit the shot.

Active voice is direct, strong, and easy to understand.

2. What Is Passive Voice?

In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of performing it.

Formula

Object → “to be” verb → Past participle → (by subject)

Examples

  • The game was won by the team.
  • The update was released by the company.
  • The shot was hit by the player.

Passive voice is not wrong — but it is often weaker, slower, and less clear.

3. Why Active Voice Matters

Active voice is essential for clarity, SEO, and professional tone.

A. Clarity

Active voice tells readers exactly:

  • Who did what
  • When it happened
  • Why it matters

Passive voice often hides the doer.

Passive:

The update was released.  

(Who released it?)

Active:

Apple released the update.

B. SEO Strength

Google rewards:

  • Clear subjects
  • Strong verbs
  • Direct statements

Active voice improves:

  • Featured snippet potential
  • Entity recognition
  • Readability scores

C. Professional Tone

Newsrooms rely on active voice because it is:

  • Direct
  • Efficient
  • Authoritative

Passive voice can sound vague or evasive.

D. Faster Reading

Active voice is easier to skim, especially on mobile.

4. How to Identify Passive Voice

Writers can spot passive voice using this quick test:

Passive Voice Checklist

  • Does the sentence use a form of “to be”? (is, are, was, were, be, been, being)
  • Is the main verb in the past participle? (released, announced, hit, made)
  • Can you add “by zombies” at the end and still make sense?

Example:

The update was released (by zombies).  

→ Passive.

5. How to Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice

Step 1: Identify the real subject

Step 2: Move it before the verb

Step 3: Use a strong, direct verb

Example 1

Passive:

The game was won by the team.

Active:

The team won the game.

Example 2

Passive:

The update was released today.

Active:

The company released the update today.

Example 3

Passive:

The trailer was leaked online.

Active:

Someone leaked the trailer online.  

(If the subject is unknown, choose a logical placeholder.)

6. When Passive Voice Is Acceptable

Passive voice is not forbidden — it’s just overused.

Use passive voice when:

A. The doer is unknown

The window was broken.

B. The doer is irrelevant

The rules were updated last week.

C. You want to emphasize the receiver

The MVP award was won by a rookie.

D. You’re writing scientific or technical content

The data was analyzed using two methods.

But for news, sports, gaming, lifestyle, and entertainment — active voice should dominate.

7. Examples in Real Article Writing

Before (Passive)

The update was released by the company.

After (Active)

The company released the update.

Another Example

Before (Passive):  

The shot was missed by the player.

After (Active):  

The player missed the shot.

One More Example

Before (Passive):  

The movie was praised by critics.

After (Active):  

Critics praised the movie.

8. Final Takeaway for Total Apex Writers

Active voice is the default for professional writing.

It helps writers:

  • Improve clarity
  • Strengthen SEO
  • Increase reader engagement
  • Reduce ambiguity
  • Deliver newsroom‑ready content
  • Write with authority and precision

Active voice is the fastest way to elevate the quality of every article across every Total Apex vertical — from news to gaming to sports to lifestyle.