![]() ![]() Both of these sentences are equally correct - it’s up to you, the writer, to decide where the emphasis should go and craft a sentence that does that. In the second sentence-the passive one-the families are placed in the spotlight instead. Since it is the subject of the sentence, the reader pays more attention to that than the families mentioned later. In the first sentence, the earthquake is the center of attention. Over 250 families within in a twenty mile radius were displaced by yesterday’s earthquake.The earthquake displaced over 250 families within a twenty mile radius.Look at the two sentences below and think about what is being emphasized in each one: In general, the main difference between passive and active sentences is what you want to emphasize. So now you know that you shouldn’t automatically trust the “Don’t use passive voice EVER!” rule, but how do you decide which style to use in a given situation? Keep reading to find out when to use active voice and when to use passive voice –and, even more importantly, why. However, the “don’t use passive voice ever!” rule is also misleading, since there are times that it is appropriate. In most writing, you’ll want to use active verbs because they are more energetic and specific. The second sentence tells you right away who discouraged the passive sentences, which helps the reader immediately understand what the sentence is about. While the first sentence doesn’t break any rules, its meaning is more vague-you have to read to the very end of the sentence before you know who discouraged the passive sentences. ![]() In general, teachers recommend avoiding “to be” verbs and using more specific verbs because this makes writing more active and more concise. ![]()
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