![]() Securities and Exchange Commission, Plain English Handbook, 1998, Washington, DC, pp. Redish, Janice C., How to Write Regulations and Other Legal Documents in Clear English, 1991, American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC, p. ![]() Office of the Federal Register, Document Drafting Handbook, 1998, p. Murawski, Thomas A., Writing Readable Regulations, 1999, Carolina Academic Press Durham, NC, pp. Garner, Bryan A., Garner's Modern American Usage, 2003, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, pp. Garner, Bryan A., Legal Writing in Plain English, 2001, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp. Garner, Bryan A., A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, 2nd edition, 1995, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, pp. and Charrow, Robert P., Clear & Effective Legal Writing, 4th edition, 2007, Aspen Publishers, New York, NY, pp. “If you do not pay the royalty on your mineral production, your lease will be terminated.” SourcesĬharrow, Veda R., Erhardt, Myra K. You might also use passive when it doesn’t matter who is doing an action. For example, when one action follows another as a matter of law, and there is no actor (besides the law itself) for the second action, a passive sentence may be the best method of expression. In a few instances, passive voice may be appropriate. Use passive voice when the law is the actor A past participle (generally with “-ed” on the end).A form of the verb “to be,” such as “are,” “was,” “were,” “could be,” or “have been”).Passive sentences have two basic features, although both may not appear in every passive sentence. More than any other writing technique, using active voice and specifying who is performing an action will change the character of your writing. Our state office must approve your permit. The permit must be approved by the agency’s state office. We will withhold your bond if you don’t comply with all permit terms and conditions. You must include the following information in your application.īonds will be withheld in cases of non-compliance with all permits and conditions. The following information must be included in the application for it to be considered complete. Passive sentences often do not identify who is performing the action. The Passive to Active Voice Generator is a free Ai tool that can help you convert between the two voices. For example, 'I gave a gift.' Converting between passive and active voice can be tricky, but luckily there's a tool to help. In a passive sentence, the person or item that is acted upon is the subject of the sentence. Active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the verb. In an active sentence, the person or agency that’s acting is the subject of the sentence. Don’t confuse passive voice with past tense. Not “It must be done,” but “You must do it.” Passive voice obscures who is responsible for what and is one of the biggest problems with government writing. It eliminates ambiguity about responsibilities. > Keep it conversational Use active voiceĪctive voice makes it clear who is supposed to do what. Tips for starting a plain language program.Sometimes a prepositional phrase like "by the" in the sentences above indicates that the action is performed on the subject, and that the sentence is passive. Don't assume that just because there is a form of 'be' that the sentence is passive, however. You can recognize passive voice because the verb phrase will include a form of be (was, am, are, been, is). Another way to recognize passive-voice sentences is that they may include a "by the." phrase after the verb the agent performing the action, if named, is the object of the preposition in this phrase. The presence of a be-verb, however, does not necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive voice. You can recognize passive-voice expressions because the verb phrase will always include a form of be, such as am, is, was, were, are, or been. Instead, the writing appears to convey information that is not limited or biased by individual perspectives or personal interests. This practice helps to create the appearance of an objective, fact-based discourse because writers can present research and conclusions without attributing them to particular agents. In scientific writing, however, passive voice is more readily accepted since using it allows one to write without using personal pronouns or the names of particular researchers as the subjects of sentences (see the third example above). ![]() Also, overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can cause your prose to seem flat and uninteresting. Sometimes the use of passive voice can create awkward sentences, as in the last example above. The subject of the passive voice sentence performs the action expressed in the verb in this example. Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students. ![]()
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