Name The Actor, Not Just The Action
Prefer active voice when the actor matters and you want a reader to see ownership clearly.
The reader should not have to solve for responsibility. Why active voice feels clearer Active voice aligns sentence order with how readers understand events: someone does something that affects something else. That sequence is fast to parse and easy to remember. Where passive voice causes trouble Passive voice is often used in incident notes, project updates, and policy writing when the writer wants distance. The result can sound official while remaining vague. Readers then spend energy asking who owns the action. Use judgment, not dogma There are cases where passive voice is useful, especially when the actor is unknown or…
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