Active and Passive Voice Guidelines in MLA and APA Style

📚 Understanding Active and Passive Voice

Active and passive voice are two different ways to structure a sentence. In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action. Choosing between them depends on the context and desired emphasis.

📜 A Brief History

The preference for active voice has grown over time, particularly in academic writing. Historically, passive voice was more common, viewed as objective and formal. Modern style guides, however, advocate for active voice for its clarity and directness.

✨ Key Principles of Active vs. Passive Voice

• 🎯 Active Voice: Subject performs the action. It's generally more concise and direct. Example: The student submitted the assignment.
• 😴 Passive Voice: Subject receives the action. Useful when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or to emphasize the action itself. Example: The assignment was submitted by the student. or The assignment was submitted.
• ✍️ Clarity: Active voice typically results in clearer and more engaging writing.
• ⚖️ Emphasis: Passive voice can be used strategically to shift the focus of a sentence.

📝 MLA Style Guidelines

MLA (Modern Language Association) style generally favors active voice for its clarity and conciseness. While passive voice isn't strictly forbidden, overuse can make your writing seem vague or weak.

• ✅ Use Active Voice Primarily: Aim for active voice whenever possible to clearly show who is performing the action.
• ⚠️ Avoid Unnecessary Passive Voice: Revise sentences that use passive voice when the actor is clear and relevant.
• 🧐 Acceptable Use Cases: Use passive voice when the actor is unknown or unimportant. For example, "Mistakes were made."

APA Style Guidelines

APA (American Psychological Association) style also encourages active voice, particularly when describing research participants or authors. However, APA recognizes that passive voice can be useful in specific situations.

• 🗣️ Promote Clarity and Precision: Use active voice to clearly state who did what.
• 🧪 Describing Procedures: Passive voice is acceptable when describing methodological steps where the actor is implied (e.g., "The data were analyzed").
• 🎯 Focus on the Action: Use passive voice when the action itself is more important than the actor.
• 👨‍🔬 Objectivity: APA allows passive voice to maintain objectivity, especially when describing broad processes or established facts.

✍️ Examples in MLA and APA

MLA Examples:

• ✔️ Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
• ❌ Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. (Less preferred in MLA unless emphasizing the work)
• ✨ Active (Improved): The critic analyzed Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter.
• 😴 Passive (Acceptable): The poem's themes were interpreted in various ways. (Focus on the themes)

APA Examples:

• 📈 Active: Smith (2023) found a significant correlation between anxiety and test performance.
• 📊 Passive: A significant correlation was found between anxiety and test performance (Smith, 2023). (Acceptable for emphasis on the correlation itself)
• 🔬 Passive (Methodology): Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions.
• 💬 Active (Preferred): We randomly assigned participants to one of three conditions. (Even better when "we" are the authors)

💡 Practical Tips

• 🔎 Identify Passive Voice: Look for forms of "to be" (is, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle.
• ✏️ Revise Strategically: When possible, rewrite passive sentences in the active voice to improve clarity.
• 🔄 Know When to Use Passive Voice: Use passive voice when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or when emphasizing the action.
• 📚 Consult Style Guides: Refer to the official MLA or APA style manual for specific guidelines and examples.

🔑 Conclusion

Understanding the nuances of active and passive voice is crucial for effective academic writing. While both MLA and APA styles favor active voice for clarity, recognizing when to use passive voice strategically can enhance your writing and ensure it meets the specific requirements of your field. By practicing and paying attention to the context, you can master the art of using active and passive voice effectively.