Police reports avoid passive voice because it does not answer an important question: Who performed the action?
If you’re testifying in court, trying to remember what happened six months ago, a passive-voice sentence in your report can be confusing:
A blood-stained t-shirt was found under a rosebush in the back yard. PASSIVE VOICE
Who found the t-shirt?
Here’s an active-voice version of this sentence that clearly states the facts:
I found a blood-stained t-shirt under a rosebush in the back yard. ACTIVE VOICE
(To learn how to identify passive voice, click here.)
Here’s a short quiz to see if you can identify passive-voice sentences. The answers are stated below.
- The roof was replaced two years ago.
- John and Mike replaced the roof.
- We were wondering if you’d like to spend a weekend at our beach house.
- The key can be found under a rock to the left of the front door.
- Taxis will be waiting at the bus station.
Here are the answers:
- The roof was replaced two years ago. PASSIVE [Who replaced it?]
- John and Mike replaced the roof. ACTIVE
- We were wondering if you’d like to spend a weekend at our beach house. ACTIVE
- The key can be found under a rock to the left of the front door. PASSIVE [Who will find it?]
- Taxis will be waiting at the bus station. ACTIVE
And here are active-voice rewrites of the passive-voice sentences:
1. The landlord replaced the roof two years ago.
4. You can find the key under a rock to the left of the front door.
How did you do?