Facts about the Active Voice

1. 07

   Journalists in newsrooms across North America have increasingly adopted active voice guidelines since the 1980s, with major publications like The New York Times and Associated Press style guides explicitly prioritizing active constructions to strengthen reporting credibility and reader engagement.

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2. 06

   Neuroscientists studying brain activity with fMRI scans found that active voice sentences activate Broca's area 25 percent less intensely than passive constructions, indicating lower cognitive effort during language processing.

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3. 05

   Ernest Hemingway's sparse, direct writing style exemplifies active voice construction, with his 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea averaging 8.4 words per sentence using predominantly active verbs.

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4. 04

   Studies of reader comprehension show that active voice sentences are processed approximately 20 percent faster by the human brain than their passive voice equivalents.

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5. 03

   Google's Hemingway Editor tool, launched in 2014, highlights sentences written in passive voice to encourage writers toward active voice constructions that improve readability.

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6. 02

   Passive voice constructions require approximately 15 percent more words than their active voice equivalents, making active voice more economical for writing within strict word limits.

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7. 01

   Strunk and White's 1959 Elements of Style recommends active voice for 80 percent of sentences to improve clarity and directness in writing.

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