Active vs. passive voice

[Barrett]

So I'm not sure what I'm even trying to ask here, but...

It was only recently I really got the difference between active and passive voice (reference here, in case anyone wants to read more). Anyway, scientific papers actually promote use of passive voice and I've found it's become second nature for me to use it, even if it's usually more clunky/wordy. I've been trying to use more active voice in my posts, but I still have to go back when I'm done and correct things/think extra hard about how to eliminate the passive voice.

I guess I was just wondering if anyone had tips for using active voice in the first place/making it happen more naturally... or even just easier to spot when passive voice happens. One thing I've noticed that always trips me up... since we write in past tense by default, sometimes I think (?) I'm slipping into passive voice just by trying to make things "more past" by using past participle. I... hope that makes sense, since I only recently got a grasp on what a "past participle" was, too. XD

And yes, I understand that passive voice isn't necessarily wrong--but I'd like to learn to use active voice better, too. I understand it's more effective on cover letters and resumes, so it seems like a good skill to practise. :3

Any clarifications or tips are highly appreciated! <3

[Skye Collins]

I like the active voice much better, even if the passive voice is more eloquent. The active voice is just frank and plain - tells it like it is. The passive voice is like... trying to get away with something, or trying to skirt around the sentence, in my eyes. Anyway, basically, the passive voice is this:

"With a hammer he killed Frank."
"The living room was where they dragged the body."
"The church was where the funeral was held."

In other words, the subject of the sentence - Frank, the body, and the funeral - are all at the end of the sentence, whereas in the active voice:

"He killed Frank with a hammer."
"They dragged the body in the living room."
"The funeral was held in the church."

The subject of the sentence is in the beginning, and it's clear that they are the subject of the sentence, whereas in the passive voice, it's fuzzier and less clear. Hope that helped!

[Talitha de le Poer]

Sunny, she already linked to a page that explained what it was...she knows WHAT the difference is. She's asking for tips on how she can write in active rather than passive, because she writes in passive naturally.

I...personally, cannot offer tips. I write in active naturally, and I can't write in anything that makes me write without it. >.> Or without opinion, really. Uh.

I guess you could try getting more into Barrett's head? Help you make him more...the subject...

[Skye Collins]

Oh, oops. >< Maybe you could think about what the subject of the sentence is and write about it in the sentence first, before you can write passively?