The passive voice seems to have become the norm in business writing. Unfortunately, its use creates bloated and indirect language that is difficult for the reader to understand. For example: “The final plan was approved by the committee chairman and was sent forward to the executive vice president for his approval.” This sentence contains more words than necessary, and its passive construction leaves the reader wondering who sent the program to the vice president. Note what happens if you edit this and put it in the active voice: “Tom Jones, the committee chairman, approved the final plan and sent it to the executive vice president for his approval.” Now the sentence is clear and so is the responsibility.
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