I cringe when seeing papers in a NOT-English class littered with:
“You’re using passive voice here.” “Remember to use active voice.” “We require the use of active voice [sic].”
And. Nary a word about business, Newton’s Law, or the data.
Is it REALLY that important? Let’s look…
The comments given to me on the student survey were exceptional.
I got exceptional student-survey comments.
The first is passive—the second is active.
Is active stronger? Yes. Is active clearer? Yes. Is active more concise? Yes. Is active better? Usually.
Remember. Writing’s job is to make your point. Is it a big deal if it does that but is not in an active voice? I don’t know. I think that’s okay.