>In this case, "avoid passive voice" is a pretty good delta, statistically speaking. Most writers use passive voice too much. Exactly. Passive voice is the ea

>In this case, "avoid passive voice" is a pretty good delta, statistically speaking. Most writers use passive voice too much. Exactly. Passive voice is the easier default for most writers and unfortunately, it lacks punch. Example of a classic passive voice sentence: "Mistakes were made." Writers love hiding behind passive constructions like that. But the reader wants to know _who_ made the mistake. If possible, write the agent into the sentence: "Nixon made mistakes." or "Kissinger made mistakes." There was a writing style book that compared 10-K annual financial reports from companies that got hit by accounting scandals (Enron, Worldcom) vs clean companies (Berkshire Hathaway & Warren Buffet). There was a significantly more passive voice sentences in the dishonest companies. In contrast, Warren Buffet writes in a lively active-voice style ("I invested in this. I lost money on that.") (I wonder if there's a hedge fund that uses text analysis software to scan 10-K filings to quantify which company is overusing passive-voice as a parameter to their models.)