How does passive voice contribute to wordiness in writing?

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How does passive voice contribute to wordiness in writing?

Passive voice contributes to wordiness in writing by adding unnecessary words and phrases, which can make sentences longer and more convoluted. In passive voice constructions, the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than performing it. This often leads to the inclusion of the auxiliary verb "to be" followed by the past participle of the main verb, resulting in a longer sentence structure.

For example, consider the following active voice sentence: "John wrote the report." In passive voice, this sentence would be rewritten as: "The report was written by John." The passive construction adds three extra words ("was," "written," and "by") and changes the sentence structure, making it longer and more cumbersome.

Furthermore, passive voice often obscures the doer of the action, leading to ambiguity and a lack of clarity in writing. This can result in the need for additional words or phrases to clarify the subject or provide context, further contributing to wordiness.

In addition, passive voice tends to use more prepositional phrases and nominalizations, which can also increase wordiness. Prepositional phrases are often used to indicate the agent or the doer of the action in passive voice sentences, adding extra words and complexity. Nominalizations occur when a verb is turned into a noun, requiring additional words to express the action.

Overall, passive voice contributes to wordiness in writing through the addition of unnecessary words, changes in sentence structure, ambiguity, and the use of prepositional phrases and nominalizations. To improve clarity and conciseness, it is generally recommended to use active voice whenever possible.