It seems like every other day I come across something that is grumbling at me about passive voice. Sometimes, it's the ProWritingAid app, more often than not highlighting deliberate constructions carefully crafted for show. Other times, it's a beta reader attempting to confuse me with their commentary. And occasionally, it will be a discussion with writers about the differences between active and passive voice.

And every time I have a passive voice conversation, I end up scratching my head.

Why? Because some people are so against the use of passive voice that they go out of their way to make everything active. Yes, it is advisable to use active sentence constructions where possible, but sometimes, writing demands the use of passive voice to make it stronger.

I can hear all the naysayers now, ready to pounce. But do you really understand what passive voice is? You think you do, but it's time to shed a few myths and get down to the heart of the passive vs active voice argument.

Let's start with defining what passive voice is.

Frequently, I find myself in the middle of a conversation talking about whether something should be written in US English or UK English. Sometimes, it's related to how something is punctuated (and yes, there is a difference between the two for some punctuation rules). Sometimes, it's in regards to whether a story would work better written in one versus the other—normally focused on whether a story set in the UK should be in UK English. And sometimes, it's connected to the frustrations that those around me have with Americans who don't understand that UK English is different to US English.

Within these conversations, I find myself becoming a bit of a broken record, asking the same questions over and over again. And it all comes down to one idea…

Who is your target audience?

So, let's break this down and really look at why understanding who your target audience is will determine which variant of English you use.