

Once you configure the check for passive sentences, MS-Word will squiggly-underline (in green color) most instances of passive sentences as illustrated below, just like it does squiggly-underline (in red color) spelling mistakes.Ĭlarity and ease-of-comprehension are two of the most important requisites to effective communication. Step 3: In the ‘Grammar Settings’ dialog box, enable the ‘Passive sentences’ under the ‘Style’ category. Select ‘Grammar & Style’ from the ‘Writing style’ drop down and click on the ‘Settings’ button. Step 2: In the ‘Spelling & Grammar’ tab of the Options dialog box, enable the ‘Check grammar as you type’ and ‘Check grammar with spelling’ options. Step 1: Select ‘Tools’ from the ‘Options’ menu

To activate the check for passive voice, follow these three steps. You can use the ‘Grammar Check’ feature in MS-Word to identify and eliminate passive voice. Sentences in active voice (e.g., ” I appreciate your feedback”) are simple, direct, persuasive, and easier to understand.

To summarize, sentences in passive voice (e.g., “Your feedback is appreciated,”) though grammatically correct, seem impersonal and obscure the responsibility of actions or feelings they convey. You can read this article to learn how to check the spelling and grammar in your Word 2013 document.A previous article had promoted the use of active voice for persuasive communications. Step 6: Scroll down and check the box to the left of Passive sentences in the Style section of the window, then click the OK button.Īnytime you run the Spelling and Grammar checker it will include a check for sentences written in the passive voice. Step 5: Click the Settings button to the right of Grammar Only in the When correcting spelling and grammar in Word section of the window. Step 4: Click the Proofing option in the column at the left side of the Word Options window.

Step 3: Click the Options button in the column at the left side of the window. Step 2: Click the File tab at the top-left corner of the window. You can follow the steps in this article to learn how to check for passive voice in Word 2010. These steps were performed in Microsoft Word 2013. So if you have a teacher, boss or colleague that checks your work for grammar, then including a passive voice check before submitting your work can help eliminate some potential issues.Ĭheck for Passive Voice in Microsoft Word 2013 The passive voice checker is not turned on in the program by default, but it can be enabled with just a few short steps. The options for the Spelling & Grammar checker are found on a menu in the Backstage area of Word 2013, and they include a passive voice checker. You may already know that Microsoft Word 2013 can check your document for spelling errors, but there are some other things for which it can check, too.
