what's active voice?

This version shows the active voice, whose structure is subject + active verb + object. Because it uses "caught" as a verb rather than as a participle, the active-voice sentence is more exciting--we have a clearer mental picture of a person in motion. Active voice also reduces wordiness, because it eliminates the extra "to be" verb.

Another difference between the active and passive versions of this sentence is that, in the active version, the emphasis shifts from the ball to the person catching it. In most cases, the person would be more important than the ball, so the shift would be appropriate. But what if you want the emphasis to remain on the ball? You can still use the active voice:

    The ball dropped into Lofton's glove.