Passive vs Active form of verbs when used as adjectives


The passive/active verb preference question has been discussed before (
[Passive vs. active form of verb (past) What is the
difference?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/4588/passive-vs-
active-form-of-verb-past-what-is-the-difference) ), but I had a specific
question.

When a verb is used in the adjective location, is active form preferred always
to passive form?

I would tend to write:

> 保存されたファイルを添付しました。

But I was told it would better to use the active voice:

> 保存したファイルを添付しました。

Is this always the better (clearer) form?




In this specific case, at the phrase level, the difference between 保存したファイル
and 保存されたファイル is usually subtle; both means "saved file".

However, this phrase is followed by 添付しました whose subject is _you_ , so I feel
it flows much better when you use the same subject.

Your first example perfectly makes sense, but may be unnecessarily complicated
as compared to the second one.

**Edit:**

This may be too obvious, but if you say "保存されたファイル", there would be small
ambiguity regarding who saved the file. I don't think that's a huge problem in
this specific case, but when the creator of the file is important, you have no
choice but to use the active voice.




> I would tend to write:
>

>> 保存されたファイルを添付しました。

>
> But I was told it would better to use the active voice:
>

>> 保存したファイルを添付しました。

>
> Is this always the better (clearer) form?

Most certainly, the active voice form is better. This is because of who saved
the file.

> 保存したファイルを添付しました。

Since quite often the Japanese language omits the subject, this speech has an
unspoken implication of:

> (私が）保存したファイルを添付しました。

On the other hand, when I hear:

> 保存されたファイルを添付しました。

This passive-verb adjective ( taking 連体形 ) tempts me to ask "by whom the file
was saved?", since in this case the unspoken implication of the Subject is
(誰かが）保存したファイルを添付しました, meaning, having attached the file " _someone_ (has)
saved."

