When to Use Passive Voice

Reasons to Use Passive

1. When the Agent is Unknown

• My car was stolen last night. (We don’t know who did it.)
• The window has been broken. (We don’t know who broke it.)

2. When the Agent is Obvious

• The suspect was arrested at 3 a.m. (Obviously by police.)
• The patient was operated on successfully. (Obviously by doctors.)

3. When the Action is More Important

• The new hospital will be opened next month.
• Three people were injured in the accident.
• A cure for cancer has been discovered.

4. In Formal or Academic Writing

• The experiment was conducted over six months.
• It has been proven that exercise improves health.
• The data were analyzed using statistical methods.

5. To Be Diplomatic or Avoid Blame

• Mistakes were made. (Who made them? Unclear.)
• The deadline wasn’t met. (Not blaming anyone.)
• The error has been corrected. (Focus on solution.)

6. In Instructions and Processes

• First, the ingredients are mixed together.
• Then the mixture is heated to 200°C.
• Finally, the product is packaged and shipped.

When to Avoid Passive

When Active is Clearer

• ❌ The ball was kicked by the boy.
• ✓ The boy kicked the ball.

When It’s Unnecessarily Wordy

• ❌ A decision was made by the committee to postpone the meeting.
• ✓ The committee decided to postpone the meeting.

In Casual Conversation

• ❌ My homework has been completed.
• ✓ I’ve finished my homework.

Comparison Examples

Practice: Choose the Best

Context: A news report

✓ “The president was re-elected with 60% of the vote.”

(Focus on the event, not who voted.)

Context: A scientific paper

✓ “The samples were tested at room temperature.”

(Formal, objective tone.)

Quiz