“Don’t do it.”
“But why not?”
“You just shouldn’t.”
It’s a familiar conversation. One that could apply to everything from swimming right after you eat to using any number of “forbidden” grammar conventions. Naturally, as word nerds, we’re more concerned with the latter, and when it comes to people swearing off an element of language without fully understanding why, there are few examples that bear the brunt of scorn more often than passive voice.
While many people are quick to peg passive voice as bad, inappropriate, and incorrect, the reality is that it wouldn’t exist if it didn’t have some function. Needless to say, like most good things, there’s a time and a place for passive voice.
What Is Passive Voice?
Before we get into the specifics of correct passive voice use, it’s essential to understand what it is and how to identify it.
According to the Grammarly Handbook, in a sentence written in passive voice the subject of the sentence has the action done to it. In a sentence written in active voice, the subject is doing the action.
Active Voice: The dingo ate my baby.
Passive Voice: My baby was eaten by the dingo.
Active Voice: The police chief read me the riot act.
Passive Voice: The riot act was read by the police chief.
A lot of people think that you can identify passive voice by simply looking for a form of the verb “to be” in a sentence. This would hold true for the examples above, but on the whole, this is a false assumption.
Active Voice: Simba couldn’t wait to be king.
Active Voice: She was the first person to set foot on Pluto.
A better way to identify passive voice is to determine if the subject is receiving the action rather than undertaking it.
How Is Passive Voice Commonly Used?
In most cases, it’s better to use active voice because it is clearer and more concise. As can be seen above, passive voice tends to be more wordy, vague and confusing; the technique can also leave out important information.
For instance, the sentence below is grammatically correct, but it omits the most important part: the name of the winner.
Passive Voice: The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in December.
Some disciplines see this as a positive though. In particular, politicians and institutions who want to come off as authoritative without taking responsibility for that stance often use passive voice.
Passive Voice: Bombs were dropped. Villages were destroyed. The inhabitants were killed.
Active Voice: The administration dropped bombs, destroyed villages, and killed the inhabitants.
Passive Voice: Diners are encouraged to order their soup immediately.
Active Voice: The overly anxious and slightly deranged owner demands that diners order their soup immediately.
How Can Passive Voice Be Used Appropriately
Of course, using passive voice to leave out essential information isn’t always meant to be deceitful. There are plenty of situations where the subtlety that comes with passive voice is necessary and appropriate.
Scientific Writing:
It’s generally deemed appropriate to use passive voice in scientific writing to communicate an air of objectivity and to avoid grandstanding—that is, to avoid reminding the reader that a particularly genius researcher has undertaken a study, conducted brilliant analysis, and interpreted the results with uncanny intelligence:
It was found that using text speak did not affect students’ grasp of standard grammar. It was also concluded that using these kinds of written shortcuts could even enhance pupils’ general literacy.
Journalistic or Criminal Reports:
When it truly is unclear who is performing the action, passive voice is usually appropriate. This is often the case when law enforcement officials or journalists are reporting crimes that have unknown perpetrators:
A bubblegum factory was robbed in the wee hours of the morning.
Situations That Need Tact:
In compromising situations, sometimes it’s better not to identify a subject. Given, this is a grey area, and passive voice should be used with care here:
The pitch was botched.
The money was lost.
As a Literary Technique:
Fiction writers in particular often use passive voice to create mystery and suspense. If something big happens, the author might not want to reveal the person or thing carrying out that action straight away. To keep the secret, they may use passive voice:
It was a dark and stormy night the first time the body was found. Once day broke, police discovered the headless corpse in a lake, five hundred miles away from where it had initially turned up.
When the Action or Target of the Action Trumps the Subject:
Sometimes the subject of a sentence is completely irrelevant, or, in the very least, largely overshadowed by the action itself or the target of the action. In these kinds of situations, it’s also okay to use passive voice:
The first flying car will be built in the United States in December 2017.
The ballots have been counted. Are you ready to hear who won the presidential election?
Think you know another situation that warrants passive voice? Tell us in the comment section below or via our Facebook or Twitter feeds, and we’ll consider adding it to the list.
Stephanie Katz is a San Francisco–based writer who, contrary to the way it may seem, won’t correct your grammar over beers, coffees or any other normal life interaction. She tells stories about health, history, travel and more and can be contacted via email at stekatz@gmail.com.
from www.grammarly.com/blog
http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/how-to-use-the-passive-voice-correctly/
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