When to use Passive voice

In this article, we will try to understand when we can or should use passive voice.

In general, students are encouraged to use the active voice because:

• ideas can be more clearly and briefly explained (Passive voice sentences are often longer)
• subject is very clear
• it sounds more authoritative

However, there may be many use cases where the use of passive voice may sound more suitable, and even more beautiful.

You will notice that passive voice lets us adopt a more neutral and objective tone.

Use Case 1: Focus on what’s important

When the person doing the action (i.e. doer or agent) is to be made prominent, then we use the active voice.
When the person or thing acted upon (i.e. receiver) is to be made prominent, then we use the passive voice.

Active voice: We will execute all orders promptly. (focus on ‘we’)
Passive voice: All orders will be executed promptly. (focus on ‘all orders’)

Use Case 2: Unknown, Obvious, or Unimportant Subject

Generally, when active voice involves the use of an indefinite or vague pronoun or noun (somebody, they, people, we, etc.) as subject, then we rather prefer the passive voice. For example:

• when we do not know the agent (i.e. doer of the verb is unknown).
  My apartment was broken into when I was on holiday. (unknown agent)

• when it is pretty obvious who the agent is (i.e. doer of the verb is obvious).
  He is being treated in nursing home. (obvious agent - ‘doctors’)

• when we do not care to name the agent (i.e. doer of the verb is ‘people in general’, or is unimportant).
  Savings account form can be found on the counter. (agent - people in general)
  This piece of equipment should be handled with care. (unimportant agent)

Use Case 3: Incapable Subject

Passive Voice is also used when the subject is incapable of doing an action.

Coffee grows both in India and South America. (incorrect)
Coffee is grown both in India and South America. (correct)

Use Case 4: Long Subjects

It is often more natural and desirable to put long subjects at the end of a sentence, using the passive structure:

Active voice: Abinav’s decision to skip the last attempt in competitive exam surprised me. (kind of hard to read)
Passive voice: I was surprised by Abinav’s decision to skip the last attempt in competitive exam. (easier to read and sounds more natural)

Use Case 5: Shorter and Cleaner sentences

In an active voice sentence - we need to include the agent as subject
In a passive voice sentence - we can omit the agent by leaving out the ‘by’ prepositional phrase, if it is evident who the agent (i.e., doer of the action) is.

This helps us construct cleaner sentences.

Active voice - The spectators loudly cheered Messi’s goal.
Passive voice - Messi’s goal was loudly cheered. (by the spectators - omitted)

Active voice - Someone has invited her to the wedding.
Passive voice - She has been invited to the wedding. (by someone - omitted)

Use Case 6

We may also choose a passive rather than an active in following cases:

• In factual writing (e.g. when we describe procedures or processes), we often omit the agent, and use passives:
  
  Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant will still be a radioactive hazard even after 100 years, until and unless the nuclear waste is disposed of. It can be stored in stainless-steel containers which are encased in concrete.

• As it helps the speaker to maintain some distance with what is being described, it can be used to avoid any blame.

• Passive structure sometimes allows us to link two sentences better.
  
  Many customers are complaining about the quality of the new fabric. The Aanya Textiles in Australia manufactured the fabric. (Second sentence is in active voice)
  
  Many customers are complaining about the quality of the new fabric. The fabric was manufactured by the Aanya Textiles in Australia. (Second sentence is in passive voice; The last word in the first sentence, and the first word in the second sentence is ‘fabric’. It sounds more smooth.)