When is the passive voice the better choice?

Pamela Todd

 

Have you attended a writing course and been told not to use the passive voice? Have you come to believe the passive voice is somehow wrong? Yet when writing a report or analysing a complex matter, do you find yourself wanting to use the occasional passive construction? And do you read writing that feels passive, even though it’s not?

 

If your answer is yes to one or more of those questions, then this article is for you. The article assumes you know the difference between active and passive voice and assumes you want to know where you can and should use passive voice. Good writers use the passive voice, but they use it wisely and effectively.

 

Passive voice — a technical term or style of writing

The term ‘passive’ now seems to have two meanings.

 

In grammar, ‘passive voice’ is a technical term. The term describes a sentence construction that emphasises the person or object receiving the action of the verb.

 

‘The project needs to be evaluated’, ‘the information was verified, and ‘the contractor was praised by members of the public’ are examples of passive voice.

 

But during the last two years or so, an increasing number of participants on writing workshops label any weak verb as ‘passive’ or use the term to describe a sentence or paragraph that feels passive — technically it's not, but the style of writing lacks assertion, ownership, or force. An example is ‘There is a general expectation that members will be present at the meeting’. Most participants would label that sentence ‘passive’.

 

This article talks about the technical term ‘passive voice’ and will show you how to use it strategically.

 

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Many writers intuitively use the passive voice

Many of you will intuitively use the passive voice in these four circumstances.

 

You simply don’t know who was responsible for an action.	‘A young climber has been found at the bottom of the cliff.’   ‘Edward Jenner’s work was published in 1796.’
You need to be tactful — to identify a person or an organisation would be unnecessarily hurtful or embarrassing.	‘The wrong wire was connected to the battery.’   ‘Some coffee has been spilt.’
You don’t need to mention the person or thing responsible — it’s irrelevant or less important.	‘The milk was heated before being added to the dry ingredients.’   ‘The mountain was renamed in 1983.’
You don’t want to admit responsibility.	‘Mistakes were made.’   ‘The surplus was incorrectly calculated.’

Good writers also use the passive in these four circumstances

You can use the passive to:

• emphasise the right subject
• link sentences within a paragraph
• end a sentence emphatically or stress an action or outcome
• shorten a long subject.

 

These four circumstances are worth exploring in more detail.

 

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To emphasise the right subject

Writers of science and technology, as well as many analysts, need to focus their reader on the right subject. In a Methods section of a scientific report, for example, a researcher might write one of the following:

‘The solution was then heated to 90ºC.’

‘The rate of evaporation was controlled by a simple device.’

‘The change in absorbance at 410mm was recorded.’

 

The researcher could have used active voice.

‘We then heated the solution to 90ºC.’

‘A simple device controlled the rate of evaporation.’

‘We recorded the change in absorbance at 410mm.’

 

But the active voice emphasises the researcher, or the device, not the research. Such an emphasis is warranted in an Introduction, an Executive Summary, or the Recommendations, but not in a Methods section where the topic is how the work was done. Some researchers will a use a mixture of active and passive constructions to add variety while retaining the focus on the research.

 

Journalists, too, use the passive to emphasise the right subject.

‘An application to bankrupt Mr Smith was rejected by the High Court in Wellington yesterday. Mr Smith was convicted in 1996 on 25 charges of fraud.’

‘BP has been criticised for altering an image of the United States Gulf Coast oil spill command centre to suggest that staff were busier than they actually were.’

‘His administration was forced to apologise yesterday to a woman it had fired the day before.’

 

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The thoughtful writer knows a subject cannot exist in isolation. Rather, it appears in the context of the whole. The BioMedical Editor at www.biomedicaleditor.com/passive-voice.html provides an excellent example. In the article The Value of the Passive Voice, the BioMedical Editor directs the reader to ‘look at the first three sentences of a classic article written by Watson and Crick in 1953’.¹

 

‘We wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (D.N.A.). This structure has novel features which are of considerable interest.

 

A structure for nucleic acid has already been proposed by Pauling and Corey.’²

 

As the BioMedical Editor points out the third sentence (a passive one) creates a parallel style by repeating the topic of the second sentence (‘This structure has…’). ‘The topic in the third sentence connects backwards and prepares the reader for the upcoming information. These three sentences are more cohesive as a result.’³

To link sentences within a paragraph

Good writers know the non-expert finds complex material easier to read if the sentences within a paragraph link seamlessly.

 

In the example below, passive voice maintains the theme of the paragraph.

‘We must decide whether to make superannuation compulsory. Our decision will be influenced by the findings of the taskforce, the evidence from overseas, and what is best for New Zealanders.’

 

In the next example, passive voice takes the reader from old to new information.

‘Those wishing to improve their reading speed can use a tachistoscope. A tachistoscope was used to help pilots in World War II quickly recognise enemy aircraft.’

 

To end a sentence emphatically or stress an action or outcome

The subjects of our sentences should occur in the opening few words. But you can use the last few words of a sentence to emphasise (stress) an idea, concept, or word. The passive is one of several syntactic devices that enable you to achieve that emphasis.

‘Research suggests that some aspects of our behaviour we think are learned are actually influenced by the food we eat.’

‘The engine was derailed by a stone.’

‘Our funding has been reduced by 50 percent.’

 

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To shorten a long subject

Good writers know they should start sentences with short, specific subjects. Sometimes, passive voice enables you to do just that. Compare these two sentences.

 

First — the passive voice version
‘Sir Ed’s popularity is illustrated by the hundreds of letters and emails his family received from world leaders, mountaineers, environmentalists, and ordinary folk.’

 

Now— the active voice version
‘The hundreds of letters and emails Sir Ed’s family received from world leaders, mountaineers, environmentalists and ordinary folk illustrated his popularity.’

Good passive writing meets a plain English style

You still need to apply plain English principles to your passive constructions. Notice how the passive voice examples in this article use one or more of the following principles of plain English.

• Start sentences with a short, specific subject.
• Place a verb as close to its subject as possible.
• Use verbs rather than nominalisations (‘calculated’ not ‘calculation’).
• Keep sentences relatively short and straightforward.
• Create a cohesive flow.
• Answer questions as they arise in the reader’s mind.

 

So if you find yourself wanting to use a passive construction, think about your audience and your message. If the passive voice is the better choice, then use it. But use it carefully and strategically.

 

 

End notes

1 The BioMedical Editor. The Value of the Passive Voice. Retrieved from http://www.biomedicaleditor.com/passive-voice.html (19 July 2010)

 

2 Watson JD, Crick FHC. Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature. 1953; 171:737-738

 

3 The BioMedical Editor. The Value of the Passive Voice. Retrieved from http://www.biomedicaleditor.com/passive-voice.html (19 July 2010)

 

Pamela Todd (Pam) is a plain English specialist at Write Limited

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