The Passive Voice Is Not a Fault
Passive means acted upon rather than acting. In grammar the passive voice has a bad reputation it does not entirely deserve.
Passive means being acted upon rather than acting. The passive voice — *the window was broken* — is often condemned, but it is the right choice when the doer is unknown, unimportant or deliberately withheld. The complaint is really about vagueness, not about grammar.
- Accepting without resisting. *A passive response.*
- Acted upon (grammar). *The passive voice.*
- Not requiring active input. *Passive income.*
- Passive smoking — breathing others' smoke. *The risks of passive smoking.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | passive | A passive role. |
| Adverb | passively | He watched passively. |
| Noun | passivity | Criticised for passivity. |
| Opposite | active | An active role. |
| Related | passive voice | Written in the passive. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Mistakes were made.The classic evasive passive: nobody made them.
- The patient was given antibiotics.A useful passive: who gave them does not matter.
- He took a passive role in the negotiations.The everyday sense.
When the passive is the right choice
- The doer is unknown — the shop was burgled overnight
- The doer is irrelevant — the samples were frozen
- The receiver matters more — she was awarded the prize
- Scientific convention — the mixture was heated
- To soften bad news — though this is where it earns its reputation
From Latin *passivus*, capable of feeling, from *pati*, to suffer or undergo — the same root as *passion*, *patient* and *compassion*.
Is the passive voice bad writing?
No. It is bad when it hides who did something. Used deliberately it is precise and often unavoidable in scientific writing.
How do I spot a passive?
A form of *to be* plus a past participle, with the doer either introduced by *by* or missing altogether.