Good Uses of the Passive Voice Copy

Too much passive voice is difficult to read. But here are three appropriate uses of passive voice:

  1. When you don’t want to say who did what.

The report was not prepared promptly.

All parents recognize the passive voice:

Derek’s ear got bitten!

The window got broken!

         2. When the doer is obvious or unimportant.

Each visitor was given a meal ticket.

3. When you need to soften tone when active voice is too direct.

“Your check wasn’t enclosed.” is better than, “You did not enclose your check.”