Passive Voice Gets a Bad Rap – Here’s When It Works

“Never Use Passive Voice!” (Or So They Say…)

You’ve been told over and over: passive voice is bad.

It weakens your writing. It makes sentences clunky. It’s lazy.

So, like any good writer, you diligently rewrite every passive sentence into active voice.

But sometimes, the changes don’t feel right. Some sentences lose their nuance. Others feel too aggressive or shift the focus in a way that doesn’t serve your message.

That’s because passive voice isn’t always the villain—it’s just misunderstood.

When “Fixing” Passive Voice Actually Hurts Your Writing

Let’s say you’re writing a customer email about a mistake:

✅ Active: The technicians installed the new routers incorrectly, causing network issues. Moving forward, all technicians will be trained.
❌ Passive: The incorrectly installed routers caused the network issues, so moving forward, there will be additional training before any new installations.

You might think active voice is better. But in this case, it puts blame directly on the technicians—which could make readers (especially internal teams) defensive.

The passive version, on the other hand, subtly shifts focus toward the solution, making the tone more neutral and constructive.

So, what if you didn’t follow the “always use active voice” rule?

When Passive Voice Works in Your Favor

1. When You Need to Soften Blame or Keep Things Neutral

Some messages require diplomacy—especially in professional writing, customer service, and business communication.

✅ Passive: The invoice was sent with incorrect pricing and will be updated shortly.
❌ Active: The billing team sent the invoice with incorrect pricing and will update it shortly.

💡 Why it works: The passive version removes direct blame and keeps the focus on the fix.

2. When the Doer of the Action is Unknown or Irrelevant

Sometimes, the who doesn’t matter—just what happened.

✅ Passive: A new security policy was implemented to protect customer data.
❌ Active: The IT department implemented a new security policy to protect customer data.

💡 Why it works: If the reader doesn’t need to know who implemented the change, passive voice keeps the sentence clean and direct.

3. When the Outcome Matters More Than Who Did It

News writing, scientific reports, and formal statements often prioritize the result over the doer.

✅ Passive: The suspect was arrested after a lengthy investigation.
❌ Active: The police arrested the suspect after a lengthy investigation.

💡 Why it works: The focus is on the fact that the suspect was arrested—not on who made the arrest.

How to Decide: Active or Passive?

Before rewriting a passive sentence, ask yourself:

✅ Is the action more important than who did it? → Use passive.
✅ Am I trying to soften blame or keep the tone neutral? → Passive might work better.
✅ Do I need direct accountability? → Go with active.
✅ Am I writing in a style that avoids passive voice (e.g., business, journalism, technical writing)? → Stick with active unless there’s a good reason not to.

Final Thought: Know When to Break the Rules

The best writers don’t just follow rules—they know when to break them.

Next time you’re editing, don’t assume passive voice is bad. Instead, ask yourself:

✔ Does it serve my message?
✔ Does it help with tone, focus, or clarity?
✔ Does it strengthen the reader’s takeaway?

If so, use it confidently.

Now it’s your turn! Have you ever rewritten a sentence into active voice, only to realize it lost something? Drop an example in the comments—I’d love to hear how you tackled it!