College Composition / Unit 11 CMP 0255 short lesson, about 20 seconds
When Passive Voice Fits
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The idea
Passive voice fits when the doer is unknown, unimportant or deliberately unnamed, or when the field expects it.
In practice
Scientific and technical writing has traditionally used the passive for objectivity, as in "The samples were heated," though many writers in those fields now prefer the active.
Where people slip
Passive voice can also hide responsibility; notice when a sentence omits who acted.
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