Rylee Nyberg

One of the most important skills a growing writer can develop is the ability to identify the passive voice in their own writing. The passive voice, while grammatically correct, should be avoided in the bulk of creative writing as it may make your work seem clunky, vague, and overly complicated. Knowing when to utilize the active and passive voice in your writing will help you grow into a clearer, more engaging storyteller.

What Is the Passive Voice?

In a passive sentence, the object of the action verb becomes the subject of the sentence, sometimes even omitting who performs the action. The passive voice emphasizes the object receiving the action.

  • Passive: The book was read by Jake.
  • Active: Jake read the book.

In the active voice, Jake is the clear subject of the sentence. He performs the action of reading, which is received by the object, the book. The active voice puts the doer of the action before the action verb, making the sentence concise and clear.

How to Identify Passive Voice

Identify the passive voice in your writing by using the following tips and tricks:

  1. Excessive use of “To be” verbs: words like was, were, is, are, been, and being followed by a past participle (or a verb turned to an adjective).
    • Examples: The book was written. The work is being done. They went to watch the movie
  2. Is the subject clear? The phrase “by [someone/something]” at the end of a sentence suggests it is in the passive voice. Often, the word following “by” is the true subject of the action. Benjamin Dreyer identifies passive voice with the phrase “by zombies.” “If you can append “by zombies” to the end of a sentence,” he states, “you’ve indeed written a sentence in the passive voice” (14).
    • Examples: The book was written by zombies. The work was done by zombies. The movie was seen by zombies. Mistakes were made by zombies.

Why Should You Avoid Passive Voice?

  • The passive voice can affect your clarity: sentences in the passive voice can become bogged down and wordy. The point of the sentence can become convoluted and unclear.
  • The passive voice can remove the subject: The passive voice sometimes omits the doer of an action. For example, “the students were given the book” omits the professor who is responsible for the action. “The professor gave a book to the students” provides the information the previous sentence lacked.
  • Passive writing can make your writing sound dull and redundant; the active voice can make for an overall more engaging piece of writing. The constant repetition of “to be” verbs like was, is, were, are, being, and been can fatigue and bore readers.

Tips to Avoid the Passive Voice

  1. Make the subject the superstar:

Who is performing the action in the sentence? The predicate should dictate the actions of the subject. Place your intended subject at the beginning of the sentence.

  • The movie was seen by the students. → The students saw the movie.
  1. Eliminate the “to be” verbs:

A helpful tip is to find (ctrl + F) every instance of the word “was” in your writing. Often, you’ll find it can be replaced with a stronger verb. The same goes for other “to be” verbs like is, are, were, being, and been.

  • The book was written by them. → They wrote the book. The work was done by the crew. → The crew did the work.
  1. Rearrange your sentences for clarity.

If you follow the first two steps, you’ll find this one is already complete and you’re well on your way to constructing more active and engaging sentences.

When is it Okay to Use Passive Voice?

Though the passive voice should usually be avoided, there are instances where passive voice is both necessary and useful.

  • When the doer is unknown or irrelevant
    • “The road was paved in 1830.”
  • When you want to emphasize the action instead of the subject
    • “A cure for the disease was finally discovered.”
  • In scientific or formal writing
    • “The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.”

Final Thoughts

Knowing when to use and when to avoid the passive voice can quickly and effectively strengthen your writing. The next time you’re editing your writing, be on the lookout for clunky sentences and unnecessary “to be” verbs. Be passive-aggressive!