Passive voice is not an inherently bad thing to include in your blog posts. Every rule is made with the understanding that rules are broken all the time. The English grammar and spelling rules are made to be broken. A good writer knows this. A great writer will know why they broke a rule. Passive voice gets a bad rap sheet for being a “bad” method of communication. This isn’t necessarily true. You just need to understand when to use passive voice to your advantage.
When to Use Passive Voice
The agent is unknown
We don’t know who or what, the subject, did the action. Thus, writing in active voice is no better than writing in passive voice. I’d argue that the writer or speaker sounds more intelligent when using passive voice under these circumstances. There is a greater emphasis on the action with passive voice.
The pen was stolen from my desk.
Someone stole my pen from my desk.
Attention needs to be on the action itself
Like with the example above, we see that the emphasis is placed on the action when the subject is either unknown or of less importance to the sentence.
The candles will be lit for the memorial service.
Expressing a general truth that is applicable to many
When a large population or the general audience can be considered as the subject, the sentence is often best expressed in passive voice. Otherwise, the sentence can become clunky and uncomfortable to say.
Rules are made to be broken.
People who make rules make them to be broken.
Is it just me, or does anyone else read that last sentence with a bit of a mockery tone? Like, of course, people who make rules are the subject here. No?
Reports assume the reader knows who are performing the actions
Many reports, including scientific and business documents, are written with the understanding of who performs the actions.
The water was heated to 112 degrees Fahrenheit.
Medical records will be produced in electronic format via e-mail or disk.
This may apply to your blog if your writing is similar, such as DIY blogs.
So, there you have it. Four strong cases with examples of when and why passive voice is the best. Do you need to learn how to fix passive voice after this? Read my other blog post on how to fix passive voice.
Ask yourself if you know who or what the subject is? Does the attention need to be on the action? Is the sentence a general truth applicable to large audiences? Are you writing a document where the agent is consistent throughout?
