4 ms·

There must be places for reasonable use of the passive. Not everything is advertising copy.

• KineticLensman 3y ago
  One reasonable place is a description of a method ('software was developed') where identifying the actor isn't important. Active voice is much better in situations such as contracts where the identity of actors is critical (e.g. 'X is responsible for writing the software while Y will maintain the software after delivery')
• spondylosaurus 3y ago
  There certainly are. The Google Developer Documentation Style Guide includes some (imo, non-exhaustive) examples of when to use the passive voice[1]: > To emphasize an object over an action. > To de-emphasize a subject or actor. > If your readers don't need to know who's responsible for the action. Sometimes you end up twisting yourself into knottier linguistic pretzels trying to make something active (for active's sake) instead of just using the passive voice deliberately. https://developers.google.com/style/voice#exceptions https://developers.google.com/style/voice#exceptions
• joegahona 3y ago
  There are. I worked as a copy editor in consumer publications and dreaded editing one particular guy’s stuff because he took the “no passive voice” thing as gospel and really went through contortions to observe it. His copy had a really harsh and jagged tone as a result. Other editors who were aware of the “rule” but weren’t strident about it had writing that was so much more enjoyable to read. These days I’m working with engineers and product managers in a very technical environment, and the passive voice is everywhere, so I find myself rewriting a lot, and rewriting improves it. I’m not eradicating the passive voice, but people use it in a lot of places where it doesn’t work well.