Passive voice: when to keep it and when to name the actor
Passive voice isn't wrong. It keeps attention on what happened rather than who did it. This guide helps you decide, sentence by sentence, whether readers need to know who acted.
Why it matters
Passive voice can usefully keep the focus on a result. It can also hide responsibility or make events harder to picture.
What you can do
Name the actor
When it matters who acted, say so and make them the subject.
Ask yourself: Who did this? Does the reader need to know?
Show an example
BeforeThe budget was cut in March.
AfterThe governor cut the budget in March.
Put the doer before the action
Move a "by" phrase to the front.
Ask yourself: If the actor is named later in the sentence, would the sentence be clearer with them first?
Show an example
BeforeThe results were reviewed by an outside panel.
AfterAn outside panel reviewed the results.
Keep the passive when the result matters most
If the actor is unknown, obvious or unimportant, the passive is the better choice.
Ask yourself: Is the result the real subject here? If so, the passive may be the right choice.
Show an example
BeforeSomeone built the bridge in 1890.
AfterThe bridge was built in 1890.
When to leave it as it is
The actor is unknown, obvious or beside the point, or you want to keep attention on the result.
See it in your own draft
Prosemetry reads your Word document and marks the passages where this happens, so you know where to look. It doesn’t rewrite anything; the revising stays yours. Free to try, no account needed.
Analyze my draft