Sometimes It Pays to be Passive

Chuck Schultz

Do your feel a little guilty when you decide not to change a sentence when you find that your wrote it in passive voice? My word processor automatically puts a squiggly green line under anything in passive voice. Sometimes I say tanks and change it to active voice to make a more forceful sentence. Other times I say thanks but that belongs in passive voice.

The caveat "avoid excessive use of passive voice" sometimes gets translated as "avoid passive voice." But passive voice has its places. Use passive voice to focus on the object rather than the subject. In the examples below, the first focuses on what happened to the keys, the second on what you did.

What should you do when you discover your keys are locked in the car?

What should you do when you discover you have locked your keys in the car?

The first sentence serves better if you want to focus on the problem of the inaccessible keys; the second if you want to focus on your carelessness.

The caveat against passive voice arose from the barbarous misuse of it. I shudder when the writer uses passive voice to avoid attributing an opinion or a point of view.

It is said that country music is not music.

To me, country music is not music.

My Aunt Martha says country music is not music.

Antonin Dvorák said country music is not music.

The first of these four sentences is clearly defective. Not only is the language dull, but it presents an arguable statement in vague terms. The second sentence disposes of passive voice, and is a better sentence, but still dull. The third is forceful and readily conjures up an image. The fourth sentence engages in irony. For those who know the New World Symphony, it insinuates that country music is indeed music.

Harding is pictured as a poor president.

I believe Harding administered the presidency poorly, and I'll tell you why.

Again, the first of the two sentences above is dull and evasive. The second, preceding the italicized clause, is livier, but it needs expansion of that final clause to be really meaningful. I considered using Clinton or Reagan in these examples, but demurred since you all would have added your own meanings and I could no longer count on their being dull.

Pay attention to the green squiggly line. It may help you enliven your writing. But when the passive voice gives power to your statement, use it.

Chuck Schultz may be reached at (360) 923-5340, 2941 B Firwood Loop SE, Olympia, WA 98501-4844.