Are there situations where passive voice is better?

In one line

The rule

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, not the doer.

Let's understand it simply

Imagine your mother’s favourite vase broke. If you say, "The vase was broken," you are using passive voice. You are not saying who broke it. Sometimes, we do this when we don’t know who did it, or when who did it is not important. It’s like talking about the result, not the person.

How it works

1. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject in passive.
2. The verb changes to a form of "be" + past participle (like "was broken").
3. The doer (if needed) is added at the end with "by" (like "by Ravi").
4. Sometimes, the doer is left out if not important or not known.

The story behind it

English has both active and passive forms for a long time. Writers and speakers noticed that sometimes, it’s better to talk about what happened, not who did it. This helps in formal writing, news, and science, where the action matters more than the person.

Where you see it in real life

• News reports: "A new law was passed yesterday." (Who passed it is less important than the law itself.)
• Science experiments: "The solution was heated to 80°C." (Focus is on the process, not the scientist.)
• Instructions: "The rice should be washed before cooking." (The person is anyone following the steps.)
• Official notices: "Applications are invited for the post of clerk." (Anyone can apply; the focus is on the action.)
• When the doer is unknown: "My cycle was stolen." (You don’t know who did it.)

Why it matters

• Used in formal writing, like reports and scientific papers.
• Helps when the doer is unknown or not important.
• Makes sentences sound more polite or less direct.
• Needed for some exam questions and letter writing formats.

Common mistakes

• Thinking passive is always wrong — it is useful in the right place.
• Forgetting to change the verb correctly ("is eat" instead of "is eaten").
• Using passive when the doer is important ("Sachin hit the century" is better than "The century was hit by Sachin" in cricket news).

Remember it

Use passive voice when the action or result is more important than who did it.