Passive Voice Misuse: How to Spot and Fix It

Why Passive Voice Can Be a Problem

Overusing passive voice can significantly weaken your writing. Here are some key reasons why it’s worth addressing:

• Reduced Clarity: Passive constructions can make it unclear who is responsible for an action. For example, "The decision was made" leaves readers wondering, "By whom?"
• Wordiness: Passive sentences often require more words than active ones.
• Weakened Impact: Active voice makes your writing more engaging and authoritative.

How to Spot Passive Voice

Spotting passive voice is easier when you know what to look for. These tips will help you identify it more effectively:

• Look for "To Be" Verbs: Scan for words like "is," "was," "were," "has been," or "will be," followed by a past participle (e.g., written, completed, seen).
• Check the Subject: Ask yourself, "Is the subject doing the action or receiving it?" If the latter, it’s passive.
• Reverse the Sentence: Try flipping the sentence to see if it sounds more natural. For example, "The cake was baked by John" becomes "John baked the cake."

How to Fix Passive Voice

Fixing passive voice is an essential skill for making your writing clearer and more engaging. Here are some practical strategies you can use:

1. Use AISEO’s Passive Voice Changer

One of the simplest ways to fix passive sentences is by using AISEO’s Passive Voice Changer. This powerful tool scans your text and highlights passive voice instances, then suggests active alternatives that enhance clarity and impact while also helping you save time and effort.

How to Use It:

1. Copy your text into the input box
2. Click the "Improve" button
3. Review the suggestions for converting passive to active voice

The tool’s intuitive interface makes it easy to spot and correct passive voice without disrupting your workflow. Plus, it provides instant feedback, so you can learn as you go.

If you’d like to explore an alternative tool that serves the same purpose, try this passive voice checker.

2. Identify the Doer of the Action

Passive sentences often omit or bury the doer of the action, leaving the reader unsure about who or what is responsible for the event. This lack of clarity can make your writing seem vague or impersonal. By identifying the doer of the action, you can create sentences that are more direct and engaging, helping your audience quickly understand your message.

Start by carefully examining the sentence and asking, “Who is performing the action?” Once you pinpoint the doer, rewrite the sentence so they take the position of the subject. This adjustment shifts the focus to the individual or thing responsible for the action, which often results in stronger, more concise writing.

For instance:

• Passive: The report was written last night.
• Active: Jane wrote the report last night.

In the passive version, the subject, “the report,” is not the one performing the action. By rephrasing it into the active voice, the sentence becomes more straightforward, highlighting “Jane” as the doer.

It’s important to note that sometimes the doer is implied but not stated, which can lead to ambiguity. For example:

• Passive: It was decided to postpone the meeting.
• Active: The team decided to postpone the meeting.

This small change ensures the reader knows exactly who took the action. Adopting this strategy consistently will enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your communication, especially in professional or academic settings.

3. Simplify Verb Constructions

Passive sentences often include auxiliary verbs or overly complicated verb structures, which can make the sentence unnecessarily long and harder to read. Simplifying these constructions not only improves clarity but also makes your writing feel more direct and natural.

To simplify verb constructions, identify the auxiliary verbs (e.g., “is,” “was,” “were,” “has been,” “will be”) and consider whether they can be replaced or removed. Then, rephrase the sentence using a single, clear action verb.

For example:

• Passive: The meeting will be scheduled by the manager.
• Active: The manager will schedule the meeting.

By removing the auxiliary verb “will be” and directly placing the subject (the manager) at the forefront, the active version feels more concise and purposeful.

Another example:

• Passive: The new policy has been approved by the board.
• Active: The board approved the new policy.

Here, “has been” adds unnecessary bulk to the sentence. By simplifying it, you make the writing more accessible without losing meaning.

Simplifying verb constructions is especially useful in professional and business writing, where clarity and brevity are key. It allows you to convey your message in fewer words without sacrificing precision.

4. Reorganize Your Sentences

Sometimes, fixing passive voice involves more than swapping the subject and verb. You may need to completely reorganize the sentence to ensure it flows naturally and highlights the right elements. The goal is to put the subject at the beginning, followed by the verb, and then the object.

For example:

• Passive: A solution was proposed by the team.
• Active: The team proposed a solution.

Notice how the active version makes the sentence clearer and more dynamic? By starting with “the team,” you immediately inform the reader who is responsible for the action.

Another example:

• Passive: The project was completed on time by the employees.
• Active: The employees completed the project on time.

The active structure places emphasis on “the employees,” the ones taking action, making the sentence more engaging.

Reorganizing your sentences can also help eliminate redundancies. Consider this example:

• Passive: It was observed by the committee that the data showed inconsistencies.
• Active: The committee observed inconsistencies in the data.

In the active version, the sentence is not only shorter but also easier to follow. The subject (the committee) and the verb (observed) are now prominent, which improves readability.

Reorganizing sentences is particularly useful when dealing with long or complex constructions. It ensures the focus remains on the key actors and actions, making your writing more effective.

When Is Passive Voice Okay?

Despite its drawbacks, passive voice is not inherently bad. There are specific situations where it serves a purpose, and using it can even enhance your writing. Knowing when to use passive voice intentionally is key to making it work for you.

1. When the doer is unknown: If you don’t know who performed the action, passive voice can be a practical choice. For example:
   • The package was stolen.
   In this case, the passive structure works because the person responsible is unknown.
2. To emphasize the action: When you want to highlight the action rather than the doer, passive voice can be useful. For instance:
   • Mistakes were made.
   Here, the focus is on the mistakes themselves, not on who made them.
3. For a formal tone: Passive voice is common in scientific, academic, or legal writing, where objectivity is valued. For example:
   • The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
   This phrasing shifts attention to the process rather than the researcher.

The key is to use passive voice sparingly and intentionally. Overusing it can make your writing feel detached and impersonal, but applying it strategically can enhance your message when the situation calls for it.

Wrapping Up: Practice Makes Perfect

Consistent practice is the key to mastering active writing. Make it a habit to review your work and identify areas where passive voice can be improved.

Improving your writing requires consistent practice. Start by reviewing old documents or emails and identifying passive constructions. Then, rewrite those sentences using the tips above or AISEO’s tool. Over time, you’ll naturally gravitate toward more active and impactful writing.

By understanding passive voice and learning to fix it, you’ll elevate your communication skills, whether you’re crafting emails, reports, or creative pieces. And with tools like AISEO’s Passive Voice Changer at your fingertips, the process becomes quicker and more efficient.

Ready to make your writing shine? Give these tips a try today!