: Re: When is passive voice acceptable? I am working on a fiction novel and have had difficulties with the passive voice. I feel that in this case the sentence is stronger when the passive voice

Use the passive voice when you don't want to implicate anyone directly.

For example:

A person must always be alert so he doesn't cause problems for
others.

Contrast that to:

Bill didn't consider the implications of his actions so he pushed the lever up and the rest of the group plummeted into the
abyss.

A famous example of passive writing is the cliche:

A fun time was had by all.

That sentence actually says very little that is specific and the "fun time" seems to fall upon people, instead of them doing anything to cause the fun.

The ball was caught.
Bill caught the ball.

The first one has no subject who is taking action. This keeps Bill safe, in case catching the ball is an improper thing to do.

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: Re: When is passive voice acceptable? I am working on a fiction novel and have had difficulties with the passive voice. I feel that in this case the sentence is stronger when the passive voice

More posts by @Phylliss352

: If this is a homework assignment, I think your best bet is to find out what your professor/teacher/boss wants and do that, regardless of what any APA style guide tells you. The best actual

: How to self-publish? I couldn't find anything to do with self-publishing. Could someone explain this to me and how I could do it? I know that I should know about this but I sadly don't.

: How do I create tension around a threat which isn't immediately, personally harmful? I'm at the end of chapter 1 of my book, where the protagonist (a cyberterrorist) commits his first terror

: How many meaningful names can I put in my story? I'm naming characters for my fantasy story, and so far many of them have nmes that mean something. Characters from different regions have names

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