Passive Voice Isn't Always Wrong: When to Use It

The Myth

You've probably been told to "avoid passive voice" countless times. Grammar checkers love to flag it. But the truth is more nuanced: passive voice is a tool, and like any tool, it has its place.

It’s precisely this kind of blind flagging without context that’s one of the main reasons we built AI Grammar Mentor differently: We explain when the passive voice makes sense—instead of simply flagging it as an error. You can find out more about the gap in existing tools and why we want to change that in our founding post: Week 1 - How We Found a Real Gap in Grammar Checkers — And Why We're Building Differently.

Active vs. Passive: A Quick Refresher

• Active: The dog bit the man.
• Passive: The man was bitten by the dog.

In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action.

When Passive Voice Is the Right Choice

1. When the Actor Is Unknown

"The window was broken overnight." (We don't know who did it.)

2. When the Actor Is Irrelevant

"The report was published in 2025." (Who published it matters less than when.)

3. In Scientific Writing

"The samples were analyzed using mass spectrometry." (The focus is on the process, not the researcher.)

4. For Diplomatic or Tactful Communication

"Mistakes were made." (Sometimes you need to discuss errors without assigning blame.)

When to Avoid Passive Voice

• When it makes sentences unnecessarily long or confusing
• When you want to create a sense of urgency or directness
• When clarity about who is doing what is important

The AI Grammar Mentor Approach

Our grammar checker doesn't just flag passive voice. It analyzes context to determine whether passive voice is appropriate and explains why it might or might not work in each specific case.