Myth: You should never use the passive voice. Here’s an example: “I was hit by the dodgeball.” 4. On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first person. Myth: The passive voice always avoids the first person if something is in first person (“I” or “we”) it’s also in the active voice. Using “to be” can weaken the impact of your writing, but it is occasionally necessary and does not by itself constitute the passive voice. The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. Myth: Any use of “to be” (in any form) constitutes the passive voice. It’s a stylistic issue that pertains to clarity-that is, there are times when using the passive voice can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean. Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. Myth: Use of the passive voice constitutes a grammatical error. Below, we’ll list some common myths about the passive voice: 1. So what is the passive voice? First, let’s be clear on what the passive voice isn’t. We hope this handout will help you to understand the passive voice and allow you to make more informed choices as you write. This handout will help you understand what the passive voice is, why many professors and writing instructors frown upon it, and how you can revise your paper to achieve greater clarity.
