PASSIVE VOICE

Form of Passive
Subject + to be + Past Participle

Examples of Passive

I know you have found lots of problems about the use of Passive voice and let me tell you that it is not common use passive voice while talking to someone else directly. We have also saw that for the NEWS and the HISTORY passive voice is very common, so when is it OK to use the passive? Here are some useful tips you can follow to use passive voice:

1. To emphasize an object/reciever.Take a look at this example:

100 votes are required to pass the bill.

This passive sentence emphasizes the number of votes required. An active version of the sentence ("The bill requires 100 votes to pass") puts the emphasis on the bill, which may be less dramatic.

2. When the subject/doer is not important. Consider this example:

Over 120 different contaminants have been dumped into the river.

If you don't know who the "doer" is—in this case, if you don't actually know who dumped all of those contaminants in the river—then you may need to write in the passive. But remember, if you do know the actor, and if the clarity and meaning of your writing would benefit from indicating him/her/it/them, then use an active construction. Yet consider the third case.

3. If your readers or listeners don't need to know who's responsible for the action.
Here are two examples:

The baby was delivered at 3:30 p.m. yesterday.(passive)

and
Dr. Jones delivered the baby at 3:30 p.m. yesterday.(active)

The first sentence might be more appropriate in a birth announcement sent to family and friends—they are not likely to know Dr. Jones and are much more interested in the "object"(the baby) than in the actor (the doctor). A hospital report of yesterday's events might be more likely to focus on Dr. Jones' role.