In professional writing, how should passive voice be used?

• A. Passive voice should be used rarely because it obscures responsibility; use active voice to be clear, unless the passive is needed for emphasis or formality.
• B. Passive voice is always preferred in professional writing.
• C. Active voice should be avoided in formal documentation.
• D. Voice choice has no impact on clarity.

Answer: (A)

Choosing voice matters for readability and accountability in professional writing. Active voice keeps sentences direct and makes clear who is doing the action, which helps readers understand responsibilities quickly. Passive voice hides the actor, which can blur accountability and slow comprehension. That’s why it should be used rarely. There are valid reasons to use passive when the actor is unknown or unimportant, or when you want to emphasize the action or the result, or when formality and objectivity are needed in certain reports. For example, “The team completed the report” is more straightforward than “The report was completed by the team.” But if you want to emphasize the action itself or maintain a formal tone, passive can fit. In practice, default to active voice and reserve passive for those specific, purposeful cases.