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Passive verb

As explained in Writing for Developers: Blogs that get read

Passive voice is a grammatical construction that presents the receiver of an action as the subject, often leaving the actor unstated or secondary.

A passive verb shifts attention from the actor to the thing receiving an action. In technical writing, flag it when the action or actor becomes unclear, delayed, or bureaucratic: “The bug was then located” is less direct than “We found the bug!” section 5.3.1 section 5.3.2

Use this quick revision check:

  • Look for forms of “to be”: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been. section 5.3.2
  • Apply the “by zombies” test: if “by zombies” still fits, the sentence probably uses passive voice. section 5.3.2
  • Replace passive wording with a stronger verb and a clear actor when that adds useful information. section 5.3.2
  • Keep passive wording when the actor is unknown or intentionally omitted, as in “The build was broken.” section 5.3.2

From hidden action to direct action

Passive: “The bug was then located.” Active: “We found the bug!” A longer revision similarly turns “it was decided that the best solution was implementing it” into “Ultimately, we implemented that encryption layer by linking to RustyEncryption.” section 5.3.2

How Writing for Developers: Blogs that get read covers it

How deep it goes
Defines passive voice, contrasts active voice, gives a “by zombies” test, lists “to be” forms, and stops short of banning it.
Examples
Uses bug reports, a broken build, and a Zig-to-Rust encryption revision to contrast passive and active wording.
What it assumes
Recognizes sentence actions and actors, then learns the relevant “to be” forms through a quick reference.
What you can do after
Evaluate and revise passive sentences by highlighting “to be” forms, testing for hidden actors, and choosing stronger verbs.
How it connects
Connects passive voice with active voice, “to be” verbs, sentence clarity, and identifying an action’s actor.
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