USE OF PASSIVE AND CAUSATIVE
Use the passive voice when:
1. you do not know who or what does something
My car was stolen last week. (= I do not know who did it)
2. you are not interested in who or what does something
John has been invited to an anniversary party. (= we are interested in John)
3. you do not want to say who or what does something
My dress is ruined! (= I do not want to accuse Mary, but it was her who spilled red wine on me)
4. you are writing a research paper, mainly in in the section where you describe your methods.
Avoid Passive Voice in academic writing when
1. passive sentence is not clear about who is responsible for the described action;
2. passives make it difficult understand which are your thoughts and which are paraphrases of other authors' thoughts
3. it is too wordy, long and difficult to understand
Read more about passives in academic writing.
We use the Causative to talk about something which we arrange for someone else to do for us.
I usually have hear cut in the city centre. (= I do not cut my hear myself; it is done for me)
We had our house painted last month. (= someone else did it for us)
1. you do not know who or what does something
My car was stolen last week. (= I do not know who did it)
2. you are not interested in who or what does something
John has been invited to an anniversary party. (= we are interested in John)
3. you do not want to say who or what does something
My dress is ruined! (= I do not want to accuse Mary, but it was her who spilled red wine on me)
4. you are writing a research paper, mainly in in the section where you describe your methods.
Avoid Passive Voice in academic writing when
1. passive sentence is not clear about who is responsible for the described action;
2. passives make it difficult understand which are your thoughts and which are paraphrases of other authors' thoughts
3. it is too wordy, long and difficult to understand
Read more about passives in academic writing.
We use the Causative to talk about something which we arrange for someone else to do for us.
I usually have hear cut in the city centre. (= I do not cut my hear myself; it is done for me)
We had our house painted last month. (= someone else did it for us)