Sometimes the passive voice is more graceful or effective. In those cases, you can avoid the trouble that passive voice usually causes if you explicitly add the grammatically-optional subject.
For instance: “Insider information was unwisely tweeted by Elon.” By using the passive verb “was tweeted” you change the order, and therefore the relative emphasis, of “insider information” and “Elon” in a way that may be appropriate to what you’re trying to communicate. But by explicitly adding “by Elon” you successfully resist the temptation to leave the subject unstated, and thereby save the day for clarity and precision.
I cover that in my advanced “technical writing in one easy lesson” class ;-)
Sometimes the passive voice is more graceful or effective. In those cases, you can avoid the trouble that passive voice usually causes if you explicitly add the grammatically-optional subject.
For instance: “Insider information was unwisely tweeted by Elon.” By using the passive verb “was tweeted” you change the order, and therefore the relative emphasis, of “insider information” and “Elon” in a way that may be appropriate to what you’re trying to communicate. But by explicitly adding “by Elon” you successfully resist the temptation to leave the subject unstated, and thereby save the day for clarity and precision.
I cover that in my advanced “technical writing in one easy lesson” class ;-)