Plain English advocates active over passive sentences. But passives have their place too. Here are three examples where it’s better to use passive.

Use passive when you want to soften a harsh statement. “Your bill has not been paid” rather than “You haven’t paid your bill”.

Or the object is more important than the subject. “Victims were rushed to hospital” rather than “Ambulance drivers rushed the victims to hospital”.

Or when you don’t know who the subject is. “The president has been assassinated” rather than “Someone has assassinated the president”.

See more grammar tips.