Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was
stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice,
as the following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do
not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).
When to use the passive voice
Here are three common uses of the passive voice:
1 Reports of crimes or incidents with unknown
perpetrators.
Example: My car was stolen yesterday.
If you knew who stole the car, it probably wouldn’t be as big a
problem. The passive voice emphasizes the stolen item and the
action of theft.
2 Scientific contexts