Active vs. Passive Voice: Complete Guide with Practice Examples
You’ve probably heard your English teacher say “avoid passive voice” or “use active voice instead.” But if you’re like most learners, you’re left wondering: what exactly is the difference, and why does it matter?
Here’s the reality: both active and passive voice are grammatically correct. Native speakers use both all the time. The trick isn’t avoiding passive voice entirely—it’s knowing when each one works best and how to switch between them confidently.
The confusion comes from the fact that active and passive voice aren’t just about grammar rules. They’re about perspective, emphasis, and style. The same event can be described in completely different ways depending on which voice you choose, and that choice changes how your reader or listener understands your message.
Think of it this way: imagine someone broke your favorite mug. You could say “My roommate broke my favorite mug” (active voice—emphasizing who did it) or “My favorite mug was broken” (passive voice—emphasizing what happened, not who’s to blame). Same event, different focus, different feeling.
Understanding active and passive voice transforms your English from functional to sophisticated. It helps you write clearer sentences, sound more natural, and choose the right tone for every situation—whether you’re writing a formal report, crafting an email, or just trying to avoid directly blaming someone for something.
Today, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about active and passive voice. No confusing grammar jargon. Just clear explanations, practical examples, and exercises you can use immediately.
What Is Active Voice?
Active voice is the most straightforward sentence structure in English. It follows the natural order: subject does something to object.
Formula: Subject + Verb + Object
The subject is the “doer”—the person or thing performing the action. The verb is the action itself. The object receives the action.
Examples:
- The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).
- Sarah (subject) wrote (verb) the report (object).
- Scientists (subject) discovered (verb) a new planet (object).
- The company (subject) launched (verb) a new product (object).
Active voice is direct, clear, and easy to follow. The reader immediately knows who did what. There’s no ambiguity about responsibility or action.
Why use active voice?
- It’s more direct and engaging
- It clearly identifies who’s responsible
- It uses fewer words (more concise)
- It’s easier to understand
- It creates stronger, more dynamic writing
Most of the time, especially in everyday conversation and informal writing, active voice is your best choice.
What Is Passive Voice?
Passive voice flips the structure. The object becomes the subject of the sentence, and the original subject (the doer) either moves to the end or disappears completely.
Formula: Object + to be + past participle (+ by + subject)
The focus shifts from who’s doing the action to what’s receiving the action.
Examples:
- The mouse (object becomes subject) was chased (passive verb) by the cat (original subject).
- The report was written by Sarah.
- A new planet was discovered by scientists.
- A new product was launched by the company.
Notice how each passive sentence emphasizes what happened rather than who did it. Sometimes the “by…” part is included, sometimes it’s dropped entirely.
Examples without the doer:
- The mouse was chased.
- The report was written.
- A new planet was discovered.
- A new product was launched.
When the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, passive voice lets you leave them out entirely.
How to Form Passive Voice (Step by Step)
Many learners struggle with passive voice construction. Here’s the foolproof method:
Step 1: Identify the object in the active sentence
Active: The chef prepared the meal.
Object: the meal
Step 2: Move the object to the beginning
The meal…
Step 3: Add the appropriate form of “to be”
Match it to the tense of the original verb:
- prepared (simple past) → was
The meal was…
Step 4: Change the main verb to its past participle
prepared → prepared (already a past participle)
The meal was prepared…
Step 5: Add “by + original subject” (optional)
The meal was prepared by the chef.
Or leave it out:
The meal was prepared.
Passive Voice in Different Tenses
The tense changes which form of “to be” you use. The past participle stays the same.
Present Simple:
- Active: They make the chairs in Italy.
- Passive: The chairs are made in Italy.
Present Continuous:
- Active: They are building a new bridge.
- Passive: A new bridge is being built.
Past Simple:
- Active: Someone stole my bicycle.
- Passive: My bicycle was stolen.
Past Continuous:
- Active: They were painting the house.
- Passive: The house was being painted.
Present Perfect:
- Active: Scientists have discovered a cure.
- Passive: A cure has been discovered.
Past Perfect:
- Active: Someone had already taken the last seat.
- Passive: The last seat had already been taken.
Future Simple:
- Active: They will announce the results tomorrow.
- Passive: The results will be announced tomorrow.
Modal Verbs (can, should, must, etc.):
- Active: You must complete the form.
- Passive: The form must be completed.
The pattern is consistent: form of “to be” (matching the tense) + past participle.
When to Use Active Voice
Active voice is your default choice in most situations. Use it when:
1. You Want Direct, Clear Communication
Active: The manager approved your request.
Passive: Your request was approved by the manager.
The active version is shorter and clearer.
2. You Want to Emphasize the Doer
Active: Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes.
Passive: Two Nobel Prizes were won by Marie Curie.
When who did something matters more than what was done, use active voice.
3. You’re Writing Instructions or Directions
Active: Click the submit button to continue.
Passive: The submit button should be clicked to continue.
Active voice makes instructions clearer and more direct.
4. You Want Engaging, Dynamic Writing
Active: The storm destroyed hundreds of homes.
Passive: Hundreds of homes were destroyed by the storm.
Active voice creates more energy and movement in your writing.
5. You’re Telling a Story or Describing Events
Active: The detective entered the room and noticed the broken window.
Passive: The room was entered by the detective and the broken window was noticed.
Stories flow better in active voice.
When to Use Passive Voice
Passive voice isn’t wrong or weak—it’s a deliberate choice for specific situations.
1. When the Doer Is Unknown
Passive: My wallet was stolen.
You don’t know who stole it, so passive voice is natural.
2. When the Doer Is Obvious or Unimportant
Passive: The president was elected in 2024.
We all know voters elect presidents—mentioning them is unnecessary.
Passive: English is spoken in many countries.
Who speaks it isn’t the point.
3. When You Want to Emphasize the Action or Result
Passive: The Mona Lisa was painted in the 16th century.
The painting itself is more important than the painter (though we could add “by Leonardo da Vinci”).
4. In Scientific or Academic Writing
Passive: The samples were collected and analyzed.
Passive: It was observed that the temperature increased.
Scientific writing often uses passive voice to sound objective and focus on the research rather than the researchers.
5. When You Want to Be Tactful or Avoid Blame
Passive: A mistake was made in the calculations.
This is gentler than “You made a mistake” or “I made a mistake.”
Passive: The deadline was missed.
This avoids pointing fingers directly.
6. In Formal or Official Writing
Passive: All applications must be submitted by Friday.
Passive: Smoking is prohibited in this building.
Rules and regulations often use passive voice for an authoritative, impersonal tone.
Common Mistakes with Passive Voice
Even advanced learners make these errors. Avoid them:
Mistake 1: Forgetting “to be”
Wrong: The book written in 1960.
Right: The book was written in 1960.
You need “was” before the past participle.
Mistake 2: Using the Wrong Form of “to be”
Wrong: The letters was sent yesterday.
Right: The letters were sent yesterday.
“Letters” is plural, so use “were.”
Mistake 3: Forgetting to Change the Verb to Past Participle
Wrong: The room was clean yesterday.
Right: The room was cleaned yesterday.
“Clean” is an adjective. For passive voice, you need “cleaned” (past participle).
Mistake 4: Overusing Passive Voice
Weak: The ball was thrown by John, and it was caught by Sarah.
Better: John threw the ball, and Sarah caught it.
Too much passive voice makes writing wordy and unclear.
Mistake 5: Using Passive Voice with Intransitive Verbs
Some verbs can’t be passive because they don’t have objects.
Wrong: He was arrived late.
Right: He arrived late.
Verbs like arrive, die, happen, occur, sleep, fall can’t be passive.
Practice: Converting Between Active and Passive
Try converting these sentences. Answers are below.
Convert to Passive:
- The teacher explained the lesson.
- Someone is repairing the road.
- They will announce the winner tomorrow.
- The chef has prepared a special menu.
- You must wear a seatbelt.
Convert to Active:
- The novel was written by J.K. Rowling.
- The meeting has been postponed.
- A new shopping mall is being built downtown.
- The documents were signed yesterday.
- The results will be published next week.
Answers:
- The lesson was explained by the teacher. (or: The lesson was explained.)
- The road is being repaired.
- The winner will be announced tomorrow.
- A special menu has been prepared by the chef. (or: A special menu has been prepared.)
- A seatbelt must be worn.
- J.K. Rowling wrote the novel.
- Someone has postponed the meeting. (or: They have postponed the meeting.)
- Someone is building a new shopping mall downtown. (or: They are building…)
- Someone signed the documents yesterday.
- Someone will publish the results next week. (or: They will publish…)
Notice that converting passive to active sometimes requires adding a generic subject like “someone” or “they” when the original doer wasn’t mentioned.
Real-World Examples: Choosing the Right Voice
Let’s see how the choice between active and passive affects real communication.
Example 1: Email About a Mistake
Too direct (active): You made an error in the report.
More tactful (passive): An error was made in the report.
Passive voice softens criticism.
Example 2: News Headline
Active: Police arrested the suspect.
Passive: The suspect was arrested.
News often uses passive voice when the focus is on who/what was affected.
Example 3: Product Description
Active: Our engineers designed this phone to be waterproof.
Passive: This phone was designed to be waterproof.
Passive voice focuses on the product feature rather than the company.
Example 4: Academic Writing
Active: We conducted three experiments to test the hypothesis.
Passive: Three experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis.
Passive voice maintains an objective, formal tone in research.
Example 5: Instructions
Active: Press the red button to start.
Passive: The red button should be pressed to start.
Active voice is clearer and more direct for instructions.
Quick Decision Guide: Active or Passive?
Ask yourself these questions:
Is the doer important?
→ Yes: Use active
→ No: Use passive
Do you know who did it?
→ Yes: Consider active
→ No: Use passive
Are you writing informally?
→ Yes: Prefer active
→ No: Either can work
Do you want to be diplomatic?
→ Yes: Consider passive
→ No: Active is fine
Is this scientific/academic writing?
→ Yes: Passive is common
→ No: Active is usually better
Will passive voice make the sentence unnecessarily long?
→ Yes: Use active
→ No: Either works
Improving Your Writing: The Balance
The best writing uses both voices strategically. Here’s a paragraph that mixes them effectively:
“Scientists discovered a new species of frog in the Amazon rainforest last month. The tiny frog, which measures only two centimeters long, was found near a remote waterfall. Researchers believe it has lived in isolation for thousands of years. The discovery was announced at an international conference, where experts praised the team’s dedication. Further studies will be conducted to understand the frog’s unique characteristics.”
This paragraph uses active voice for the main discoveries and actions, but switches to passive voice when the focus shifts to what was found or what will happen, not who’s doing it.
Mastering Voice Through Practice
Understanding the theory is one thing. Using it naturally is another. Here’s how to build your skills:
Daily Exercise 1: Take a news article and identify every passive voice sentence. Try rewriting them in active voice. Notice when the passive version actually works better.
Daily Exercise 2: Write a short paragraph (100 words) about your day using only active voice. Then rewrite parts of it in passive voice. Compare the effect.
Daily Exercise 3: When reading anything in English, pause when you see passive voice. Ask yourself: why did the writer choose passive here? What would active voice change?
Weekly Challenge: Write two versions of the same email or message—one primarily active, one primarily passive. Notice how the tone changes.
The more you practice recognizing and choosing between voices, the more natural it becomes.
The Bottom Line
Active and passive voice aren’t enemies—they’re tools. Each has its place, and skilled writers use both.
Use active voice for clarity, directness, and engagement. It’s your default choice for most writing and all conversation.
Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, when you want to emphasize the action over the actor, or when you need a more formal, diplomatic tone.
The key is making a conscious choice, not defaulting to one or the other out of habit or confusion.
Now that you understand both voices, you can write with precision, adjusting your tone and emphasis to fit any situation. That’s not just good grammar—it’s powerful communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is passive voice always wrong?
No. Passive voice is grammatically correct and often the better choice. The “avoid passive voice” rule is oversimplified. Good writers use both voices strategically.
How can I identify passive voice in my writing?
Look for a form of “to be” (is, are, was, were, been, being) + a past participle (usually ends in -ed, but many irregular forms exist). Also check if the sentence emphasizes what happened rather than who did it.
Can all active sentences be converted to passive?
No. Only sentences with objects (transitive verbs) can become passive. Verbs like “arrive,” “sleep,” “exist,” and “happen” can’t be passive because they don’t act on objects.
Why do teachers say to avoid passive voice?
Because students often overuse it, making their writing wordy, unclear, or evasive. The advice should be “use passive voice deliberately and sparingly,” not “never use it.”
Does passive voice make my English sound more formal?
Yes, passive voice generally sounds more formal and objective. That’s why it’s common in academic, scientific, and official writing. But in casual contexts, it can sound unnecessarily stiff.
