Active voice and passive voice describe how a sentence presents an action. In an active voice, the subject performs the action: “The teacher explained the lesson.” In a passive voice, the subject receives the action: “The lesson was explained by the teacher.” Both forms are grammatically correct, but each creates a different focus. Choose the form that keeps the sentence precise, readable, and aligned with your intended focus. This choice depends on what your reader needs first and why.
What Is Active Voice?
Active voice places the performer of an action as the grammatical subject. The basic structure is Subject + Verb + Object.
For example, “The manager approved the request.” The manager is the subject, approved is the verb, and the request is the object. The sentence clearly identifies who performed the action.
Active voice produces direct writing because the reader can identify the performer immediately. Examples include:
- The doctor examined the patient.
- The student completed the assignment.
- The company launched a new service.
Active voice works particularly well when the performer matters.
What Is Passive Voice?
Passive voice places the receiver of an action as the grammatical subject. The common structure is Subject + form of “to be” + past participle, with an optional “by” phrase.
For example, “The request was approved by the manager.” The request receives the action, while the manager performs the action.
A passive voice can omit the performer: “The request was approved.” The sentence remains grammatical when the performer is unknown, irrelevant, or understood.
More examples include:
- The patient was examined by the doctor.
- The assignment was completed by the student.
- A new service was launched by the company.
Passive voice changes sentence focus without changing the underlying event.
Active Voice vs Passive Voice: Key Difference
The main difference is the position and grammatical role of the performer and receiver. Active voice makes the performer the subject, while passive voice makes the receiver the subject.
Compare:
Active: “The chef prepared the meal.”
Passive: “The meal was prepared by the chef.”
The active version emphasizes the chef. The passive version emphasizes the meal.
This distinction matters when you decide what information deserves attention. Use active voice when the performer provides important information. Use passive voice when the receiver, result, or action matters more.
How to Identify Active Voice
Identify the subject and ask whether the subject performs the verb’s action. If the subject performs the action, the sentence uses active voice.
In “The engineer designed the bridge,” the engineer performs the action of designing, so the sentence is active.
The sentence does not need a simple present or past tense to qualify as active. Consider “The engineer has designed the bridge.” The sentence uses the present perfect tense, but the engineer still performs the action.
Active voice can appear in different tenses:
- The engineer designs the bridge.
- The engineer designed the bridge.
- The engineer will design the bridge.
- The engineer has designed the bridge.
- The engineer is designing the bridge.
Tense tells you when an action occurs. Voice tells you whether the subject performs or receives the action.
How to Identify Passive Voice
Look for a form of “to be” followed by a past participle, then check whether the grammatical subject receives the action. A “by” phrase can identify the performer, but passive sentences do not require a “by” phrase.
For example, “The bridge was designed by the engineer” is passive. “The bridge was designed” is passive too.
Common passive patterns include:
- is or are + past participle
- was or were + past participle
- is or are being + past participle
- was or were being + past participle
- has or have been + past participle
- had been + past participle
- will be + past participle
Do not treat every sentence containing “was,” “were,” “is,” or “are” as passive. “The engineer was tired” is active because “tired” does not function as a passive past participle receiving an action. “The engineer was praised” is passive because the engineer receives the action of praising.
When to Use Active Voice
Use an active voice when you want the performer, responsibility, or action to remain clear. Active construction often makes professional and everyday writing easier to understand.
Active voice suits instructions, business communication, web content, personal statements, and most general explanations. For example, “The marketing team updated the website” clearly identifies responsibility.
Active voice improves clarity when a passive sentence hides an important agent. Compare “The error was introduced during the update” with “The developer introduced the error during the update.” The second sentence identifies responsibility directly.
Use active voice when:
- The performer is important.
- You need direct instructions.
- You want concise sentences.
- Responsibility needs clear identification.
- The reader benefits from immediate identification of the subject.
When to Use Passive Voice
Use passive voice when the receiver, result, or action deserves more attention than the performer. Passive construction is useful when the performer is unknown, unimportant, obvious, or deliberately omitted.
For example, “My laptop was stolen” focuses on the laptop and the theft. The sentence does not identify the person who stole the laptop because the person is unknown.
Passive voice suits scientific, technical, legal, and formal writing when the process or result matters more than the performer. “The samples were stored at room temperature” focuses on the samples and storage process.
Use passive voice when:
- The performer is unknown.
- The performer is irrelevant.
- The receiver is the main topic.
- The result deserves emphasis.
- A process requires an impersonal structure.
Passive voice is not grammatically incorrect. Problems arise when passive construction hides important information, creates unnecessary length, or obscures responsibility.
Active and Passive Voice Examples
The same event can often appear in either voice, but the sentence focus changes.
Active: “The police arrested the suspect.”
Passive: “The suspect was arrested by the police.”
Active: “The company published the report.”
Passive: “The report was published by the company.”
Active: “Researchers collected the data.”
Passive: “The data was collected by researchers.”
Active: “Someone damaged the door.”
Passive: “The door was damaged.”
The final passive example removes the performer because the person who caused the damage is unknown.
How to Change Passive to Active Voice
To change passive to active voice, identify the performer, make the performer the subject, and adjust the verb while preserving the original tense.
Start with “The report was written by Maria.” Maria is the performer, so Maria becomes the subject. “Was written” changes to “wrote,” producing “Maria wrote the report.”
Use these steps:
- Identify the receiver and performer.
- Move the performer into subject position.
- Change the passive verb to the correct active form.
- Move the original subject toward the object position.
- Preserve the original meaning and tense.
For example, “The flowers were being planted by the gardener” becomes “The gardener was planting the flowers.” The continuous past meaning remains intact.
How to Change Active to Passive Voice
To change active to passive voice, move the object into subject position and use the correct form of “to be” with the past participle.
Start with “The manager approved the request.” The request becomes the new subject. Use “was” plus the past participle “approved,” then add “by the manager” when the performer matters: “The request was approved by the manager.”
The conversion works across tenses:
Present: “The team completes the task” becomes “The task is completed by the team.”
Past: “The team completed the task” becomes “The task was completed by the team.”
Future: “The team will complete the task” becomes “The task will be completed by the team.”
Present perfect: “The team has completed the task” becomes “The task has been completed by the team.”
Not every verb can form a normal passive sentence. Passive voice generally requires a transitive verb that can take an object, such as “write,” “build,” “complete,” or “examine.”
Long Passive and Short Passive
A long passive states the performer, while a short passive omits the performer.
Long passive: “The proposal was approved by the director.”
Short passive: “The proposal was approved.”
The short form works when the performer is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant. The long form works when the receiver deserves grammatical focus but the performer still provides useful information.
Active Voice and Academic Writing
Academic writing can use both voices, and the appropriate choice depends on clarity, discipline, and sentence purpose. Active voice clearly identifies researchers and actions, while passive voice can focus attention on methods, materials, procedures, or results.
For example, “We analyzed the samples” directly identifies the researchers. “The samples were analyzed” emphasizes the samples and analysis.
Academic writing does not require every sentence to use passive voice. Excessive passive construction can hide responsibility or become repetitive when the researcher is not the focus.
Choose the structure that presents the research information most precisely.
Active Voice and Professional Writing
Professional writing often benefits from active voice when responsibility and direct communication matter. Active sentences help readers understand instructions, decisions, deadlines, and actions without unnecessary grammatical complexity.
Compare “The finance team will review your application” with “Your application will be reviewed by the finance team.” The first sentence identifies the responsible team immediately.
Talkup English offers advanced English courses for learners who want structured development beyond basic grammar.
Common Active and Passive Voice Mistakes
The most common mistake is treating passive voice as grammatically wrong or treating every “be” verb as passive. Passive voice is a legitimate grammatical construction, and “be” verbs can appear in active sentences.
Another common mistake involves changing the tense during conversion. “The team has completed the project” must become “The project has been completed by the team,” not “The project was completed by the team.”
Writers can avoid errors by identifying the subject, verb, object, tense, and performer before changing sentence voice.
Is Passive Voice Bad Writing?
No, passive voice is not bad writing. Passive voice becomes a problem when a writer uses it without a clear purpose and the resulting sentence hides important information or becomes unnecessarily difficult to read.
Strong writing uses active and passive structures according to meaning. “The package was delivered” is appropriate when the delivery matters more than the courier. “The courier delivered the package” is appropriate when the courier matters.
Good grammar requires accurate voice selection, not permanent avoidance of passive construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the active voice and passive voice with examples?
Active voice makes the subject perform the action, while passive voice makes the subject receive the action. Example: “The teacher explained the lesson” is active. “The lesson was explained by the teacher” is passive. Both sentences describe the same basic event.
How to know if it is passive or active?
Check whether the grammatical subject performs or receives the action. If the subject performs the action, use active voice; if the subject receives the action, use passive voice. A form of “to be” plus a past participle often signals passive construction.
Why use active instead of passive voice?
Use active voice when clarity, directness, or responsibility matters. Active sentences usually identify the performer immediately and often require fewer words. Active voice works especially well for instructions, professional communication, web content, and sentences where the person performing the action matters.
What are the rules for changing active to passive voice?
Move the active object into subject position, add the correct form of “to be,” use the past participle, and add the performer with “by” when necessary. Preserve the original tense and meaning throughout the transformation.
Which is better for academic and professional writing: active or passive voice?
Neither voice is universally better; choose according to purpose and emphasis. Active voice clearly identifies researchers, teams, or responsible parties, while passive voice can emphasize procedures, results, or recipients. Effective academic and professional writing uses both forms when each improves clarity.