Active vs Passive Voice: Rules, Examples, and When to Use Each

Understanding the difference between active vs passive voice is one of the most important skills any writer can develop. The voice you choose affects the clarity, energy, and directness of every sentence you write. While most writing guides recommend active voice as a default, passive voice serves essential functions that no skilled writer should ignore.

In this comprehensive guide, you will learn exactly what active and passive voice are, how to identify each one instantly, when to use each voice for maximum impact, and how to convert between the two. Whether you are a student working on an essay, a professional polishing a business email, or a novelist crafting a scene, mastering active vs passive voice will transform your writing.

What Is Voice in Grammar?

In grammar, voice describes the relationship between the verb and the subject of a sentence. Specifically, voice tells us whether the subject performs the action (active voice) or receives the action (passive voice). Voice is a property of the verb, and in English, it is one of the key choices you make every time you construct a sentence.

Voice is not the same as tense. Tense tells us when an action happens, while voice tells us who or what is doing or receiving the action. Both active and passive voice can exist in any English tense, from simple present to future perfect continuous.

There are only two voices in English: active and passive. Some languages have a third voice called the middle voice, but English does not. Understanding these two voices and knowing when to use each one will give you far more control over your writing style.

What Is Active Voice?

In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. The subject is the doer, the agent, the one making things happen. Active voice follows the natural pattern of English: Subject → Verb → Object.

The dog chased the cat.

In this sentence, "the dog" is the subject and the doer of the action. "Chased" is the verb. "The cat" is the object receiving the action. The subject acts, and the object is acted upon. This is active voice in its simplest form.

Here are more examples of active voice:

• Sarah wrote the report. (Sarah = subject/doer, wrote = verb, the report = object)
• The chef prepared a five-course meal. (The chef performs the action of preparing)
• Our team completed the project ahead of schedule. (The team is doing the completing)
• Lightning struck the old oak tree. (Lightning performs the action)
• The committee approved the new policy. (The committee takes the action)

Active voice tends to produce sentences that are shorter, more direct, and easier to understand. The reader immediately knows who is doing what. This directness is why most style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style and Strunk and White's Elements of Style, recommend active voice as the default choice for most writing.

What Is Passive Voice?

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action instead of performing it. The doer of the action either appears after the verb in a "by" phrase or is omitted entirely. Passive voice reverses the natural order: Object → "be" + past participle → (by + subject).

The cat was chased by the dog.

Now "the cat" is the grammatical subject, but the cat is not doing anything — the cat is being chased. The real actor, "the dog," has been pushed to the end of the sentence in a "by" phrase. The verb has also changed form: "chased" became "was chased," using a form of "be" plus the past participle.

Here are the same active-voice examples converted to passive voice:

• The report was written by Sarah.
• A five-course meal was prepared by the chef.
• The project was completed ahead of schedule by our team.
• The old oak tree was struck by lightning.
• The new policy was approved by the committee.

Notice how each passive sentence uses a form of the verb "to be" (was, were, is, are, been, being) combined with the past participle of the main verb. This "be + past participle" combination is the hallmark of passive voice.

Passive voice can also appear without the "by" phrase, and often does:

• The report was written last Tuesday. (Who wrote it? Not stated.)
• Mistakes were made. (By whom? Deliberately vague.)
• The building was constructed in 1892. (The builder is unknown or unimportant.)

How to Identify Active vs Passive Voice

Identifying whether a sentence is in active or passive voice is straightforward once you know what to look for. Here is a step-by-step method:

Step 1: Find the Subject

Ask yourself: who or what is the sentence about? The grammatical subject usually comes before the verb.

Step 2: Find the Verb

Identify the main verb or verb phrase in the sentence.

Step 3: Ask the Key Question

Is the subject performing the action or receiving the action? If the subject performs the action, it is active voice. If the subject receives the action, it is passive voice.

The "By Zombies" Test

A popular and surprisingly effective trick: if you can add "by zombies" after the verb and the sentence still makes grammatical sense, it is passive voice.

• "The report was written [by zombies]." — Makes sense → Passive voice.
• "Sarah wrote the report [by zombies]." — Makes no sense → Active voice.

Look for the Formula

Passive voice almost always uses a form of "to be" followed by a past participle:

Common Traps

Not every sentence with "was" or "were" is passive. Be careful with these:

• "She was running." — This is active voice, past continuous tense. "Was running" is not "be + past participle" because "running" is a present participle.
• "The glass was broken." — This could be passive voice ("someone broke the glass") or simply a description of a state ("the glass existed in a broken state"). Context determines which reading is correct.
• "He was tired." — "Tired" functions as an adjective here, not a past participle in a passive construction.

When to Use Active Voice

Active voice should be your default choice in most writing situations. Here is why and when active voice works best:

For Clarity and Directness

Active voice makes it immediately clear who is doing what. In business writing, journalism, and academic prose, this clarity prevents misunderstandings. Compare:

• Passive: "The deadline was missed." (By whom?)
• Active: "The marketing team missed the deadline." (Clear accountability)

For Energy and Engagement

Active voice creates more dynamic, engaging prose. The subject acts rather than being acted upon, which gives sentences forward momentum. This is especially important in narrative writing, persuasive essays, and any content where you want to hold the reader's attention.

For Conciseness

Active voice constructions are typically shorter than their passive equivalents. "The manager approved the request" (six words) versus "The request was approved by the manager" (eight words). Over the course of a document, these extra words add up and can make your writing feel bloated.

In Business and Professional Writing

Most style guides for corporate communication strongly favor active voice. It conveys confidence, decisiveness, and transparency — all qualities valued in professional contexts.

In Creative and Narrative Writing

Fiction writers rely heavily on active voice to create vivid scenes and maintain pace. "She slammed the door" is far more powerful than "The door was slammed by her."

When to Use Passive Voice

Despite its reputation, passive voice is not a grammatical error. It is a legitimate and sometimes superior choice. Here are the situations where passive voice is preferred:

When the Actor Is Unknown

If you do not know who performed an action, passive voice is the natural choice:

• "My car was stolen last night." (You don't know who stole it.)
• "The cave paintings were created approximately 30,000 years ago."

When the Actor Is Unimportant

Sometimes who performed the action matters less than the action itself or the thing acted upon:

• "The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889." (The tower matters more than the construction workers.)
• "The samples were tested for contamination." (In scientific writing, the focus is on the samples and the test, not the technician.)

In Scientific and Technical Writing

Scientific papers traditionally use passive voice to emphasize objectivity and the reproducibility of methods: "The solution was heated to 100°C" rather than "We heated the solution to 100°C." However, many modern scientific journals now accept or even prefer active voice.

For Diplomatic or Tactful Language

Passive voice can soften the impact of negative messages by removing the direct agent: "Mistakes were made" is less accusatory than "You made mistakes." This diplomatic quality makes passive voice useful in sensitive communications, though it can also be misused to avoid accountability.

When the Receiver of the Action Is the Topic

If your paragraph or section is about a particular subject, keeping that subject in the grammatical subject position — even if it requires passive voice — maintains coherence:

"The Mona Lisa is one of the world's most famous paintings. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1503 and 1519. It has been displayed at the Louvre since 1797."

Here, the Mona Lisa is the topic. Using active voice would shift the subject from sentence to sentence, making the paragraph feel less focused.

Converting Between Active and Passive Voice

Active to Passive

To convert an active sentence to passive:

1. Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position.
2. Change the verb to "be" (matching the tense) + past participle.
3. Place the original subject after "by" (optional).

Active: The artist painted a stunning mural.
Step 1: A stunning mural... (object becomes subject)
Step 2: A stunning mural was painted... (be + past participle)
Step 3: A stunning mural was painted by the artist.

Passive to Active

To convert a passive sentence to active:

1. Find the agent (the "by" phrase). If there is no "by" phrase, you will need to supply a subject.
2. Make the agent the subject of the sentence.
3. Change the verb from "be + past participle" to a simple active form (matching the original tense).
4. Move the old subject to the object position.

Passive: The song was performed by the choir.
Step 1: The choir... (agent becomes subject)
Step 2: The choir performed... (active verb form)
Step 3: The choir performed the song.

Active and Passive Voice Examples by Tense

Active vs passive voice works across all twelve English tenses. Here is how each tense looks in both voices:

Note that the future continuous, past perfect continuous, present perfect continuous, and future perfect continuous tenses rarely appear in passive voice because the resulting constructions are extremely awkward. For example, "An email will have been being written by her" is grammatically possible but practically unusable.

Common Myths About Passive Voice

Myth 1: Passive Voice Is Always Wrong

This is the most widespread misconception. Passive voice is not a grammatical error. It is a valid construction with specific uses. The problem is overuse, not use itself. Even the most passionate advocates of active voice acknowledge that passive voice has its place.

Myth 2: Any Sentence with "Was" Is Passive

The word "was" appears in many constructions that are not passive voice. "She was happy" (linking verb + adjective), "He was running" (past continuous active), and "It was raining" (active voice, intransitive verb) are all active constructions.

Myth 3: Passive Voice Makes Writing Formal

While passive voice does appear frequently in formal and academic writing, using it does not automatically make your writing sound formal. Poorly placed passive constructions can make writing sound evasive or confusing regardless of the context.

Myth 4: You Should Never Use Passive Voice in Academic Writing

This contradicts the historical norm. Many academic disciplines — particularly the sciences — have traditionally relied on passive voice. The trend toward active voice in academia is relatively recent, and practices vary widely between fields and journals.

Tips for Choosing the Right Voice

The decision between active and passive voice should be deliberate, not accidental. Here are practical guidelines:

• Default to active voice. Make it your starting point and switch to passive only when you have a specific reason.
• Ask "who is doing what?" If the answer matters to the reader, use active voice to make the doer clear.
• Consider your topic sentence. The subject of your sentence should align with what the sentence (and paragraph) is about.
• Read your work aloud. Passive constructions often sound heavy or awkward when spoken. Your ear will catch problems your eye misses.
• Check sentence length. If a sentence feels too long, converting from passive to active often trims unnecessary words.
• Use passive voice for variety. A relentless series of subject-verb-object sentences can feel monotonous. An occasional passive construction changes the rhythm.
• Match your genre's conventions. Scientific papers, legal documents, and journalistic reports each have their own norms for voice. Learn the expectations of your audience.

Mastering active vs passive voice is not about following a rigid rule — it is about having the awareness and skill to choose the construction that best serves your meaning, your reader, and your purpose. The best writers use both voices fluently, switching between them as the writing demands. With practice, choosing the right voice becomes instinctive, and your writing will be stronger for it.