Understand Active and Passive Voice Rules With Examples

Grasping the difference between active and passive voice is a key milestone in mastering English grammar. It helps you write clearly, speak confidently, and express thoughts with precision. Whether you're a student polishing your grammar skills or a parent helping your child, learning how to identify and use both voices correctly is essential.

Let’s explore what active and passive voice rules are, how they differ, and when to use them with helpful examples and practical rules.

What is Active Voice & Passive Voice?

Active Voice

In active voice, the focus is on the doer the person or thing that is performing the action. The subject comes first, followed by the verb (the action), and then the object (the receiver of the action). This structure keeps sentences clear and concise, making it ideal for most forms of communication.

Active Voice Sentence Structure

The standard structure of an active voice sentence is:

(Subject + Verb + Object)

Let’s break that down:

• Subject – Who or what is doing the action

• Verb – The action itself

• Object – Who or what receives the action

Example of Active Voice

Sentence: The boy kicked the ball.

• Subject: The boy

• Verb: Kicked

• Object: The ball

This sentence clearly tells us who is performing the action (the boy) and what is being acted upon (the ball). It’s simple, direct, and easy to understand.

Key Characteristics of Active Voice

Let’s take a deeper look at what makes active voice so effective:

1. Clarity and Simplicity: Active voice creates clear, easy-to-follow sentences. Since the subject and the action are at the forefront, the reader doesn’t have to search for meaning.

2. Stronger and More Engaging: Because the subject is actively doing something, active voice sounds more lively and assertive, which makes writing more compelling.

3. Focuses on the Doer: Active voice emphasizes the subject, which is often the most important part of a sentence. This is especially useful when:

• Giving credit (e.g. Riya designed the logo.)

• Emphasizing responsibility (e.g. He made a mistake.)

4. Widely Used Across Contexts: Active voice is commonly used in:

• Speaking: Everyday conversations flow naturally in active voice.

• Storytelling: Narratives are easier to follow when actions are presented clearly.

• Essay Writing: Academic writing often recommends active voice for clearer argumentation.

• Instructions and Commands: Imperatives rely on active structure (e.g. Close the door.).

Passive Voice

In passive voice, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The action is still present, but the emphasis is no longer on who performed it, it’s on what happened or to whom it happened.

Passive Voice Sentence Structure

The typical structure for a passive voice sentence is:

Object + form of “be” + past participle of the verb + (by + agent)

Let’s break it down:

• Object (of active sentence) becomes the subject in the passive sentence

• The verb “be” is used in a tense-appropriate form

• The main verb changes into its past participle

• “By + agent” is optional and refers to the original doer of the action

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Example of Passive Voice

Sentence: The ball was kicked by the boy.

• Subject (receiver of action): The ball

• Verb (passive form): Was kicked

• Agent (optional): By the boy

The focus here is not on who kicked the ball, but on the ball itself which is what received the action. This change of focus is often useful when the agent is not necessary or relevant.

Key Characteristics of Passive Voice

Let’s explore what makes the passive voice useful and when it is typically used:

1. Helpful When the Doer Is Unknown or Unimportant

Sometimes, the doer of the action is either not known or simply doesn’t matter to the context. In such cases, passive voice helps convey the message without focusing on the actor.

2. Common in Formal, Academic, or Scientific Writing

In research papers, academic reports, legal documents, and news articles, passive voice is often used to maintain a formal, detached, or neutral tone.

3. Adds Objectivity and Neutrality

Passive constructions remove personal bias or emotional charge, making them ideal for factual or impersonal statements.

4. Used to Avoid Blame or Responsibility

The passive voice is often used (sometimes controversially) in corporate, political, or diplomatic settings to avoid assigning blame.

This usage is useful when the focus should remain on the issue rather than the person involved or when one wishes to maintain tact.

What’s the Difference Between Active Voice and Passive Voice?

Understanding the difference can help you decide which voice is more appropriate depending on what you want to say.

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When Should You Use Active and Passive Voice?

Both voices are grammatically correctbut the choice depends on context, emphasis, and purpose.

Use Active Voice when:

• You want clear, concise communication

• The subject is important or needs to be highlighted

• You're writing stories, essays, blogs, or giving instructions

Use Passive Voice when:

• The doer is unknown, irrelevant, or implied

• You want to focus on the result or object

• You're writing in a formal, academic, or objective tone

Examples:

Active: “The team completed the task.”

Passive: “The task was completed by the team.”

Passive without agent: “The task was completed.”

Active and Passive Voice: Examples in Different Tenses

Here’s a look at how both voices work across different verb tenses:

Converting Active to Passive: Step-by-Step Guide

Transforming sentences from active to passive voice can seem tricky at first, but with a clear method, it becomes easy. Here’s how you can convert an active sentence into a passive one step by step:

Step 1: Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object

In an active voice sentence, you will usually find a subject (the doer), a verb (the action), and an object (the receiver of the action).

Example (Active):
The chef (subject) cooked (verb) a delicious meal (object).

Step 2: Move the Object to the Beginning

To form the passive voice, shift the object of the active sentence to the subject’s position in the passive sentence.

New Subject (Passive): A delicious meal

Step 3: Use the Correct Form of “Be” Based on the Tense

The verb “to be” must match the tense of the original verb and the number (singular/plural) of the new subject.

Step 4: Add the Past Participle of the Main Verb

After the correct form of “be,” add the past participle of the main verb.
For “cook,” the past participle is cooked.

Now we have:
A delicious meal was cooked...

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Step 5: Optionally Add “by + Agent”

If you want to mention who performed the action, you can add “by + the doer” (agent) at the end. This is optional and usually only used when the agent is important to the context.

Final Sentence (Passive): A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.

Example:

• Active: The police caught the thief.

• Passive: The thief was caught by the police.

Converting Passive to Active: Step-by-Step Guide

Turning a passive sentence into active voice is a great way to make your writing clearer and more dynamic. Here's how to do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Identify the Agent (The Doer of the Action)

In a passive sentence, the person or thing doing the action is often introduced with “by”. This is called the agent.

• Example: The cake was baked by my mother.

• Agent: my mother

Step 2: Move the Agent to the Subject’s Position

Bring the agent to the beginning of the sentence so that it becomes the new subject.

• Example: My mother (now becomes the subject)

Step 3: Change the Verb into Active Form

Convert the passive verb into its active voice form. You’ll need to drop the “be” verb and use the main verb in the correct tense.

• Passive: was baked

• Active: baked

Step 4: Keep the Tense Consistent

Make sure the verb remains in the same tense. Don’t change the time of the action—just change the voice.

• Passive: was baked (simple past tense)

• Active: baked (also simple past tense)

Final Example:

• Passive: The cake was baked by my mother.

• Active: My mother baked the cake.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Learning active and passive voice also means avoiding these frequent errors:

• ❌ Using the wrong tense form in passive:
  E.g., “The letter is wrote.” → “The letter is written.”

• ❌ Omitting the subject unnecessarily:
  Sometimes, removing the “doer” makes the sentence vague.

• ❌ Overusing passive voice:
  Passive voice isn’t wrong, but using it too much can make writing dull and unclear.

Conclusion

FAQs: Active Voice and Passive Voice Rules

Q. Why is active voice generally preferred in writing?

Active voice is preferred because it makes writing clearer, more concise, and easier to understand. It directly shows who is performing the action, which adds energy and purpose to the sentence. For example, “The dog chased the ball” is more direct and vivid than “The ball was chased by the dog.” Active voice also reduces wordiness, making content more engaging and reader-friendly—especially in storytelling, academic writing, and spoken communication.

Q. When should I use passive voice instead of active voice?

Passive voice is useful in certain contexts where the focus needs to shift from the subject to the object of the sentence. You should consider using it when:

• The doer of the action is unknown or not important
  (e.g., “The file was deleted.”)

• You want to emphasize the action or result rather than who did it
  (e.g., “The bridge was built in 1883.”)

• A more formal, impersonal, or scientific tone is required
  (e.g., “The experiment was conducted under strict conditions.”)

Q. Is passive voice always grammatically correct?

Yes, passive voice is grammatically correct if constructed properly. It should include the correct form of the verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb. Also, ensure that the sentence makes logical sense and that the tense is consistent. For instance, “The cake was eaten by the children” is a correct passive construction. However, something like “The homework is do by him” is incorrect it should be “The homework is done by him.”

Q. How can I recognize a passive sentence quickly?

To identify a passive voice sentence, look for these elements:

• A form of the verb “to be” (is, are, was, were, etc.)

• A past participle (e.g., painted, chosen, thrown)

• A possible “by” phrase indicating the agent (e.g., by the teacher)

Tip: If you can add “by someone” after the verb and it still makes sense, the sentence is likely passive.

Q. Can all active sentences be converted to passive voice?

No, not all active sentences can be transformed into passive voice. Only transitive verbs verbs that take a direct object can be used in passive constructions. If there is no object in the sentence, it cannot be converted. For instance, “She runs every morning” can’t be made passive because there’s no object receiving the action. But a sentence like “She wrote a letter” can be changed to “A letter was written by her.”