Active Voice and Passive Voice Rules with Examples | PlanetSpark

Understanding active voice and passive voice rules is a core grammar skill for students, competitive exam aspirants, and anyone who wants to write clearly and confidently in English. Whether you are writing school essays, emails, stories, or speeches, knowing when to use active voice and when passive voice fits better can instantly improve clarity and impact.

In this blog, we will break down active voice and passive voice rules in simple language, with clear definitions, formulas, examples, conversion rules, common mistakes, and practice tips.

What Is Voice in English Grammar?

In grammar, voice shows the relationship between the subject and the action (verb) in a sentence.

There are two main types of voice:

• Active Voice: The subject performs the action
• Passive Voice: The subject receives the action

Understanding this difference is the foundation for learning active voice and passive voice rules.

What Is Active Voice?

A sentence is in active voice when the subject does the action stated by the verb.

Structure of Active Voice

Subject + Verb + Object

Examples of Active Voice

• Riya writes a letter.
• The teacher explained the lesson.
• The dog chased the ball.
• They are building a new house.

In all these sentences, the subject is clear and directly performs the action.

What Is Passive Voice?

A sentence is in passive voice when the subject receives the action of the verb.

Structure of Passive Voice

Object (of active sentence) + helping verb + past participle + by + subject

Examples of Passive Voice

• A letter is written by Riya.
• The lesson was explained by the teacher.
• The ball was chased by the dog.
• A new house is being built by them.

The focus shifts from the doer to the action or the receiver of the action.

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Key Differences Between Active Voice and Passive Voice

Why Is Active Voice Preferred?

Active voice is generally preferred because it:

• Makes sentences clear and direct
• Improves readability
• Sounds confident and engaging
• Reduces wordiness

Example

• Active: The manager approved the plan.
• Passive: The plan was approved by the manager.

The active sentence is shorter and more impactful.

When Should Passive Voice Be Used?

Despite common advice, passive voice is not wrong. It is useful when:

• The doer of the action is unknown
• The doer is not important
• The focus is on the action or result
• Writing scientific, legal, or formal reports

Examples

• The thief was arrested last night. (doer unknown)
• The medicine was discovered in 1928. (focus on result)
• Rules are followed strictly in this school. (general statement)

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Active Voice and Passive Voice Rules

Let us now understand the most important active voice and passive voice rules step by step.

Rule 1: Identify the Subject, Verb, and Object

Before changing a sentence, find:

• Subject
• Main verb
• Object

Example

Active sentence:

She completed the work.

• Subject: She
• Verb: completed
• Object: the work

Rule 2: Object of Active Becomes Subject of Passive

When converting from active to passive:

• The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Example

Active: She completed the work.
Passive: The work was completed by her.

Rule 3: Use the Correct Helping Verb

Passive voice always uses a form of be based on:

• Tense of the sentence
• Singular or plural subject

Common helping verbs:

• is, am, are
• was, were
• has been, have been
• is being, was being
• will be

Rule 4: Use the Past Participle Form of the Verb

The main verb in passive voice is always in the past participle (V3) form.

Examples:

• write → written
• eat → eaten
• do → done
• see → seen

Rule 5: Use “by” to Introduce the Doer

If the doer is important, use by before the subject.

Example

• The cake was baked by my mother.

If the doer is not important, it can be omitted.

• The cake was baked.

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Active to Passive Voice Conversion Rules by Tense

Present Simple Tense

Active: Subject + verb (s/es) + object

Passive: Object + is/am/are + past participle

Example:

• She writes a story.
• A story is written by her.

Present Continuous Tense

Active: Subject + is/am/are + verb + ing + object

Passive: Object + is/am/are + being + past participle

Example:

• They are painting the wall.
• The wall is being painted by them.

Present Perfect Tense

Active: Subject + has/have + past participle + object

Passive: Object + has/have + been + past participle

Example:

• He has completed the task.
• The task has been completed by him.

Past Simple Tense

Active: Subject + past verb + object

Passive: Object + was/were + past participle

Example:

• She wrote a letter.
• A letter was written by her.

Past Continuous Tense

Active: Subject + was/were + verb + ing + object

Passive: Object + was/were + being + past participle

Example:

• They were cleaning the room.
• The room was being cleaned by them.

Past Perfect Tense

Active: Subject + had + past participle + object

Passive: Object + had + been + past participle

Example:

• He had finished the work.
• The work had been finished by him.

Future Simple Tense

Active: Subject + will + verb + object

Passive: Object + will be + past participle

Example:

• She will announce the results.
• The results will be announced by her.

Passive Voice Without “By”

In many sentences, the doer is unknown or unnecessary.

Examples:

• The window was broken.
• The rules are followed strictly.
• The exam papers have been checked.

These sentences are grammatically correct and commonly used.

Common Mistakes in Active and Passive Voice

Mistake 1: Using the Wrong Helping Verb

Incorrect: The work is complete by him.
Correct: The work was completed by him.

Mistake 2: Forgetting the Past Participle

Incorrect: The song was sing by her.
Correct: The song was sung by her.

Mistake 3: Changing Tense While Converting

Incorrect: The letter was written by her. (from present tense)
Correct: The letter is written by her.

Always keep the tense the same.

Active Voice vs Passive Voice in Writing

Use Active Voice When:

• Writing essays and stories
• Giving speeches or presentations
• Writing emails or blogs
• Wanting clarity and impact

Use Passive Voice When:

• Writing scientific reports
• Writing formal notices
• The doer is unknown
• The result is more important than the doer

Simple Tips to Master Active and Passive Voice

• Identify subject and object first
• Learn past participle forms
• Practice tense-wise conversions
• Prefer active voice in daily writing
• Use passive voice only when needed

Regular practice makes voice rules easy and natural.

Practice Exercise

Change the following sentences into passive voice:

1. The chef cooked the meal.
2. She is reading a book.
3. They have completed the project.

Try converting them back into active voice as well.

Diagnosing Voice Quickly

How to Spot Active

Subject performs the action: Subject + main verb (+ object).

• The committee approved the budget.

How to Spot Passive

Receiver of the action is subject: Subject + be/get + past participle (+ by + agent).

• The budget was approved (by the committee).

Fast Tests

• Can you add “by [doer]” and it still makes sense? Likely passive.

• Is the main lexical verb a past participle (approved, written, made) preceded by a be/get form? Likely passive

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Frequent Learner Pitfalls (and Fixes)

1. Past participle errors
   ✗ The movie was see by us. → ✓ The movie was seen by us.

2. Dropping the auxiliary be
   ✗ The match postponed due to rain. → ✓ The match was postponed due to rain.

3. Passive with intransitives
   ✗ The accident was occurred yesterday. → ✓ The accident occurred yesterday.

4. Misplacing time/place adverbials
   ✗ The rule was by the manager yesterday changed. → ✓ The rule was changed by the manager yesterday.

5. Overusing by-phrase
   If obvious, omit it: The suspect was arrested (by police)

Precision With Participles

Certain verbs change meaning with the participle:

• fall → fallen; feel → felt; lie/lay confusion:
  Active: She laid the book down. → Passive: The book was laid down.
  Active: She lay on the sofa. (intransitive) → No passive.

Quick Reference: One-Glance Table

Task	Pattern	Example
Active → Passive (simple tenses)	be (same tense) + V-en	They publish the list → The list is published
Continuous	be (same tense) + being + V-en	They are reviewing cases → Cases are being reviewed
Perfect	have/has/had + been + V-en	They have issued ID cards → ID cards have been issued
Modals	modal + be + V-en	They must complete forms → Forms must be completed
Questions	Aux inversion	Did they sign it? → Was it signed?
Negatives	not after first aux	They did not send it → It was not sent
Ditransitives	either object can promote	They gave me a prize → I was given a prize

Practice Framework You Can Use Anywhere

1. Circle S, V, O.

2. Check verb type (transitive? participle irregular?).

3. Choose a tense pattern from the map.

4. Draft passive; read aloud for sense and rhythm.

5. Remove the by-phrase if it adds nothing.

6. Check agreement and word order.

Mini Exercise Set (Answer Key Included)

Convert to Passive

1. The editor will publish the article tomorrow.

2. They are building a new bridge across the river.

3. The jury has reached a verdict.

4. Someone stole my bicycle.

5. The teacher gave the class a surprise test.

Answers

1. The article will be published tomorrow.

2. A new bridge is being built across the river.

3. A verdict has been reached.

4. My bicycle was stolen. (agent unknown—omit by-phrase)

5. The class was given a surprise test. / A surprise test was given to the class.

Why Active and Passive Voice Rules Matter

Mastering these rules is important for:

• Exams: Sentence transformation is a common test question

• Writing: Active sentences improve essays; passive adds formality

• Speaking: Better fluency and grammar control

• Communication: Choosing the right voice creates impact