Active and Passive Voice | Rules, Examples and When to Use Each
Active voice usually highlights who did what. Passive voice usually highlights what happened, what was affected or what result matters. Strong writing comes from choosing the focus deliberately.
Voice changes the sentence’s focus, not the underlying event
The same real-world event can be organised in two ways. Active voice normally starts with the actor. Passive voice moves the receiver of the action into the subject position and may omit the actor completely.
The grammatical information changes order, but the basic event can remain the same.
Active and passive voice side by side
The object of the active sentence can become the subject of the passive sentence. The verb changes to a form of be plus the past participle.
The actor performs the action
The grammatical subject is the person or thing doing the verb.
The subject receives the action
The original object becomes the grammatical subject. The actor is optional.
How to change an active sentence into passive voice
Use this process when the active verb has an object and the receiver of the action should become the new topic.
Find the active object
Identify the person or thing receiving the action. This becomes the new passive subject.
Move it to the front
Place the active object in the subject position so it becomes the main topic.
Keep the original tense
Choose the correct form of be, then add the past participle of the main verb.
Add the actor only when useful
Use by when the actor is important, surprising or necessary for understanding.
Active and passive forms across common tenses
The tense is carried by the verb be. The main verb appears as a past participle.
am / is / are + past participle
The team reviews every application.
Every application is reviewed.
was / were + past participle
The nurse recorded the observations.
The observations were recorded.
has / have been + past participle
The board has approved the plan.
The plan has been approved.
will be + past participle
The laboratory will analyse the sample.
The sample will be analysed.
am / is / are being + past participle
The engineers are testing the system.
The system is being tested.
modal + be + past participle
You must submit the form today.
The form must be submitted today.
When should you use active or passive voice?
A rigid rule such as "always avoid passive voice” can make writing less natural. Choose the structure that gives the reader the clearest and most useful focus.
The actor and responsibility matter
You are giving direct instructions or assigning an action.
You need to show clearly who made a decision or completed a task.
The sentence feels unnecessarily long, vague or bureaucratic.
The action, receiver or result matters more
The actor is unknown: "My bicycle was stolen.”
The actor is obvious or unnecessary: "The patient was admitted at 14:00.”
The process or result is the logical topic: "The samples were analysed.”
Passive voice hides information the reader needs
The sentence avoids naming the person responsible for an important action.
The reader cannot tell who must act next.
The wording sounds formal but makes the meaning slower or less precise.
The best voice changes with the task
Professional writing often needs both voices. Active voice can show ownership and action. Passive voice can maintain continuity, foreground a result or follow the conventions of a specialist document.
Business emails and reports
Use active voice to clarify decisions, responsibilities and next steps. Use passive voice when the status of the task matters more than the individual actor.
Academic and scientific writing
Passive forms can foreground methods, samples and findings, but many academic disciplines also value active sentences where the researcher’s action matters.
Healthcare documentation
Passive voice can describe treatment or events, while active voice can identify who observed, advised or escalated. Safety-critical responsibility should remain clear.
Policies and formal instructions
Passive voice can emphasise the required action, but direct active instructions are often easier to follow when the responsible person is known.
When responsibility matters
The incorrect dosage was administered. The agency nurse administered the incorrect dosage, and the ward sister escalated the incident immediately.When the action is the correct focus
A technician tested the fire alarm at 09:00. The fire alarm was tested at 09:00.When the next action must be owned
The client will be contacted tomorrow. I will contact the client tomorrow morning.How to spot passive voice in your own writing
Not every sentence containing be is passive, but these checks can help you identify likely passive structures and decide whether to keep them.
Look for a form of be
Common signals include is, are, was, were, be, been and being.
Look for a past participle
Examples include approved, written, sent, made, chosen and completed.
Ask who performed the action
If the answer appears in a by phrase or is missing entirely, the clause may be passive.
Check whether the verb takes an object
Standard passives normally come from transitive verbs. Verbs such as arrive, happen and sleep do not normally form passives.
Active or passive, and is it a good choice?
Open each answer after deciding which voice the sentence uses and whether the focus fits the context.
"The finance director approved the revised budget.”
Active voice. The actor is clear and performs the action. This is a strong choice when the reader needs to know who approved the budget.
"The revised budget was approved.”
Passive voice. This may be appropriate when the approval status is the important new information and the approver is already known or irrelevant.
"The meeting was cancelled because of the weather.”
Passive voice. The sentence works naturally because the cancellation is more relevant than the person who made the administrative decision.
"The samples have been analysed by the laboratory.”
Passive voice. It foregrounds the samples and completed process. The by phrase can be removed when the laboratory is obvious or unimportant.
"The problem happened yesterday.”
Active voice, not passive. The word happened is a past-tense verb, but there is no form of be and no passive structure. Happen is intransitive.
Continue learning with reliable sources
These resources explain passive construction, sentence focus and additional forms such as passive infinitives, modal passives and passives with indirect objects.
British Council LearnEnglish
A structured overview of active and passive forms from beginner to advanced level, including tense patterns and additional passive constructions.
Open the British Council guide ↗Cambridge Grammar
Cambridge explains how passive voice changes the focus of a clause and allows the writer to omit or reposition the agent.
Open Cambridge Grammar ↗British Council B1–B2 passives
Further examples and interactive practice focused on why passive voice is used and how the structure is formed.
Practise passives ↗Active and passive voice questions
What is the difference between active and passive voice?
In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives or experiences the action. The choice changes which part of the event appears first and receives the most attention.
How do you form the passive voice?
Use the correct tense of be followed by the past participle of the main verb. Add the actor with by only when that information is useful: "The report was written by Ana.”
Is passive voice grammatically wrong?
No. Passive voice is a standard grammatical structure. It becomes less effective when it hides information the reader needs or makes a simple sentence unnecessarily long.
Why is active voice often clearer?
Active voice often names the actor before the action, making responsibility and sequence easy to identify. Passive voice can be equally clear when the process, result or receiver is the sentence’s natural topic.
Can every active sentence be changed into passive voice?
No. A standard passive normally requires a transitive verb with an object. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, sleep and happen do not normally form passive clauses.
Can passive voice be used in speaking?
Yes. Everyday spoken examples include "I was told to wait,” "The meeting has been cancelled” and "My phone was stolen.” Passive voice is not limited to formal writing.
Make every sentence show the right action, focus and responsibility
Explore the wider grammar guide, practise professional writing with a specialist tutor or ask TEO Academy to help identify tutors who fit your needs and availability.
