English class – Gustavo M.

Rocha

Active vs. Passive Voice

Take a sentence like “I want ice cream now.” It’s clear and straightforward—you know immediately that the

subject, I, wants an object, ice cream. Now, recast this sentence, flipping it so that the object is in the

position of the subject: “Ice cream is wanted by me now.” It isn’t just longer, but it’s also more detached,

roundabout, and a little awkward, too.

Those two sentences are examples of the active voice and the passive voice. Certain kinds of writing are

best suited for the active voice, while the passive voice is most appropriate for other kinds of writing.

Understanding how, when, and why to use each is key to being an effective writer and speaker.

What is active voice, what is passive voice, and what are their different functions?

In the active voice, the subject is performing an action:

The dog chases the ball.

Notice how the subject, dog, is performing the action, chase, on the target of the action, ball. This is a

simple, direct example of the active voice.

In the passive voice, the action’s target, ball, is positioned first as the focus of the sentence. The sentence

gets flipped, and the subject is now being acted upon by the verb. In other words, the subject is passive:

The ball is being chased by the dog.

Active and passive are the two grammatical voices in English. Neither is inherently better than the other, but

each is suited to certain types of writing. There’s a reason why news anchors sound detached from the
 English class – Gustavo M. Rocha

stories they’re reporting: They often speak using the passive voice. There’s also a reason why the authors

of opinion pieces sound so sure of their positions: They usually write in the active voice.

Although the idea of teachers telling their students to avoid the passive voice is repeated so frequently that

it feels like a trope, the truth is that the passive voice does have its applications. We’ll get into those later.

For now, let’s look at how to recognize the active voice and the passive voice in your writing and in others’

work.

Active voice

As we’ve learned, in the active voice, the sentence’s subject performs the action. Here are two

examples of sentences in the active voice:

Shira likes birdwatching.

She loves twilight.

No matter what verb you use, structuring your sentence so the subject performs the verb is writing in the

active voice.

The active voice has a direct, clear tone. Use it when you want the reader to focus on the subject of your

sentence and the action it is doing rather than on the action’s target.

Passive voice

In the passive voice, the action’s target is the focus, and the verb acts upon the subject. Or, to put it

in the passive voice, the subject is acted upon by the verb. Every sentence in the passive voice contains

two verbs:

 A conjugated form of “to be”

 The main verb’s past participle

Take a look at the previous examples, now written in passive voice:

Birdwatching is liked by Shira.

Twilight is loved by her.

Notice how the targets of the action—also the direct objects of the sentences—are now the focus. The

sentences now contain a conjugated form of “to be” (is) and the main verb’s past participle (liked and loved).

Often, sentences in the passive voice are longer than sentences in the active voice simply because they

have to include additional words like prepositions. Take a look at this sentence in the passive voice:

Summer break is [conjugated form of “to be”] loved [past participle of the main

verb] by [preposition] my friends.

However, sentences written in the passive voice don’t necessarily need a preposition. Take a look at the

example sentences below:

The check was paid.

He will be remembered.

The Philippines is known for its marine biodiversity.

The passive voice has a subtler tone than the active voice has. Sometimes your writing needs this tone, like

when you want your reader to focus on the action being described or the action’s target rather than on who

or what is performing the action. This is why the passive voice is used in lab reports —it conveys scientific

objectivity by minimizing the focus on the doer of the action.

Active and passive voice usage

Although you may have been told that writing in the passive voice is “bad writing,” it’s actually more

nuanced than that. For most of the writing you do, like emails, blog posts, and many kinds of essays, the

active voice is a more effective way to communicate the ideas, themes, and facts you’re expressing.

In certain kinds of writing, though, the passive voice is necessary. Think about how news reports about

crime and incidents are usually written and delivered:

A car was broken into on Elm Street last night.

Cash was stolen from the register.

In these kinds of reports, the passive voice is used to emphasize the action that occurred rather than the

individual or group who committed the action, often because the perpetrator isn’t known or hasn’t yet been

found guilty of the offense.

There are other kinds of writing where the action itself, rather than the doer of the action, is the primary

focus. These include scientific and, in some cases, historical reports. These use the passive voice to keep

the reader’s focus on what has happened or is happening. Here are a few examples:

The rats were placed into the maze.

The governor was inaugurated at the statehouse.

Notice how in both of these sentences, the doer of the action isn’t mentioned. That’s because it’s either

implied or irrelevant. In the first example, the scientist performing the experiment is the one who placed the

rats in the maze. In the second, those conducting the inauguration ceremony aren’t relevant to what’s being

expressed in the sentence.

Active and passive voice examples

Take a look at these examples of both the active and passive voices in action:

Active: Is Maria visiting us today?

Passive: Will we be visited by Maria today?

As you see, questions can be written in either voice. Other kinds of sentences, like exclamatory and

imperative sentences, are often best written in the active voice:

Active: Please remove your shoes before entering my house.

Passive: Shoes should be removed before entering my house.

Active: Lock the door!

Passive: Let the door be locked!

See how with the first pair, the passive voice makes the request feel more like a suggestion? In the second

pair, the passive voice makes the message sound stilted and formal rather than an urgent exclamation.

Now take a look at these two examples:

Active: I poured the solution into the beaker and heated it to 40ºC.

Passive: The solution was poured into the beaker and heated to 40ºC.
 English class – Gustavo M. Rocha

In short words…

What is active voice, what is passive voice, and what’s the difference?

In the active voice, the sentence’s subject performs the action on the action’s target. In the passive voice,

the target of the action is the main focus, and the verb acts upon the subject. There are numerous

differences between the two grammatical voices, but the most important is that the active voice is clearer

and more direct, while the passive voice is subtler and can feel more detached.

When should you use active vs. passive voice?

Use the active voice in any sentence that focuses on the doer of the action. Unless the majority of your

writing is scientific or reporting incidents involving unknown perpetrators, most of the sentences you write

should be in the active voice.

The passive voice is meant for sentences where you need to emphasize the target of an action or the action

itself rather than who or what is performing the verb.

How do you change passive voice to active?

To change the passive voice to the active voice, determine who is actually performing the action in the

sentence, then restructure the sentence so that the performer is the focus, clearly performing the verb upon

the sentence’s direct object.

 Passive: Salsa dancing has always been loved by our community.

 Active: Our community has always loved salsa dancing.