active andika did not do his homework. passive

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Though fun, writing can also get pretty darn confusing, especially when you’re trying to figure out whether to use the active or passive voice. What is the difference between active and passive voice? When and how should you use them?

In this complete active voice vs passive voice guide, we'll go over how each voice works in English grammar, when to use the two voices, and how to change a sentence from passive to active (and vice versa). We’ll also give you an active vs passive voice quiz to test your skills. Let's get started!

What Is Active Voice?

The active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs an action on an object. In other words, the subject does the action, and the object receives the action .

The active voice is easy to identify in writing because it follows a simple form, which is the basis of English grammar:

Subject ( doer ) → Verb → Object ( recipient )

Here’s an example of a sentence using the active voice:

The dog ate my homework.

In this example, "the dog" is the subject, "ate" is the verb, and "my homework" is the object. Here’s a diagram to better show this connection:

Here, "the dog" is doing (or, in this case, has already done) the action: it is the one that "ate." Meanwhile, "homework" is the object that is receiving this action of eating.

Here’s another example of the active voice at play:

She is writing an essay.

In this example, "she" is the subject, "is writing" is the verb (in the present progressive tense), and "an essay" is the object.

Once again, the subject ("she") is the one performing the action: "she" is "writing." And what is she writing? An "essay," i.e., the noun that’s receiving the action.

Finally, here's an example of the active voice being used without an object:

In this sentence, we have a subject ("he") and a verb ("sings") but no object. Regardless, because the subject is performing the act of singing, we can identify this as the active voice .

What Is Passive Voice?

The passive voice is basically the opposite of the active voice: it’s when the subject is acted upon by the object. In other words, the subject receives the action, and the object does the action .

The passive voice is a little trickier to identify, as it uses more words than the active voice. The basic structure is as follows:

Subject ( recipient ) → Verb ( past participle of "to be" form ) → Object ( doer )

Note that the object here is always preceded by the word "by."

Additionally, the verb takes its "to be" form (meaning it’s preceded by "is/are" for the present tense and "was/were" for the past tense) and is put in the past participle (e.g., "eaten" for the verb "eat" or "given" for the verb "give").

Here’s an example of a sentence using the passive voice:

The ice cream was bought by the little girl.

In this example, "the ice cream" is the subject, "bought" is the verb, and "the little girl" is the object. Here’s a diagram to help you understand this grammar pattern better:

As you can see, "the ice cream" (as the subject) is the one receiving the action, while "the little girl" (as the object) is the one performing the action.

Here's another passive voice example:

Our tests were graded by the teacher.

Here, the subject is "our tests," the verb is "were graded," and the object is "the teacher." Again, the subject ("our tests") is receiving the action from the object ("the teacher") , which is, in turn, performing it (i.e., the one who is grading).

Sometimes you’ll see the passive voice being used without an object (i.e., without identifying the doer of the action—only the recipient). Here’s an example:

The tea was poured.

In this sentence, "the tea" is the subject and "was poured" is the verb; however, there’s no object performing the action of pouring . Simply put, we don’t know who poured the tea! Nevertheless, we can identify this sentence as passive based on its setup: a subject followed by a verb in its past participle "to be" form.

If we wanted to insert an object here, we'd simply add the word "by" followed by a noun:

The tea was poured by my grandmother.

Now, we have an object, or doer, of this act of pouring tea: "my grandmother."

Active vs Passive Voice: When Do You Use Them?

The active and passive voice express the same ideas, just in different ways. In terms of when we actually use them, though, what is the difference between active and passive voice?

In general, you should always aim to use the active voice whenever you write. This is because the active voice is clearer and more direct, while the passive voice is wordier and more confusing.

That being said, this doesn’t mean that the passive voice is inherently wrong. There are many cases in which you might opt for the passive voice over the active voice.

Here are some scenarios in which you might want (or need) to use the passive voice:

• When you want to emphasize the recipient of the action
• When you want to emphasize the action itself
• When you don’t know who or what is performing the action
• When the doer of the action is irrelevant or unimportant

For example, say you’re writing an essay about the Declaration of Independence and you come up with the following sentence:

Most people believe that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, but this is not actually the case.

Let’s parse this out a bit. 

While part of the sentence is clearly in the active voice (the "most people believe" section), the crux of it ("the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4") is in the passive voice. Doing this lets you keep the emphasis on the document, i.e., the topic of your essay .

In addition, there were many people who signed the Declaration of Independence, but listing them all here would only make the sentence longer and more convoluted; this is why the passive voice is a better fit.

Changing From Passive to Active Voice (and Vice Versa)

There are many times you might want to change a sentence from passive to active, or even from active to passive. To do this, you’ll need to understand exactly how the two types of voices work.

First, recall that the primary difference between active and passive voice lies in the roles of the subject and object : whereas in active voice the subject is the doer and the object is the recipient of the action, in passive voice the subject is the recipient of the action and the object is the doer.

Here’s an example of a sentence in the active voice vs passive voice:

Active: She created a travel blog. Passive: A travel blog was created by her.

Below is another way of looking at the difference between active and passive voice:

As you can see here, in the active voice, "she" is the subject and doer, whereas "a travel blog" is the object and recipient of the verb "created."

But in the passive voice, these designations swap : as the original subject, "she" becomes the object (but is still the doer of the action), whereas "a travel blog," which was originally the object, becomes the subject (but is still the recipient of the action).

In addition, the verb, which began in the simple past, has been converted into its past participle "to be" form .

To sum up, to convert from active to passive voice, here’s what you must do:

• Switch the positions of the subject and object so the original object is now the subject and the original subject is now the object
• Add the word "by" before the new object
• Convert the verb into its "to be" past participle form  based on the original tense used
• Switch the positions of the subject and object so the original subject is now the object and the original object is now the subject
• Delete the word "by" used before the original object (now subject)
• Convert the "to be" past participle form of the verb into the appropriate tense as indicated by the verb and overall sentence

The verb is arguably the trickiest part of converting from passive to active. You want to make sure you’re keeping the same tense as indicated by the original verb and sentence.

As an example, here's how you'd change various tenses of the word "do" from passive to active:

• is done → do/does
• is/are being done → is/are doing
• was/were done → did
• was/were being done → was/were doing
• will be done → will do

Finally, know that you cannot convert from active to passive or passive to active if you do not have an object . You can see why this doesn’t work in these active vs passive voice examples:

Active (Without Object): I drank. Passive: ??? was drunk by me.

Without an object, we have no idea what "I" actually "drank."

Passive (Without Object): The project will be completed by tomorrow. Active: ??? will complete the project by tomorrow.

Without an object, we cannot explain who "will complete the project."

Active vs Passive Voice Quiz

It’s time to test out what you learned in an active vs passive voice quiz. 

Before you start, make sure you know what the three types of questions expect you to do:

• Questions 1-3: Identify whether the sentence is active or passive
• Questions 4-5: Fill in the blanks to create a grammatically correct sentence
• Questions 6-8: Convert the sentence from active to passive, or vice versa

Answers and explanations will be provided at the end of the quiz. Good luck!

#1: Active or Passive?

This novel was not written by Charlotte Brontë but rather her sister Emily.

#2: Active or Passive?

The mail arrived on time yesterday.

#3: Active or Passive?

A study on the gender wage gap was conducted in 2018.

#4: Fill in the Blank

This gift was given to me _____ my sister.

#5: Fill in the Blank

The toy will soon be _____ by him. (past participle of "fix")

#6: Convert to Passive

Jessica is teaching me how to speak Italian.

#7: Convert to Active

He was advised by his dentist to floss more.

#8: Convert to Active

The valuable painting is finally going to be sold this year.

Active vs Passive Voice Quiz: Answers + Explanations

In this sample sentence, the subject is "the novel," the action is "was not written," and the object is "Charlotte Brontë" — we can leave out that last part since it’s not really important to understanding the voice here.

Because the object ("Charlotte Brontë") is the doer of the action — that is, she’s the one who did not write "the novel" —you should be able to tell right away that  this sentence is in the passive voice . (You might also be able to tell it’s passive due to the use of the word "by" before the object.)

Here, "the mail" is the subject and "arrived" is the verb — there is no object. Because "the mail" is the one doing the action of "arriving," this sentence uses the active voice .

In this example, "a study" is the subject and "was conducted" is the verb; there’s no object. Since "a study" is receiving the action instead of performing it, this sentence is in the passive voice .

(Just in case you’re wondering, the reason we don’t see "by" is that the object, or doer, of the action is either unknown or irrelevant.)

Right away you should recognize this as the passive voice. "This gift" is the subject, "was given" is the verb, and "my sister" is the object who is performing the action of giving.

As you know, the word "by" must come before the object in a passive sentence , so this is the missing word. The sentence should therefore read, "This gift was given to me by my sister."

Again, you should recognize this example as a passive sentence since it calls for the past participle of the verb and has the word "by" before the object. The past participle of the verb "fix" is the same as its simple past: "fixed" ; t herefore, the sentence should read, "The toy will soon be fixed by him."

To convert this sentence from active to passive, you must switch the positions of the subject and object and then convert the verb (in present progressive) to its past participle "to be" form. Don't forget that "me" must transform into its subject form ("I") when going from an object to a subject. ("Jessica" is a name and proper noun and therefore does not change form.)

Finally, place the word "by" before the new object ("Jessica"). This should give you the following passive sentence: "I am being taught how to speak Italian by Jessica."

To convert this example from passive to active, you’ll need to switch the subject and object, change the verb form from "to be" past participle to simple past, and eliminate the "by." Note that "he" will turn into "him" when converted from a subject into an object.

Doing all this correctly should give you this: "His dentist advised him to floss more."

If you didn’t know it already, this question is actually a trick! But how? Because there is no object in this passive sentence, there’s no way to convert it into the active voice. In other words, we have no idea who is going to sell the painting.

If we tried to convert it, we’d get this nonsensical statement: "??? is finally going to sell the valuable painting this year." As such, we cannot create a sentence in the active voice without a subject .

What’s Next?

Now that you understand active voice vs passive voice examples, want to brush up on your English grammar? Then check out our detailed guides on semicolons , verbs , prepositions , proper nouns , and parts of speech .

To ace the SAT/ACT, you'll need to have an excellent grasp of the English language.  Learn the most important SAT grammar rules and ACT grammar rules so you can earn an amazing score.

Need help with using and identifying literary devices? Our expert guide explains more than 30 key literary devices and how they work to help you become a pro at reading and writing.

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Changing Passive to Active Voice

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This handout will explain the difference between active and passive voice in writing. It gives examples of both, and shows how to turn a passive sentence into an active one. Also, it explains how to decide when to choose passive voice instead of active.

If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and change the verb accordingly. Sometimes you will need to infer the agent from the surrounding sentences which provide context.

If you want to change an active-voice sentence to passive voice, consider carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb, and then make that agent the object of a by the... phrase. Make what is acted upon the subject of the sentence, and change the verb to a form of be + past participle. Including an explicit by the... phrase is optional.

This passive voice contains a by the... phrase. Removing the by the... phrase and reworking the sentence will give it the active voice.

Image Caption: Making "most of the class" the subject of the sentence moves the action of the sentence onto the class, and shifts the sentence from passive into active voice.

The agent is not explicitly stated, but it is most likely researchers. Making the agent the subject of the sentence will allow you to use the active voice.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (the researchers) are now performing the action as the sentence subject.

The CIA director and his close advisors are the agent of change in this sentence, but they are not the subject. Making the agent the subject will transform the sentence into a more concise, active voice phrase.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (the CIA director and his close advisors) is performing the action as the sentence subject.

The agent is not specified in this sentence.

This sentence now uses the active voice because the agent (we) is the subject of the sentence.

This active voice sentence's agent is the presiding officer, which is the subject.

Changing the sentence subject from the agent (the presiding officer) to the object of the verb (the committee's recommendation) and adding a by the...phrase transforms the sentence into the passive voice.

This sentence includes the agent (the leaders) as the subject performing the action of the verb.

This sentence now uses the passive voice because the subject has been changed from the agent (the leaders) to the object of the verb (a fair resolution).

The scientists are the agent performing the verb's action in this active voice sentence.

This passive voice sentence no longer specifies the agent (scientists) and now uses the passive voice because the verb's object (traces of ice) is now the subject.

Active vs. Passive Voice: What's The Difference?

What to Know When a sentence is in the active voice , the subject of the sentence is the one doing the action expressed by the verb. In the passive voice , the subject is the person or thing acted on or affected by the verb's action. The passive voice is typically formed with a form of the verb be —such as is , was , or has been —and the past participle of the verb, as in "The ball was thrown by Jerry." Although sometimes criticized for being evasive, the passive voice can be useful when someone wants to emphasize an action that has taken place or when the agent of an action is unknown, as is often the case in news coverage.

Mistakes were made.

In English class, we are taught the difference between active and passive voice.

The active voice asserts that the person or thing represented by the grammatical subject performs the action represented by the verb.

The passive voice makes the subject the person or thing acted on or affected by the action represented by the verb.

Active voice: Jerry knocked over the lamp. Passive voice: The lamp was knocked over by Jerry.

Both sentences describe the same action taking place—Jerry making contact with a lamp and causing it to fall over—with the first sentence making Jerry the subject and the second making the lamp the subject.

The passive voice is often distinguished by its use of a linking verb form (e.g., was , had been ) followed by another verb in its past participle form (e.g., "I have been given an opportunity").

Usefulness of Passive Voice

Passive voice often gets criticized as a weak and evasive form of expression. But it is useful for those instances when you want to emphasize the fact of an action having taken place rather than who performed the action. It is also helpful for instances when the doer of an action (also known as the agent) is unknown.

Active voice: The kids have cleaned the kitchen. Passive voice: The kitchen has been cleaned. Active voice: We found an old car in the woods. Passive voice: An old car was found in the woods.

(There is also the mediopassive voice, which is a whole other animal that we discuss in this article .)

In the News

The differences between active and passive voice come up as a subject for discussion in criticism of news coverage. When news media reports on incidents of crime, for example, they will often use headlines that feature the passive voice: “Man (Is) Attacked on Elm Street” instead of “Person Attacks Man on Elm Street.”

The passive voice allows for a shorter headline, but more pertinently, it puts up front information that is known. In many cases, especially in stories involving crime, the fact of the crime being committed, and whom it was committed against, is known before who committed it becomes clear.

The reason for the passive is therefore practical: one might not know who carried out the attack, only that someone did, and that the attacker might still be at large. Even once an attacker has been identified, news writers might avoid the active voice for fear of stating what that person is accused of as fact. (Hence, “Arrest Made in Elm Street Attack.”)

The passive voice gets called out on occasion as a tool for expressing the avoidance of responsibility, like when one says “Mistakes were made” rather than “We made some mistakes.” Sometimes, as in our Elm Street example, it is criticized for placing what appears to be a burden of responsibility on the person who receives the action (i.e., the victim) rather than the person who performs it.

Passive voice is for when the state does violence. Active voice is for when a protester does? Got it. https://t.co/2ror8Sen1K — Rebecca Traister (@rtraister) May 31, 2020

Confusing Active and Passive Voice

There are other instances that technically count as active voice but nonetheless use language that dissociates the performer from the action being performed.

“The lamp fell over” is active voice, but it feels like a passive statement because there is no obvious causative agent like Jerry in “Jerry knocked over the lamp.”

This occurs in news writing as well. A sentence like “a rock shattered the store’s window” is phrased in active voice—the subject is rock , the verb is shatter , and the object is window —though it might be derided as elusive because it avoids the question of who was the agent who propelled the rock that broke the glass.

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• English Grammar

Active and passive voice

Level: beginner

Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:

Passive forms are made up of the verb be  with a past participle :

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by :

She was attacked by a dangerous dog. The money was stolen by her husband.

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Level: intermediate

The passive infinitive is made up of to be with a past participle :

The doors are going to be locked at ten o'clock. You shouldn't have done that. You ought to be punished .

We sometimes use the verb get with a past participle to form the passive:

Be careful with that glass. It might get broken . Peter got hurt in a crash.

We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:

We can use phrasal verbs in the passive: 

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Level: advanced

Some verbs which are very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to -infinitive :

John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting. You are supposed to wear a uniform. The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.

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Quite interesting!!

• Log in or register to post comments

Could you please tell me if the following sentence is incorrect?

Air conditioning was suggested by someone.

Hi TeacherNina,

The sentence is correct! It's possible that "by someone" is redundant in the sentence, but it's not incorrect.

LearnEnglish team

Hello, can you solve this question for me? [ Why do I refuse to be interviewed? (Change the voice.) ]

Hello Dhyey,

I suppose you could change the passive infinitive ('to be interviewed') to an active one ('Why do I refuse to interview?'), though that's a little unnatural. More often people would say 'go to an interview', 'do an interview', 'have an interview', 'accept an interview' or something like that.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello dear teachers, is the following sentence correct? "the problem of 21th century is water being heavily polluted." I feel we need one more "is" after water !

Best Regards,

Hello Mohsen.k77,

Yes, you are right. I'd also suggest saying 'the 21st century': 'the problem of the 21st century is (that) water is being heavily polluted'

The word 'that' is optional, but I think it's clearer if you include it.

thanks a million

hi I have a question. should we consider a V3 as a main verb and to be as an auxiliary in passive voice since subject doesn't perform any action, it's just existing in some tense. I built a house - the house was built by me. I was performing an action, was building the house in the past. on the other hand, the house was just existing in some shape or form. in the past it was built and it was green, today the house is blue, tomorrow it will be colored in another shade, and in 5 years it will be constructed and like new. I understand the V3 colored gives the idea of an action to color while blue gives only the description of the house. but the same way V3 stuffed box gives the idea that action happened and someone stuffed that toy and it used as an adjective. can we say that passive voice is just verb to be in some tense and V3 just an object that describes the subject?

Hello aigerimwonderer,

I agree with the idea that the V3 form is the 'main verb' since it carries the meaning in a sense. It of course depends on what exactly you mean by 'main verb', but in general that makes more sense to me than calling the verb 'be' or 'get' the 'main verb'.

I don't agree with calling V3 an object that describes the subject, but I can see how you might want to say that. In the end, this is quite an abstract idea, whereas what we focus on here is helping people learn to use English.

I hope this helps.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hi, Can you tell me what is the difference between "have already been" and "have been already"? I'm confused. Thank you in advance

Hello chivi168,

There's no difference in meaning, but 'already' normally goes in 'mid-position'. When the verb has more than one word (such as 'have been'), this means that goes after the auxiliary verb (in this case 'have'). 

It's not exactly wrong to say 'have been already', but it sounds a bit awkward. If you had a particular sentence in mind, please let us know what the full sentence is.

People think it has been a complex problem.

How to make it in active voice and what is the rule of it

Hello Sonu,

'think' is already a verb in the active voice (with the subject 'people'). The verb 'be' (in 'it has been') is a link verb and so is in a way already active too; it's certainly has no passive form.

So I'm afraid I don't know how to help you. I'd suggest asking your teacher.

Hi! I´m struggling to make this sentences into ACTIVE VOICE. 1) The problem isn’t detected by the doctor. 2) The verification of the test isn’t done by the specialist. if someone can help me, i would be very pleased!

Hello user--25,

This site focuses on explanations of the language and advice. I'm afraid we don't provide answers to questions from elsewhere like this. If we did then we would end up doing our users' tests and homework for them!

The LearnEnglish Team

1) The doctor doesn't detect the problem. 2) The specialist doesn't verify the test.

1) The doctor detects not the problem. 2) The specialist does not the verification of the test.

What will be the passive voice for statements like: "Time and tide wait for none."

Hello Nash_Mish,

You could make a sentence like this: None are waited for by time and tide .

However, it's a horrible sentence. Some sentences simply don't work well in terms of style in passive voice.

The LearnEnglish

Hello teacher,

What’s the active of the following sentence? Example: They are getting married later this year.

Thanks, Khoshal

Hello Khoshal,

I'd say this sentence is already in the active voice. We often use 'get' + an adjective to refer to a change of state, e.g. 'I'm getting sick' means I'm going from healthy to sick. In the same 'I'm getting married' means I'm going from being single to being married. In this case, 'married' is an adjective, not a past participle.

It is grammatically possible to say 'They will be married later this year' (which is a passive), but in most situations that would sound strange.

It's true that we often use 'get' instead of 'be' to make passives in informal speaking, but that's not the case with 'get married'.

Thank you for the explanation!

I have a question about the correct placement of the other sentence parts in passive sentences. Starting from 'Henry had received payments from a weapons manufacturer.' Two possibilities suggest themselves for the passive:

Payments from a weapons manufacturer had been received by Henry.

Payments had been received from a weapons manufacturer by Henry.

Both seem correct, although the first sentence breaks the usual rule of retaining adverbials in the end part of the sentence. To me, the first sounds more natural, as the expression 'from a weapons manufacturer' defines 'payments' like a relative clause (e.g. payments which had originated from a weapons manufacturer'). The second, however, does seem to conform with the structure of passive sentences generally and thus should be the preferred conversion, even though it sounds quite awkward to my ears.

Hello Seb1989,

I agree that the first sentence is much easier to understand. I'm not completely sure, but I'd probably call 'from a weapons manufacturer' a prepositional phrase that modifies 'Payments' (the head of the noun phrase) and therefore sits under it. In other words, I don't think it's an adverbial here. Even if it were, in almost any situation, clearer sentences beat sentences that are ostensibly more grammatical, at least in my book.

If I were writing a text that needed to include one or the other of these sentences, I'd choose the first one unless there were some good reason not to. For example, if what's important is that he received payments (and not that they came from a weapons manufacturer), then the second one might be better. Though really in that case, I'd probably just leave out 'from a weapons manufacturer'.

When exercises that involve transforming actives into passives are created, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that passives are used for very specific reasons. One of the main reasons is for leaving out information. If that's the case, then key elements of the active sentence wouldn't make it into the passive version in real usage.

Hope this helps.

What is the passive voice for "permission is granted" or " mission accomplished".

Hi Nish_Mish,

The first one is already in the passive voice (subject + be + past participle). The second one does not have "be" in it, so it's just a noun phrase (noun + past participle). It can be changed into the passive voice: The mission is accomplished .

The active voice would be something like: I grant you permission and I accomplished the mission .

I hope that helps.

Change the active sentence into passive. “ They play footbal everyday * how about this?

Hi whoferra,

In your sentence, "They" is the subject and "football" is the object. To make the passive, first reverse them. Change "they" into the object form "them", and add "by". Then, change the verb into the passive form: "be" + past participle. -->  Football is played by them every day .

This passive sentence is grammatically correct, but it sounds quite unnatural! I think the active sentence would be much more commonly used.

Hello, I am a bit confused about the passive voice in these two sentences: 1. Lunch was being served. 2. Lunch was served. Since they refer to the past, please could you explain the difference between them? When is it better to use the first than the second? Thanks

The first one is the past continuous. It indicates that the action was already in progress at a particular moment. For example, let's say I arrive at a restaurant at 12:30 pm, but the restaurant had already started serving lunch at 12 pm. I can say "Lunch was being served when I arrived" (i.e. it was already in progress at the moment I arrived).

The second one is the past simple. It indicates the whole action of serving lunch. For example, "Lunch was served, and then the restaurant staff took a break".

Hi Jonathan Thank you so much for the explanation.

Hello everybody! I need help with these two sentences. I found them in a newspaper article: "...the young boy who is said to have loved riding his bike and nature" "She went out to have her nails manicured." Are any of them a Passive Voice? Thank you so much for your answer!

Hello Mhynor,

The first sentence contains a passive construction: ' ...is said to... '

There are a lot of similar phrases to this which are grammatically passive and are used to talk about reputation or expectation: is said to..., is thought to..., is believed to..., is hoped to... etc.

The second sentence does not contain a passive construction but it does have a causative have construction ('...have her nails manicured'), which has some similarities to passive forms, and is even sometimes describes as a pseudo-passive construction.

You can find more information on causatives here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/course/upper-intermediate/unit-15/session-1

The LearnEnglish Team 

I'd like to clarify this sentence: "I do not remember Jack giving me the ticket." As far as I understand, its passive form should be " I do not remember being given the ticket by Jack." My question is - why do we leave 'I do not remember' as it is?

Hello anastasiia945,

It is possible to create a passive construction such as 'It is not remembered by method...' but it sounds horrible stylistically and is not something we would ever say.

How do I change the voice of sentence given below Why do I refuse to be interviewed?

Hello Butteryliscious,

The sentence already has a passive form - the passive infinitive (to be interviewed). You could manipulate the sentence into 'Why is being interviewed refused by me?' but it seems a pointless thing to do as it is a clumsy construction that I can't imagine ever using.

Hi there, I am struggling with a sentence I think you can help me with. is the sentence - With its glass mosaic edifice, it has been nicknamed” the diamond of the desert.” passive or active, and why so?

Hi milisisak,

"It has been nicknamed" is a passive structure, in the present perfect. The structure is: subject + "has/have" + "been" + past participle. The sense is that the subject "it" (presumably a building?) is not doing the "nicknaming" action, but instead is receiving the action (i.e., other people nicknamed this building "the diamond of the desert"). 

I hope that helps to make sense of it.

Thank you so much!!

Please let me know the passive form of: Ask him to write a letter. (Let him be asked to write a letter./ Let he be asked to write a letter./ Let a letter be asked to write by him.) Give him another chance. (Let another chance be given to him./ Let him be given another chance.) Call him. (Let him be called./ Let he be called.)

Hello jakirislam,

I'm afraid we don't provide answers to questions from elsewhere like this. If we did then we'd end up just doing people's homework or tests for them, which is not our job!

We're happy to explain rules and provide examples, of course, but not just to provide answers.

can i have help in the a passive forme to an active forme the example -societies are being affected in a bad way by diffrent forms of corruption . an i answer in my exam like this: -diffrent forms of corruption are affected societies in a bad way -so my question is: if my answer is true and thnks

Hello Kenzaa,

You had the right idea, but there is a small mistake. I think the best answer there is 'Different forms of corruption are affecting societies in a bad way'. Notice that the verb is in the present continuous, like in the passive sentence.

Voice Change: It has been had by me.

hello. i understand that the passive form of "has the doctor given you your letter of discharge ?" become "have your letter of discharge been given to you ? but i have red these following sentence in a book and i'm lost now: "Have you been given your letter of discharge ?" is it possible to use passive voice like that ? thx

Hello Andres,

Yes, using the passive voice with double object verbs (like 'give') can be a little tricky.

The first thing I'd suggest is clearly distinguishing the direct object and the indirect object. In 'Has the doctor given you your letter of discharge?':

• the subject is 'the doctor'
• the indirect object is 'you'
• the direct object is 'your letter of discharge'.

When a verb has only a direct object, the direct object becomes the subject of the passive verb. For example, 'The doctor treated the patient' becomes 'The patient was treated [by the doctor]'. (The brackets around 'by the doctor' show that this part of the sentence is optional; it can be omitted.)

You can do the same thing when the verb has a direct and indirect object: 'Has your letter of discharge been given to you [by the doctor]?' (Notice it's 'has' and not 'have' because 'your letter of discharge' is singular.)

What you saw in the book, however, is also correct when the indirect object is a person; the indirect object can become the subject of the passive verb: 'Have you been given your letter of discharge [by the doctor]?'

It can seem a bit strange, but it's perfectly natural in English. In fact, I'd say it's more common than the previous passive (where the direct object becomes the subject of the passive verb) with double object verbs.

Does that help make sense of this? Please let us know if you have other questions.

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, I am having trouble understanding how to rewrite active questions into passive. Can you please rewrite this questions and explain me how to do it? 1.Did your teacher make you do your science homework again? 2.Who built the rocket? 3.Have you repaired your telescope? 4.Who showed you round the space exhibition? 5.When are they testing the new space shuttle? 6.Who will give the talk at the Astronomy club? Thank you in advance!

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Home » Active and Passive Voice: Differences, Rules and Usages with Examples

Active and Passive Voice: Differences, Rules and Usages with Examples

Understanding the distinction between active voice and passive voice is pivotal for effective communication. These concepts serve as the building blocks of clear and impactful writing. In the realm of grammar , active voice, and passive voice are key players that influence how we structure our sentences.

Active voice places the emphasis on the subject performing the action. It creates direct, concise, and vigorous sentences. For instance , “ The chef prepared a delicious meal ” places the chef as the doer of the action. On the other hand, passive voice shifts the focus to the object of the action. It can be useful when the subject or the doer of the action is less important or unknown. For example, “A delicious meal was prepared by the chef” emphasizes the meal rather than the chef.

To use these effectively, it’s crucial to be aware of active voice and passive voice rules . In active voice, the subject acts on the object, and sentences are typically shorter and more direct. In passive voice , the object is acted upon by the subject , and sentences can become longer and less direct. Proper usage of these voices can significantly influence the tone, clarity, and impact of your writing. Whether you’re a student striving for clearer essays, a professional author looking to engage your readers, or anyone aiming to improve their writing skills, mastering active and passive voice is essential. So, let’s begin with this journey to understand the nuances of these concepts, empowering you to wield them effectively in your writing for greater clarity and impact.

Active and Passive Voice

What is Voice?

In English grammar, “voice” refers to the form or format of a verb in a sentence that indicates whether the subject of the sentence is performing the action (active voice) or receiving the action (passive voice). It is an essential concept in understanding sentence structure and the relationships between the subject, verb, and object.

Two Voices in the English Language

There are two voices in the English language:

• Active Voice

Passive Voice

What is the active voice.

Active voice is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. In simpler terms, when a sentence is in active voice, the person, animal, or thing that is doing the action is the subject of the sentence. Active voice sentences are straightforward and clear, making them effective in communication. For example, in the sentence “The dog (subject) chases (verb) the ball (object),” the dog is the one doing the action of chasing, and the sentence is in active voice.

What is the Passive Voice?

Passive voice is a grammatical construction in which the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence. In passive voice, the focus is on the action done to the subject, rather than on the subject performing the action. It often uses the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “was,” “were,” etc.) along with the past participle form of the main verb. Passive voice is useful when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or when the speaker wants to emphasize the action rather than the doer. For example, in the sentence “The book (subject) was read (verb) by the student (agent),” the book is the one being read, and the sentence is in passive voice.

Using the Active Voice and the Passive Voice

Active voice:.

• Use when you want to be clear and direct.
• The doer (who does the action) is the star.
• Makes your writing engaging and lively.

Passive Voice:

• Use when you want to focus on the action or the receiver.
• When you don’t know or care who did it.
• In formal writing and when you want to avoid talking about the doer.

Active Voice Structure

Subject + Verb + Object

In active voice:

• The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action.
• The verb indicates the action being performed.
• The object is the recipient of the action.

For example:

“She ( subject ) eats ( verb ) an apple ( object ).”

In this sentence, “ She ” is the subject, “ eats ” is the verb, and “ apple ” is the object. This structure clearly shows who is performing the action and what the action is.

Passive Voice Structure

Object of the Action + Form of “to be” ( such as “is,” “was,” etc. ) + Past Participle (usually ending in -ed or -en) + Agent (optional, introduced by “by”)

In passive voice:

• The object of the action is promoted to the subject of the sentence.
• A form of “to be” is used to indicate the tense (e.g., “is,” “was”).
• The past participle form of the main verb is employed.
• The agent (the one performing the action) is optional and may be introduced with “by.”

For example: “The report ( object ) was written (form of “to be” + past participle) by Sarah (optional agent).”

In this sentence, “ report ” is the object of the action, “ was written” is the passive verb construction, and “ Sarah “ is the optional agent. The passive voice structure emphasizes the action ( writing the report ) or the report itself, rather than focusing on who wrote it.

Difference Between the Active Voice and the Passive Voice

Subject and object:.

• Active Voice: In an active voice sentence, the subject of the sentence performs the action. Example: “The cat ( subject ) chased ( verb ) the mouse ( object ).”
• Passive Voice: In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action, and the performer of the action (agent) may or may not be mentioned. Example: “The mouse ( subject ) was chased ( passive verb ) by the cat ( agent, optional ).”

Sentence Structure:

• Active Voice: The structure of an active voice sentence is typically subject + verb + object.
• Passive Voice: The structure of a passive voice sentence is usually object + auxiliary verb ( a form of “to be” ) + past participle + agent (optional).
• Active Voice: Active voice sentences emphasize the doer of the action and are often more direct and clear.
• Passive Voice: Passive voice sentences shift the focus to the action or the recipient of the action, making them useful for highlighting different aspects of a sentence.
• Active Voice: Active voice is generally clearer and more concise, making it the preferred choice for straightforward communication.
• Passive Voice: Passive voice can sometimes make sentences less clear, especially when the agent is omitted, so it is used when emphasizing the action is more important than clarity.

Agent (Optional):

• Active Voice: The doer of the action is clearly stated in active voice sentences.
• Passive Voice: In passive voice, the agent (the doer of the action) is optional and may be included or omitted depending on the writer’s choice or the context.
• Both active and passive voices can be used in various tenses (past, present, future). The choice of tense is determined by the auxiliary verbs used.

In summary, active voice emphasizes the doer of the action and is typically clearer and more direct, while passive voice shifts the focus to the action or recipient of the action and is used for various purposes, including highlighting different aspects of a sentence or maintaining objectivity. The choice between the two depends on the context and the writer’s intentions.

Pronoun Chart

How to change Passive Voice to Active voice?

Changing a sentence from passive voice to active voice involves shifting the focus from the receiver of the action to the doer of the action. Here are the steps to make this transformation:

Identify the Subject and Object: In a passive voice sentence, the object of the action usually comes before the verb, and the doer (subject) is often mentioned after the verb or omitted. In an active voice sentence, the subject is the doer of the action, and it usually comes before the verb.

Rewrite the Sentence: Move the subject (doer) to the beginning of the sentence. Place the object (receiver of the action) after the verb. Modify the verb as needed to match the new sentence structure.

Adjust Verb Tenses and Conjugation: Ensure that the verb tense and conjugation are appropriate for the new sentence structure. The verb should agree with the subject in number and tense.

Remove the Agent (Optional): In some passive voice sentences, there is an agent (the doer of the action) mentioned using “by.” In active voice, you can choose to include or omit the agent, depending on whether it’s necessary for the context.

Here’s an example to illustrate the transformation from passive to active voice:

Passive Voice: The book was read by Sarah.

Active Voice: Sarah read the book.

In the passive voice sentence, “The book” is the object that receives the action, and “ Sarah ” is the doer of the action. In the active voice sentence, we’ve moved “Sarah ” to the beginning, making her the subject and the doer of the action, and “ the book” follows as the object.

Remember that changing from passive to active voice is not always necessary, but it can make your writing more direct and engaging, especially when the focus should be on the doer of the action. Use your judgment to determine which voice is more appropriate for the context and emphasis you want to convey.

Rules of Active voice and passive voice

Active and Passive Voice Quiz

• She sings a song.
• They play soccer.
• He wrote a story.
• The chef cooks a meal.
• I painted a picture.
• The dog chases the cat.
• We visit the museum.
• They clean the house.
• The teacher explains the lesson.
• The company makes cars.
• The kids ate cookies.
• I fixed a window.
• The gardener waters plants.
• The team won a game.
• The sun shines.
• He opened the door.
• I baked a cake.
• They cut down a tree.
• The artist painted a picture.
• The mechanic fixed the car.
• The children cleaned their rooms.
• She will write a letter.
• The scientists found a species.
• The company produces products.
• We enjoy the beach.
• The baby smiles.
• The chef is cooking.
• I found my keys.
• They organize an event.
• A song is sung by her.
• Soccer is played by them.
• A story was written by him.
• A meal is cooked by the chef.
• A picture was painted by me.
• The cat is chased by the dog.
• The museum will be visited by us.
• The house is cleaned every Saturday.
• The lesson is explained by the teacher.
• Cars are made by the company.
• Cookies were eaten by the kids.
• A window was fixed by me.
• Plants are watered by the gardener.
• The game was won by the team.
• The sun is shining .
• The door was opened by him.
• A cake was baked by me.
• A tree was cut down by them.
• A picture was painted by the artist.
• The car was fixed by the mechanic.
• Their rooms were cleaned by the children.
• A letter will be written by her.
• A species was found by the scientists.
• Products are produced by the company.
• The beach is enjoyed by us.
• Everyone is smiled at by the baby.
• Dinner is being cooked by the chef.
• Keys were found by me.
• An event is organized by them.

Exercise of Active and Passive Voice 

Active: The cat chased the mouse. Passive : The mouse was chased by the cat.

Active: The police arrested the suspect. Passive : The suspect was arrested by the police.

Active: He will finish the report tomorrow. Passive : The report will be finished by him tomorrow.

Active: They clean the house every week. Passive : The house is cleaned by them every week.

Active: She gave me a beautiful gift. Passive : A beautiful gift was given to me by her.

Active: The storm damaged the roof. Passive : The roof was damaged by the storm.

Active: We can solve this problem. Passive : This problem can be solved by us.

Active: The teacher has assigned the homework. Passive : The homework has been assigned by the teacher.

Active: They are building a new bridge. Passive : A new bridge is being built by them.

Active: He did not believe her story. Passive : Her story was not believed by him.

Active: The mechanic will repair the car. Passive : The car will be repaired by the mechanic.

Active: She cooked dinner for her family. Passive : Dinner was cooked by her for her family.

Active: The gardener is planting flowers. Passive : Flowers are being planted by the gardener.

Active: The jury convicted the defendant. Passive : The defendant was convicted by the jury.

Active: He wrote the book last year. Passive : The book was written by him last year.

Active: The company designed a new website. Passive : A new website was designed by the company.

Active: They will announce the winner soon. Passive : The winner will be announced soon by them.

Active: She found the lost keys. Passive : The lost keys were found by her.

Active: The doctor prescribed a medicine. Passive : A medicine was prescribed by the doctor.

Active: The chef will cook a special meal. Passive : A special meal will be cooked by the chef.

Active: They are repairing the road. Passive : The road is being repaired by them.

Active: She is teaching a new language. Passive : A new language is being taught by her.

Active: The audience applauded the performance. Passive : The performance was applauded by the audience.

Active: He is feeding the hungry children. Passive: The hungry children are being fed by him.

Active: They have painted the walls blue. Passive : The walls have been painted blue by them.

Active: The company sold a million units last year. Passive : A million units were sold by the company last year.

Active: The chef is cooking a delicious meal. Passive : A delicious meal is being cooked by the chef.

Active: They reported the news to the police. Passive : The news was reported to the police by them.

Active: She opened the door for him. Passive : The door was opened for him by her.

Active: He will tell the secret to everyone. Passive : The secret will be told to everyone by him.

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center for writing | student writing support | style | active vs. passive voice

Active vs. passive voice

Beginning or inattentive writers tend to overuse passive voice, which can weaken their prose, lead to the omission of important information, and make them appear unsure of their ideas. When instructors draw attention to the problem, some students overcompensate, eliminating all passive voice from their writing.

Although many academic writers often favor active voice because it is direct and concise, both voices are useful and necessary. That is why the grammar check on word processing programs highlights all passive constructions—it gives writers a chance to consider whether each choice is appropriate according to the purpose of the sentence.

Understand how both active and passive sentences are structured.

            Active Voice: The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action .

The researchers compared the behavior of two groups of children. The clerk was helping the customer. Students need good study skills to succeed in college. You should tell him.

Passive Voice: The subject of the sentence is now being acted upon . The actor moves to the end of the sentence with by or drops off altogether if it is unimportant or unknown. The verb must include a form of be , followed by a past participle (normally an -ed ending).  

The behavior of two groups of children was compared (by the researchers). The customer was being helped (by the clerk). Good study skills are needed to succeed in college. He should be told .

Only verbs that are followed by an object can be used in the passive. It is not possible to use verbs such as come , exist , happen , seem , and sleep (intransitive verbs) in the passive.

incorrect Something was happened. correct Something happened.

Know when active voice is appropriate or preferred.

All of the examples below are choices based on style and rhetorical context, not strict grammar rules.

To focus readers’ attention on the actor, not what is being acted upon. Active: Captain Ahab pursues the whale relentlessly.       Passive:  The whale is pursued relentlessly. ( Or , The whale is pursued relentlessly by Captain Ahab.)             In the above example, the active voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers’ attention on Captain Ahab. The passive voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers’ attention on the whale, or on the fact that it is pursued relentlessly. When it is important that readers know exactly who did (or said) what to whom. Active: When U.S. troops invaded Iraq, they inadvertently killed many civilians. Passive: When Iraq was invaded, many civilians were killed inadvertently. In the above example, the active voice would be appropriate if the writer wanted to name or emphasize the actors ( U.S troops ), not only their actions. The passive voice would be appropriate if the writer did not think it was important for readers to know who did the actions in the sentence.

Know when passive voice is appropriate or preferred.

To focus attention on the process or materials, rather than on the actor, as in scientific or technical writing. Next, salicylic acid was added to the test tube.

To focus attention on the object, rather than the actor. Paper, the main writing material today, was invented by the Chinese. This is appropriate when the focus is on the history of paper, not on Chinese innovations. Choosing passive voice allows the writer to use “paper” as the subject of the sentence. The new highway will be completed sometime next month. This is appropriate when the focus is on the highway project, not on the workers completing it.

To connect ideas in different clauses or sentences more clearly. When interviewing for a job, avoid making grammatical errors. They are often used by employers to weed out job applicants. In the beginning of the second sentence, using passive voice (“ used by employers ”) allows the writer to refer to grammatical errors (“ They ”) right away in order to clearly connect to the end of the previous sentence.

For more grammar information: Azar, B.S. (1989). Understanding and using English grammar . (2nd ed .). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

For more usage information: Anson, C.M., Schwegler, R.A., & Muth, M.F. (2000). The Longman writer’s companion . New York: Longman.

Miles, R., Bertonasco, M., & Karns, W. (1991). Prose style: A contemporary guide . (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Williams, Joseph M. (2000). Style: Ten lessons in clarity and grace . (6th ed.). New York: Longman.

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Passive Voice in English Grammar

When to use the passive in english grammar, how to form the passive in english grammar, how to change a sentence from active to passive, the passive in sentences with two objects, personal & impersonal passive, have/get something done.

• Lingolia Plus English

What is the passive voice?

The passive voice in English grammar allows us to make the recipient of the action the focus of the sentence; the person or thing performing the action is unknown, unimportant or obvious. The passive is formed as follows: form of be + past participle .

Learn the difference between the active and passive voice with Lingolia, then put your knowledge to the test in the exercises.

My bike was stolen last night.

The cellar in our building was broken into and several bikes were taken .

I called the police earlier, but they had already been informed by my neighbour.

An investigation is being conducted , but the thief has not been arrested yet.

Any information should be reported to the police.

Active sentences usually follow the subject-verb-object word order and focus on the person or thing performing the action.

In contrast, the passive voice focuses on the action itself. Passive sentences tell us what happens to the recipient of the action.

We use the passive when the person or thing performing the action (known as the agent ) is unknown, unimportant or obvious.

If we want to include the agent of a passive sentence, we use the preposition by .

Passive sentences are formed as follows: form of be + past participle of the main verb .

Only the form of the verb be changes depending on the tense that we are using; the past participle remains the same in every tense.

The table below provides an overview of the passive voice in all of the English tenses .

The present perfect progressive and the past perfect progressive do not exist in the passive. Instead, we use the simple forms ( present perfect simple and past perfect simple ).

When transforming a sentence from active to passive, we can take a step-by-step approach.

• Step 1: identify the object of the sentence and bring it to the front
• Step 2: identify the tense and conjugate the verb be accordingly
• Step 3: find the past participle of the main verb
• Step 4: decide if you need to include the agent
• Step 5: if the agent is important, we introduce it using the preposition by .

Because the direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, we can only use transitive verbs in the passive voice (e.g., steal a car, write a book, make a mistake … ). Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object (e.g., arrive, die, go … ) so cannot be used in the passive.

Learn more about the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs.

Table of English Tenses in Active and Passive

Check out the table below to learn how to change active sentences into the passive voice in every tense.

Certain verbs like ask, give, offer, pay, send, show etc. are used with two objects. Usually, one is a person (indirect object) and the other is a thing (direct object).

In the active voice, these sentences can be expressed in two different ways:

This is the same in the passive voice; either object can become the subject of the passive sentence.

Changing object pronouns to subject pronouns

When the indirect object of an active sentence is an object pronoun (me, you, him, her …), we must change it to a subject pronoun in the passive voice.

In formal situations such as news reports or academic articles, we use reporting verbs and verbs of speech and thought in the passive voice to express information in a neutral, unbiased way.

Common verbs: agree, announce, assume, believe, claim, consider, declare, expect, feel, find, know, mention, say, suppose, think, and understand .

Such sentences can start with it (impersonal passive) or with the subject (personal passive) .

Impersonal Passive

Sentences in the impersonal passive begin with it: it is said/believed/agreed etc. + that + clause.

Note: in the impersonal form, only the reporting verb is formed in the passive voice; the rest of the sentence stays the same.

Personal Passive

Sentences in the personal passive begin with the subject and contain an infinitive clause: subject + is said/believed/thought etc. + to + infinitive.

We use the perfect infinitive (have + past participle ) after the reporting verb to refer to the past.

We can also form the passive with have/get + object + past participle . (Note: g et is more informal than have).

We use this form when someone else does something for us, particularly in the context of paid services.

Like with a standard passive, the agent of the action is unknown or unimportant; the focus is on the action itself.

If we want to include the agent, we use by .

We can use this structure in every tense:

This passive structure is a type of causative.

You can learn more on our page all about causative structures with have and get .

Passive with have

In addition to services, the passive with have has an extra meaning.

We use have + object + past participle to express an experience that was negative, painful or unpleasant.

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Active-Passive Voice Converter

Boost your SEO and communicate more clearly by switching between active and passive voices seamlessly. Enhances readability and improve quality in a matter of seconds.

Instructions

1. Enter the existing text in the designated area.

2. Choose the desired output: active or passive voice.

3. [Optional] Select output length from the drop-down menu.

4. Click "Change Voice"

5. Paste the generated copy into a document or rewrite your copy using our paraphrasing tool.

💡Pro Tip: Break down complex sentences into simpler ones before converting voice.

What is Active and Passive Voice?

Active and passive voice are two different ways of constructing a sentence. The active voice focuses on the subject of the sentence, who is taking direct action. It provides clear, straightforward sentences where the agent of action is easily identifiable, making it a favored choice in most writing styles.

The passive voice shifts the focal point to the recipient of the action. The subject becomes secondary to the action itself, thus presenting a more impartial narrative. It is extensively used in scientific and formal writing where the primary focus is the action, not the doer.

How to Identify Active and Passive Voice?

Active Voice: In active voice, the subject performs the action. It's direct and concise.

Example: "The chef (subject) prepared (action) a delicious meal."

Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject receives the action. It's indirect and often used when the doer of the action is less important.

Example: "A delicious meal (subject) was prepared (action) by the chef."

Advanced Tip: To identify passive voice, look for forms of "to be" (e.g., was, were) followed by the past participle (e.g., prepared). In active voice, the subject acts on the object, making it easier to spot.

How to Convert Sentences From Active Voice to Passive Voice

Step 1: Identification of Subject, Object, and Verb

A sentence usually comprises the doer (subject), the action (verb), and the receiver (object). In "John reads a book," 'John' is the subject, 'reads' is the verb, and 'a book' is the object. Recognizing these essential components of a sentence is the first step to getting your transformations right.

Step 2: Reposition the Subject-Object Placement

You need to reverse the subject's and object's roles to convert an active voice sentence to passive voice. That means the object becomes the sentence's new subject, and the subject becomes a part of the sentence after the verb.

Taking the same example, the sentence changes to "The book is read by John."

Step 3: Alter Verb Form

The verb in a passive voice sentence typically involves a form of 'be' (is, am, are, was, were) followed by a past participle. So, 'reads' in active voice changes to 'is read' in passive voice.

Step 4: Include Preposition

When the original subject is included in the passive sentence, it is usually introduced by a preposition like 'by'. For example, 'by John' in our previous illustration. However, if the focus of your sentence is the action rather than the doer, you can omit this prepositional phrase.

To recap, the original sentence "John reads a book." is coverted to "The book is read by John" in passive voice.

When to Use A Sentence Voice Changer?

Use passive to active voice sentence converter when:.

1. You want to emphasize the action itself rather than the doer.

2. The doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.

3. Keeping the focus consistent throughout a series of sentences.

4. Avoid putting responsibility on a specific person or group.

5. To sound objective, scientific, technical, or logical.

Passive to Active Voice Example

Passive Voice: "The cake was baked by John."

Active Voice: "John baked the cake."

In the passive voice sentence, the subject (the cake) is acted upon by the verb. The primary attention is on the action done to the subject. In the active voice sentence, the subject (John) is performing the action of the verb. The primary attention shifts to who is doing the action.

Use Active to Passive Voice Sentence Converter When:

1. You want to emphasize the doer of the action.

2. Writing clear and concise instructions.

3. Avoiding ambiguity.

4. Writing non-scientific content.

Active to Passive Voice Example

Active Voice: "John ate the apple."

Passive Voice: "The apple was eaten by John."

In the active voice sentence, the subject (John) is the one doing the action (eating). In the passive voice sentence, the subject (The apple) is the one being acted upon, and the actor (John) is mentioned at the end of the sentence.

Who Benefits From Converting Sentence Voice?

Converting sentences between active and passive voice benefits a wide array of individuals.

1. Writers, editors, linguists, and students studying language or literature can enhance their craft and comprehension.

2. Professionals in marketing or PR sectors can critically analyze text, heightening their ability to produce persuasive content.

3. SEO specialists can optimize content, making it more engaging and search-engine friendly.

How to Make the Most of Active Passive Sentence Voice Changer?

Start by understanding the power of structure in your sentence. Don't merely convert your text; use this tool as an opportunity to refine your content, enriching your writing with diversity in sentence formation.

Apply variety by alternating between active and passive voices, enhancing your writing style and engaging your readers more effectively. Modify the sentence length according to your document needs, whether brief sentences for a swift read or lengthy, descriptive ones for detailed insights.

Convert Sentence Voice & More With Content AI!

You already know how to use our free sentence voice converter tool. But with Content AI, you can do so much more.

Our powerful tool is designed to help you generate and optimize quality copy that ranks high on SERP. Perform keyword research, gain competitor insights, and the projected scoring to streamline your content production process.

Convert Sentence Voice Easily With Content AI

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Sentence Voice Changer FAQs

Is an ai sentence voice converter reliable.

Our AI sentence voice converter is highly reliable, guaranteeing consistent and accurate results for your writing needs. The tool is trained on massive datasets of text and code, which allows them to accurately identify and convert sentences between active and passive voice.

Is the copy generated plagiarism-free?

The content produced by our sentence voice converter tool is entirely plagiarism-free, ensuring your originality and peace of mind. It uses a variety of techniques to ensure that the output is unique.

Should you use active voice or passive voice in SEO & content marketing?

You should predominantly use active voice in SEO and content marketing as it makes your writing clearer, more direct, and easier to understand. However, passive voice can be used sparingly for variation or when the focus is on the action rather than the actor.

Learn more about SEO & Content Marketing

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Module 4: Sentence Structure

Active and passive voice.

Voice is a nebulous term in writing. It can refer to the general “feel” of the writing, or it can be used in a more technical sense. In this section, we will focus on the latter sense as we discuss active and passive voice.

You’ve probably heard of the passive voice—perhaps in a comment from an English teacher or in the grammar checker of a word processor. In both of these instances, you were (likely) guided away from the passive voice. Why is this the case? Why is the passive voice so hated? After all, it’s been used twice on this page already (three times now). When the passive voice is used to frequently, it can make your writing seem flat and drab. However, there are some instances where the passive voice is a better choice than the active.

So just what is the difference between these two voices? In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of “A does B.” (For example, “Carmen sings the song.”) A passive voice sentence is written in the form of “B is done by A.” (For example, “The song is sung by Carmen.”) Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct.

Let’s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:

• I’ve been hit! ( or , I have been hit!)
• Jasper was thrown from the car when it was struck from behind.

You may have noticed something unique about the previous two sentences: the subject of the sentence is not the person (or thing) performing the action.  The passive voice “hides” who does the action. Despite these sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don’t know who hit “me” or what struck the car.

The passive is created using the verb  to be  (e.g., the song is sung; it was struck from behind). Remember that to be conjugates irregularly. Its forms include  am, are, is, was, were,  and will be , which we learned about earlier in the course.

Remember,  to be  also has more complex forms like  had been ,  is being , and  was being.

• Mirella is being pulled away from everything she loves.
• Pietro had been pushed; I knew it.
• Unfortunately, my car was being towed away by the time I got to it.

Because  to be  has other uses than just creating the passive voice, we need to be careful when we identify passive sentences. It’s easy to mistake a sentence like “She was falling.” or “He is short.” for a passive sentence. However, in “She was falling,” was  simply indicates that the sentence takes place in the past. In “He is short,” is is a linking verb. If there is no “real” action taking place, is is simply acting as a linking verb.

There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:

• Something is happening (the sentence has a verb that is not a linking verb).
• The subject of the sentence is not doing that thing.

As you read at the two sentences below, think about the how the different voice may affect the meaning or implications of the sentence:

• Passive voice: The rate of evaporation is controlled by the size of an opening.
• Active voice: The size of an opening controls the rate of evaporation.

The passive choice slightly emphasizes “the rate of evaporation,” while the active choice emphasizes “the size of an opening.” Simple. So why all the fuss? Because passive constructions can produce grammatically tangled sentences such as this:

Groundwater flow is influenced by zones of fracture concentration, as can be recognized by the two model simulations (see Figures 1 and 2), by which one can see . . .

The sentence is becoming a burden for the reader, and probably for the writer too. As often happens, the passive voice here has smothered potential verbs and kicked off a runaway train of prepositions. But the reader’s task gets much easier in the revised version below:

Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .

To revise the above, all I did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually do something, and I made the sentence clearly about these two nouns by placing them in front of active verbs. This is the general principle to follow as you compose in the active voice: Place concrete nouns that can perform work in front of active verbs.

Are the following sentences in the active or passive voice?

• Jayden drank more sodas than anyone else at the party.
• The samples were prepared in a clean room before being sent out for further examination.
• Karen was dancing with Joshua when she suddenly realized she needed to leave.
• Carlos was a very serious scientist with unique interests.
• When I returned to my room, my luggage had been stolen.
• This sentence uses the active voice.  Jayden does the action ( drank ) to the object ( more sodas ). If this sentence were written in the passive it would read “More sodas were drunk by Jayden than by anyone else at the party.”
• This sentence uses the passive voice. The action ( prepared ) was done to the subject of the sentence ( samples ). If this sentence were written in the active it would be something like this: “[Actor] prepared the samples in a clean room before sending them out for further examination.” Since we do not know who prepared the samples, the active sentence is incomplete.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case  was indicates that the sentence happened in the past; it does not indicate the passive voice in this instance.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case  was  is acting as a linking verb. It links  Carlos with the phrase  very serious scientist .
• The introductory phrase to the sentence (When I returned to my room) is in the active voice. The second phrase (my luggage had been stolen) uses the passive voice.
• Revision and Adaptation. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• The Passive versus Active Voice Dilemma. Authored by : Joe Schall. Provided by : The Pennsylvania State University. Located at : https://www.e-education.psu.edu/styleforstudents/c1_p11.html . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Easy Insightful Literature Notes

Transformation of Sentence: Active & Passive Voice

Interchange of active and passive voice is something that we see every now and then in any “transformation of sentence” or “do as directed” grammar test like in the ICSE exams. Here in this guide, we are going to learn the various rule sets for changing a sentence from active voice to passive voice and vice versa.

• I do it. – It is done by me.
• I am doing it. – It is being done by me.
• I have done it. – It has been done by me.
• I did it. – It was done by me.
• I was doing it. – It was being done by me.
• I had done it. – It had been done by me.
• I shall do it. – It will be done by me.
• I shall have done it. – It will have been done by me.

Voice change of Questions:

• Do you see the bird? – Is the bird seen by you?
• Did you finish your task? – Was your task finished by you?
• Have you heard it before? – Has it been heard by before?
• Who teaches you English? – By whom are you taught English?
• What are you eating? – What is being eaten by you?
• Why haven’t you finished your work? – Why hasn’t your work been finished by you?

Voice change of Imperative sentence (order, advice, request)

• Shut the door. – Let the door be shut.
• Keep the book on the table. – Let the book be kept on the table.
• Obey your seniors. – Seniors should be obeyed.
• Do not hate the poor. – The poor should not be hated.
• Please go there. – You are requested to go there.
• Don’t smoke, please. – You are requested not to smoke.

Voice Change of Modal Auxiliaries

• He can do this. – This can be done by him.
• We should help her. – She should be helped by us.

Voice change of Infinitives (to + verb)

• I have some work to do . – I have some work to be done .
• I am going to pack the bag. – The bag is going to be packed by me.

Different preposition in place of ‘by’

• His manner shocked me. – I was shocked at his manner.
• I know that. – That is known to him.
• Rahul married Ritu. – Ritu was married to Rahul.
• Tolstoy interests me. – I am interested in Tolstoy.
• Light filled the room. – The room was filled with light.

Miscellaneous voice change examples:

• Honey tastes sweet. – Honey is sweet when it is tasted . (quasi-passive voice)
• We know that Columbus discovered America. – It is known to us that America was discovered by Columbus. (complex sentence)
• He laughed at the idea. – The idea was laughed at by him. (group verb)
• He killed himself. – He was killed by himself. (reflexive object)
• Tiger is called our national animal. – We call tiger our national animal. (Introduce ‘we’ as the doer)
• My watch was stolen. – Someone stole my watch. (Introduce ‘someone’ as doer is unknown)
• Gifts were exchanged. – People/ They exchanged gifts. (Introduce ‘people’ as doer)
• The police arrested the man. – The man was arrested. (‘by the police’ understood)

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25.2: Active and Passive Voice

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There are two main “voices” in English writing: the active voice and the passive voice. You’ve probably heard a lot about them—and you’ve probably been warned away from the passive voice. But what exactly are they?

In the simplest terms, an active voice sentence is written in the form of “A does B.” (For example, “Carmen sings the song.”) A passive voice sentence is written in the form of “B is done by A.” (For example, “The song is sung by Carmen.”) Both constructions are grammatically sound and correct.

Let’s look at a couple more examples of the passive voice:

• I’ve been hit! ( or , I have been hit!)
• Jasper was thrown from the car when it was struck from behind.

You may have noticed something unique about the previous two sentences: the subject of the sentence is not the person (or thing) performing the action. The passive voice “hides” who does the action. Despite these sentences being completely grammatically sound, we don’t know who hit “me” or what struck the car.

The passive is created using the verb to be and the past participle. Because to be has other uses than just creating the passive voice, we need to be careful when we identify passive sentences. It’s easy to mistake a sentence like “She was falling.” or “He is short.” for a passive sentence. However, in “She was falling,” was simply indicates that the sentence takes place in the past. In “He is short,” is is a linking verb. If there is no “real” action taking place, is is simply acting as a linking verb.

There are two key features that will help you identify a passive sentence:

• Something is happening (the sentence has a verb that is not a linking verb).
• The subject of the sentence is not doing that thing.

As you read at the two sentences below, think about the how the different voice may affect the meaning or implications of the sentence:

• Passive voice: The rate of evaporation is controlled by the size of an opening.
• Active voice: The size of an opening controls the rate of evaporation.

The passive choice slightly emphasizes “the rate of evaporation,” while the active choice emphasizes “the size of an opening.” Simple. So why all the fuss? Because passive constructions can produce grammatically tangled sentences such as this:

Groundwater flow is influenced by zones of fracture concentration, as can be recognized by the two model simulations (see Figures 1 and 2), by which one can see . . .

The sentence is becoming a burden for the reader, and probably for the writer too. As often happens, the passive voice here has smothered potential verbs and kicked off a runaway train of prepositions. But the reader’s task gets much easier in the revised version below:

Two model simulations (Figures 1 and 2) illustrate how zones of fracture concentration influence groundwater flow. These simulations show . . .

To revise the above, all I did was look for the two buried things (simulations and zones) in the original version that could actually do something, and I made the sentence clearly about these two nouns by placing them in front of active verbs. This is the general principle to follow as you compose in the active voice: Place concrete nouns that can perform work in front of active verbs.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Are the following sentences in the active or passive voice? How can you tell?

• Jayden drank more sodas than anyone else at the party.
• The samples were prepared in a clean room before being sent out for further examination.
• Karen was dancing with Joshua when she suddenly realized she needed to leave.
• Carlos was a very serious scientist with unique interests.
• When I returned to my room, my luggage had been stolen.
• This sentence uses the active voice. Jayden does the action ( drank ) to the object ( more sodas ). If this sentence were written in the passive it would read “More sodas were drunk by Jayden than by anyone else at the party.”
• This sentence uses the passive voice. The action (prepared) was done to the subject of the sentence (samples). If this sentence were written in the active it would be something like this: “[Actor] prepared the samples in a clean room before sending them out for further examination.” Since we do not know who prepared the samples, the active sentence is incomplete.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case was indicates that the sentence happened in the past; it does not indicate the passive voice.
• This sentence uses the active voice. In this case was is acting as a linking verb. It links Carlos with the phrase very serious scientist .
• The introductory phrase to the sentence (When I returned to my room) is in the active voice. The second phrase (my luggage had been stolen) uses the passive voice.

Revise Weak Passive-Voice Sentences

As we’ve mentioned, the passive voice can be a shifty operator—it can cover up its source, that is, who’s doing the acting, as this example shows:

• Graded by whom though?
• Active: The teacher will grade the papers according to the criteria stated in the syllabus.

It’s this ability to cover the actor or agent of the sentence that makes the passive voice a favorite of people in authority—policemen, city officials, and, yes, teachers. At any rate, you can see how the passive voice can cause wordiness, indirectness, and comprehension problems.

Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

Convert these passive voice sentences into the active voice:

• The process, which was essential for the experiment’s success, was completed by Enzo.
• Alana’s toes were crushed by the garage door.
• The cake that I worked on all day long is being eaten by Justin.
• Rebeca’s favorite spot in the lecture hall had been taken by the time she got to class.
• Enzo completed the process, which was essential for the experiment’s success.
• The garage door crushed Alana’s toes.
• Justin is eating the cake that I worked on all day long.
• Because there’s a descriptive phrase, there are a few options when revising this sentence:
• Someone had taken Rebeca’s favorite spot in the lecture hall by the time she got to class.
• By the time Rebeca got to class, someone had taken her favorite spot in the lecture hall.

Don’t get the idea that the passive voice is always wrong and should never be used. It is a good writing technique when we don’t want to be bothered with an obvious or too-often-repeated subject and when we need to rearrange words in a sentence for emphasis. The next page will focus more on how and why to use the passive voice.

Passive Voice - Exercises on Form

>mixed exercise on passive voice.

Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.

• John collects money. -
• Anna opened the window. -
• We have done our homework. -
• I will ask a question. -
• He can cut out the picture. -
• The sheep ate a lot. -
• We do not clean our rooms. -
• William will not repair the car. -
• Did Sue draw this circle? -
• Could you feed the dog? -

Homework: Passive Voice

So, did you steal your bike, or was your bike stolen? Will you take out your tonsils, or will your tonsils be taken out? Mastering the Passive Voice is a crucial rite of passage for any English learner, as it can change the meaning of a sentence entirely. However, as this versatile voice can be used with any grammar tense, this is often much more easily said than done, as no sooner have students established just when to use it than along comes the more daunting challenge of actually using it correctly. This homework sheet enables students to practise using the Passive Voice through a range of progressively challenging exercises.

After downloading your PDF: print it immediately or save and print later. Answers are provided for teachers on the second page.

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Active Voice

What is active voice.

• John painted the fence.
• The fence was painted by John.

Table of Contents

Easy Examples of the Active and Passive Voice

Formal definitions, four interactive examples, examples of verbs in the active voice, video lesson, why the active voice is important.

Active and Passive Voice

• The girls painted the fence.
• Dawn played the piano.
• Simon saw the fox.
• Alan will read the poem.
• Janet posted a letter.
• Curiosity killed the cat.
• All power corrupts .
• Some weasel removed the cork from my lunch. (W. C. Fields, 1880-1946)
• The boy tripped while running.
• The boy was seen tripping while he ran.

More Examples of the Active Voice

• Suzy chased the butterfly with a net.
• The kite soared high in the air.
• The children shielded their eyes from the bright sun.
• A squirrel bounced across the lawn.
• The soldier ants invaded the picnic with military precision.
• Paul imagined what the weather was like above those dark clouds.
• He is happy.
• They are late.
• They were late.
• They will be late.

A Tricky Example

• Paul was slaughtered.

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

(Reason 1) Active sentences are shorter.

• He saw the dog.
• The dog was seen by him.

(Reason 2) Active sentences are more direct.

• John made the decision to publish the article.
• The decision was made to publish the article.

(Reason 3) Active sentences are more authoritative.

• I passed the law to protect the public.
• The law was passed to protect the public.

(Reason 4) Active sentences are more engaging for the reader.

• My mother advised me to avoid the lake.
• I was advised by my mother that the lake is to be avoided.

(Reason 1) Passive sentences can be used to avoid blame.

• The article was published without permission.
• Simon published the article without permission.

(Reason 2) Passive sentences can show a neutral or objective tone.

• Assurances have been given that substantial concessions will be presented by both sides.

(Reason 3) Passive sentences are often appropriate when the agent is obvious, unimportant, or unknown.

• The shoplifter was arrested before he left the store.
• The meteor was seen passing over northern Siberia.
• The painting was stolen during the guard's lunch break.

(Reason 4) Passive sentences allow you to focus on what's important.

• Forty-two zebras were rescued by the rangers.
• The rangers rescued 42 zebras.
• Develop a bias for active sentences over passive sentences because active sentences are shorter, more direct, more informative, more authoritative, and easier to absorb.
• However, use passive sentences to control the flow of text and to stress the most important parts of your sentences.

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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The Passive Voice

Perfect english grammar.

• Download this explanation in PDF here.
• See all my exercises about the passive here.

So, in this example, the subject is 'I', the verb is 'drank' and the object is 'two cups of coffee'.

• Two cups of coffee were drunk (we can add 'by me' if we want, but it isn't necessary).

How to make the Passive in English

We make the passive by putting the verb 'to be' into whatever tense we need and then adding the past participle . For regular verbs, we make the past participle by adding 'ed' to the infinitive. So play becomes played . Click here to learn about irregular verbs .

Verbs with two objects

• Active: He gave me the book / He gave the book to me.
• Passive: I was given the book (by him)/ The book was given to me (by him).

The passive in subordinate clauses

• Active: I thought that Mary had kissed John.
• Passive: I thought that John had been kissed by Mary.
• Active: He knew that people had built the church in 1915.
• Passive: He knew that the church had been built in 1915.
• The child loves being cuddled.
• She would like to be promoted.

When should we use the Passive?

• The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (We are more interested in the painting than the artist in this sentence)
• He was arrested (obvious agent, the police).
• My bike has been stolen (unknown agent).
• The road is being repaired (unimportant agent).
• The form can be obtained from the post office (people in general).
• The chemical is placed in a test tube and the data entered into the computer.
• The brochure will be finished next month.
• Three books are used regularly in the class. The books were written by Dr. Bell. ('Dr. Bell wrote the books' sound clumsy)
• I was surprised by how well the students did in the test. (More natural than: 'how well the students did in the test surprised me')

Hello! I'm Seonaid! I'm here to help you understand grammar and speak correct, fluent English.

Read more about our learning method

• ESL Speaking Activity — Would you like? [Set 1]
• ESL Speaking Activity — Gerunds and Infinitives [Set 1]
• ESL Speaking Activity — Scenarios Affecting Self-Esteem [set 1]
• ESL Speaking Activity — Stress scenarios [set 1]
• ESL Discussion Topic — Planning
• Passive to Active Voice — Exercise 2
• 1. The race was won by William. William won the race.
• 2. New schools are being built by the government. The government is building new schools.
• 3. Two hamburgers have been eaten by Steven. Steven has eaten two hamburgers.
• 4. The soup is cooked every week by my mother. My mother cooks soup every week.
• 5. A new product will be launched by my company. My company will launch a new product.
• 6. The kitchen walls are being painted by the workers. The workers are painting the kitchen walls.
• 7. A flat tire was changed by Liam. Liam changed a flat tire.
• 8. The instructions will be given by Claire. Claire will give the instructions.
• 9. My questions are always answered by the teacher. The teacher always answers my questions.
• 10. Fifteen sketches have been created by Andrew. Andrew has created fifteen sketches.
• Finish the sentence in Passive — Mixed Exercise
• Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 1
• Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 2
• Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 3
• Rewrite the sentences using Passive voice — Mixed tenses — Exercise 4

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English Notes

English notes latest questions, hadn’t he done his homework “change into passive voice”.

Passive Voice:  Hadn’t  his homework been done by him?

Explanation: Covert into Passive Voice.

Invert the word order to make it a question again.

Am I helping him?

I am helping him.

He is being helped by me.

Invert the word order to make it a question again –

Is he being helped by me?

Course on Active-Passive Voice 

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