The English language often offers more than one way to express an idea. One of the most notable variations is the use of active vs passive voice. These two grammatical structures can change the tone, focus, and overall clarity of a sentence. Understanding when and how to use them can significantly improve your writing skills, whether you’re a student, professional, or casual writer. But what exactly are these voices, and how do they affect your message? Let’s dive into the details.
What is Active Voice?
Active voice is the grammatical structure where the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. This creates a direct, straightforward, and clear message. In an active voice sentence, the subject is in the “driver’s seat,” actively doing the action to the object.
Key Features of Active Voice:
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Subject performs the action.
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Clear and direct tone.
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Often shorter and more dynamic.
Example Sentences in Active Voice:
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The dog chases the ball.
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She loves reading books.
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I solved the problem.
As you can see, in each example, the subject (dog, she, I) is actively performing the action. This structure is commonly used in day-to-day conversations and most forms of writing, including essays, emails, and blogs.
What is Passive Voice?
In contrast, passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action instead of performing it. This shifts the focus from the “doer” of the action to the “receiver” or the action itself. Passive voice often results in more formal, indirect sentences and is widely used in scientific, formal, or academic writing.
Key Features of Passive Voice:
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Subject receives the action.
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Focus shifts to the recipient of the action or the action itself.
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Tends to be longer and more formal.
Example Sentences in Passive Voice:
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The ball was chased by the dog.
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Reading books is loved by her.
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The problem was solved by me.
In these examples, the focus is on the action or the object (ball, books, problem) rather than the subject. Passive voice is often used when the doer is either unknown or irrelevant to the context.
Active vs Passive Voice Key Differences
Here’s a quick comparison of active and passive voice:
| Aspect | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Subject (doer of action) | Object (receiver of action) |
| Sentence Structure | Subject + Verb + Object | Object + Verb + (by Subject) |
| Tone | Direct, dynamic, and engaging | Indirect, formal, often more descriptive |
| Usage | Everyday communication, personal writing, blogs | Academic writing, formal reports, scientific texts |
When to Use Active vs Passive Voice
Choosing between active and passive voice depends on the tone, purpose, and focus of your writing. Each voice serves a distinct purpose and is more suitable for specific types of content.
When to Use Active Voice:
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Clarity and Engagement: Active voice is often preferred for its clarity and conciseness. It helps readers easily identify who is performing the action.
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Personal and Conversational Writing: In blogs, emails, and essays, active voice is commonly used as it’s more personal and direct.
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Action-Oriented Writing: For narratives, persuasive writing, and storytelling, active voice brings energy and engagement to the text.
When to Use Passive Voice:
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Scientific and Academic Writing: Passive voice is often used when the focus is on the research or findings rather than the researcher.
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Objective and Formal Tone: Passive voice is ideal for situations where the writer wishes to maintain a neutral or impersonal tone.
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Uncertainty or Irrelevance of the Doer: When the identity of the subject is unknown, irrelevant, or unnecessary, passive voice helps to emphasize the action.
Advantages of Active Voice
Active voice is usually favored because of its several benefits:
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Engagement and Energy: Active voice is more engaging because it places the subject upfront, creating a sense of action and urgency. It makes the writing feel more alive and engaging.
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Clarity and Directness: The direct nature of active voice eliminates unnecessary words and clarifies who is performing the action.
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Conciseness: Active voice sentences are typically shorter and more straightforward, which aids in readability and avoids unnecessary complexity.
Example:
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Active Voice: The teacher explained the concept.
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Passive Voice: The concept was explained by the teacher.
In the first sentence, the subject (the teacher) takes action and performs the verb, creating a clear, direct sentence.
Advantages of Passive Voice
Though less direct, passive voice offers some key advantages:
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Objectivity and Neutrality: In academic and scientific contexts, passive voice can help eliminate personal bias and keep the focus on the subject matter.
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Flexibility in Focus: When the action or result is more important than who performed it, passive voice allows for greater emphasis on the object or the action itself.
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Formality: Passive voice is often perceived as more formal and is used in situations requiring objectivity, such as news reports or official documents.
Example:
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Passive Voice: The experiment was conducted by the researchers.
In this case, the focus is on the experiment (the result) rather than on the researchers (the doers), which is often preferred in scientific writing.
How to Change Passive Voice to Active Voice
Converting passive voice into active voice is simple once you understand the process. Here’s how you can do it:
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Identify the Subject and Object: Find the subject and the object in the passive sentence.
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Make the Subject the Doer: Re-arrange the sentence so that the subject becomes the doer of the action.
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Remove the Auxiliary Verbs: Passive voice uses auxiliary verbs like “is,” “was,” and “by.” These can be removed or replaced to make the sentence more direct.
Example:
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Passive: The homework was completed by the student.
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Active: The student completed the homework.
This transformation makes the sentence shorter and more engaging, with the subject (student) taking an active role in the sentence.
When Not to Use Passive Voice
While passive voice can be useful, there are times when it might hinder readability or clarity:
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When the Doer is Important: If the identity of the person performing the action is critical to the meaning of the sentence, passive voice can obscure this information. For example, in a business report, it’s important to know who performed a task.
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When Clarity is Needed: Passive voice can make sentences unnecessarily complicated, especially when it introduces more words or lacks clarity about the subject.
Example:
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Passive: The decision was made by the committee.
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Active: The committee made the decision.
In the active voice, the committee is directly mentioned as the subject, making the sentence clearer and more direct.
Common Mistakes in Active vs Passive voice
Usage
Misidentifying the Subject in Passive Voice
A common mistake when writing in passive voice is misidentifying the true subject of the action. Since the focus shifts to the object of the action in passive voice, writers sometimes forget to clarify who performed the action. This can lead to confusion or vagueness.
Example of a Mistake:
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Passive: The report was written last week.
This sentence is ambiguous—who wrote the report?
Corrected Version (Active):
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Active: The researcher wrote the report last week.
In this corrected version, we explicitly name the subject (researcher), giving the sentence clarity.
Overuse of Passive Voice
Another mistake is overusing passive voice, especially in situations where active voice is preferred for its directness and clarity. Over-relying on passive voice can make writing feel detached or overly formal, weakening the engagement with the reader.
Example of Overuse:
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Passive: The project was completed by the team.
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Passive: The documents were signed by the manager.
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Passive: The results were analyzed by the experts.
In each of these cases, switching to active voice would make the sentences more engaging and concise:
Revised Version (Active):
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Active: The team completed the project.
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Active: The manager signed the documents.
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Active: The experts analyzed the results.
Notice how the sentences become more direct, with the subject (team, manager, experts) actively performing the action.
How to Spot When to Use Passive Voice
Knowing when to use passive voice can be tricky, especially since both voices have their place in writing. Here are some signs that passive voice may be more appropriate:
1. Emphasizing the Action or Recipient
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If the action or the recipient of the action is more important than who performed the action, passive voice is ideal. This is particularly common in scientific and technical writing, where the focus is on the process or result, not the person performing the action.
Example:
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Active: The scientist conducted the experiment.
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Passive: The experiment was conducted by the scientist.
In this example, the experiment is more important than the scientist, so the passive voice places the emphasis on the action (conducted the experiment).
2. Unknown or Irrelevant Doer
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When the identity of the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or unimportant, passive voice helps maintain focus on the action.
Example:
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Active: They fixed the issue.
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Passive: The issue was fixed.
In cases like these, we don’t need to know who fixed the issue; the focus is simply on the outcome.
3. Maintaining Objectivity
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Passive voice can create a sense of objectivity and formality, which is why it’s commonly used in legal, academic, or professional contexts. This makes the writing feel less personal and more neutral.
Example:
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Active: The committee approved the proposal.
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Passive: The proposal was approved by the committee.
In formal settings, passive voice removes the emphasis from the doer and places it on the action, maintaining a more neutral tone.
Changing Active Voice to Passive Voice
While most writers may be more familiar with using active voice, there are times when you may need to switch your sentences into passive voice. Here’s how you can make the conversion:
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Identify the Object in Active Voice: Start by identifying the object of the action in the active voice sentence, as this will become the subject in the passive voice sentence.
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Move the Object to the Subject Position: In passive voice, the object becomes the subject of the sentence. This shifts the emphasis from the doer of the action to the recipient of the action.
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Add the Appropriate Form of ‘To Be’: In passive voice, you’ll need to add the correct form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were) along with the past participle of the main verb.
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Include the Original Subject (Optional): If necessary, you can include the original subject, typically introduced by the word “by.”
Example Process:
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Active: The chef cooked the meal.
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Identify the object: The meal (object).
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Move the object to the subject position: The meal becomes the subject.
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Add ‘to be’ and the past participle: The meal was cooked.
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Include the original subject (optional): The meal was cooked by the chef.
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Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
Notice how the focus is now on the meal, rather than the chef. This passive sentence emphasizes the action (cooking the meal) and the recipient (the meal).
Using Passive Voice in Different Sentence Types
Interrogative Sentences
While active voice is often preferred in direct questions, you can also use passive voice in interrogative sentences. This is typically done when the action is more important than the subject.
Active: Did the teacher grade the papers?
Passive: Were the papers graded by the teacher?
The passive construction shifts the focus to the papers, which is what is being graded, rather than who is doing the grading.
Imperative Sentences
Imperative sentences typically use active voice because they give direct instructions. However, passive voice can still be used, especially when the instruction is more formal or indirect.
Active: Sign the form.
Passive: Let the form be signed.
The passive version sounds more formal and less urgent, and it’s often used in formal instructions or guidelines.
Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences are usually best expressed in active voice, as they convey strong emotions and direct action. Passive voice in exclamations often loses the immediacy and intensity.
Active: What a beautiful painting she created!
Passive: What a beautiful painting was created by her!
The active voice here delivers a stronger punch, drawing immediate attention to the subject’s action.
Conclusion On Active vs Passive voice
Both active vs passive voice are essential tools in English grammar. While active voice is preferred for most writing because of its clarity and directness, passive voice has its own vital uses, especially when the action or the recipient of the action needs to take center stage. Understanding when and how to use each voice will empower you to craft more effective, engaging, and contextually appropriate content. Whether you’re writing a compelling story, a scientific paper, or a business report, mastering the use of both voices will enhance the impact of your message.
By carefully considering your focus, tone, and audience, you can make informed choices between active and passive voice that will elevate your writing to new levels of professionalism and effectiveness.
