Watch the explainer video
Active and Passive Voice Explained: Who Did It, and Does It Matter? | MyProGrammar
Watch on YouTubeKeep learning
Deepen your understanding of Active & Passive Voice and related English skills with these resources:
Deepen your understanding of Active & Passive Voice and related English skills with these resources:
Master active and passive voice and switch between them across all tenses.
In active voice, the subject performs the action. In passive voice, the subject receives the action. To identify each structure, first find the main verb, then ask who or what is doing the action and who or what is affected by it. • Active voice usually follows Subject + Verb + Object: The chef prepared the meal. • Passive voice usually follows Subject + be + past participle, often with a by phrase: The meal was prepared by the chef. Passive voice is common when the action is more important than the doer, or when the doer is unknown, obvious, or not needed. Active voice is usually clearer and more direct, especially in everyday writing. When analyzing a sentence, do not confuse the object of a preposition with the object of the verb. Also remember that only transitive verbs, verbs that can take an object, can usually be changed into passive voice. • The window was broken. The subject receives the action. • Someone broke the window. The subject performs the action. • The letters were delivered this morning. The object in active form becomes the subject in passive form. • By the manager is an agent phrase, not the main subject. A good test is to rewrite the sentence in active voice. If the meaning stays the same, you have probably identified the subject, verb, and object correctly.
• The teacher explained the rule. (active, subject acts) • The rule was explained by the teacher. (passive, subject receives action) • The phone was stolen last night. (passive, doer unknown) • They repaired the road. (active, direct structure) • The road was repaired by workers. (passive, agent added) • She wrote an email. (active, subject plus object)
Look for who does the action and who receives it. If the sentence has be plus a past participle, check whether it is passive.
To form the passive, use the correct form of be followed by the past participle. The form of be changes to match the tense or modal, while the main verb stays in past participle form. • Present simple passive: am, is, are + past participle. The documents are checked daily. • Past simple passive: was, were + past participle. The documents were checked yesterday. • Present perfect passive: has, have been + past participle. The documents have been checked. • Future passive: will be + past participle. The documents will be checked tomorrow. With modals, use modal + be + past participle: The documents must be checked. The report should be sent today. The windows can be repaired. Questions in passive voice usually invert the auxiliary and subject: Was the letter sent? Has the order been confirmed? Can the work be finished by Friday? Common errors include using the wrong form of be, forgetting been in perfect tenses, or using an active past form instead of a past participle. For example, The food was cooked, not The food was cook. • Past participle remains the same in all passive forms. • The auxiliary carries the tense. • Modals are followed by be, not being, in standard passive structures unless a continuous meaning is intended.
• The room is cleaned every day. (present simple passive) • The room was cleaned yesterday. (past simple passive) • The room has been cleaned already. (present perfect passive) • The room will be cleaned tomorrow. (future passive) • The room must be cleaned before noon. (modal passive) • Was the room cleaned on time? (passive question)
Think of passive form as two parts: the tense form of be, then the past participle. If there is a modal, add be after it.
Active and passive voice are both useful, but they are not always interchangeable in style. Active voice is usually stronger, shorter, and easier to read. Passive voice is useful when the action matters more than the doer, when the doer is unknown, or when you want a more formal or neutral tone. • Use active voice for clear responsibility: The engineer fixed the problem. • Use passive voice when the doer is unknown or unimportant: The problem was fixed. • Use passive voice in formal reports, scientific writing, and news writing when focusing on results or processes. To change active to passive, move the object to subject position, change the verb to be + past participle, and add the agent with by if needed. To change passive to active, identify the hidden doer and make it the subject again. • Active: The company launched a new app. • Passive: A new app was launched by the company. • Passive to active: The company launched a new app. Not every passive sentence needs a by phrase. In fact, many passive sentences sound more natural without it. However, if you need to show responsibility or contrast two agents, the by phrase can be very useful. Be careful with awkward or overly wordy passive chains. If passive makes the sentence unclear or weak, active is usually better.
• The manager approved the plan. (active, clear responsibility) • The plan was approved. (passive, doer not named) • The bridge was built in 2010. (passive, focus on result) • Scientists study the samples. (active, direct and precise) • The samples are studied in the lab. (passive, process focus) • The letter was written by Ana. (passive with agent)
Choose active for clarity and energy. Choose passive when the result, object, or unknown doer is more important than who did it.