Voice tells us whether the subject of a sentence performs or receives the action.
- Active voice: The subject performs the action.
- Passive voice: The subject receives the action.
Active Voice
Subject → Verb → Object
The cat ate the fish. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. The chef is cooking dinner.
The subject is the doer of the action. Active voice is direct, clear, and concise — preferred in most writing.
Passive Voice
Subject (receiver) → be + past participle → (by agent)
The fish was eaten by the cat. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. Dinner is being cooked by the chef.
Form: be (conjugated) + past participle (+ by + agent)
The focus shifts to the receiver of the action. The agent (the doer) can be omitted.
Passive Across Tenses
| Tense | Active | Passive | | ------------------ | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Present Simple | They make cars here. | Cars are made here. | | Present Continuous | They are building a house. | A house is being built. | | Past Simple | She wrote the report. | The report was written. | | Past Continuous | They were painting the room. | The room was being painted. | | Present Perfect | He has fixed the car. | The car has been fixed. | | Past Perfect | They had finished work. | Work had been finished. | | Future (will) | She will sign the form. | The form will be signed. | | Modal | You must complete this. | This must be completed. |
When to Use the Passive Voice
1. The agent is unknown or unimportant
My bike was stolen last night. (we don't know who) The building was built in 1910. (who built it is not important)
2. Formal or academic writing
The participants were asked to complete a survey.
3. Focusing on the recipient of the action
The patient was rushed to the hospital.
4. When the agent is obvious
The murderer was arrested. (by the police)
When Active Is Better
In most everyday writing and speech, active voice is preferred because it is shorter, clearer, and more direct.
Passive: The ball was thrown by John. Active: John threw the ball.
Common Passive Errors
- Missing auxiliary verb: ~~The report wrote by me.~~ → The report was written by me.
- Wrong participle form: ~~The window was broke.~~ → The window was broken.
- Unnecessary passive: ~~The meeting was held by the team.~~ → The team held the meeting.
- Dangling agent: Overusing by phrases makes writing wordy.
Use passive voice intentionally, not by default.