Understanding the difference between active and passive voice can greatly improve your writing clarity and effectiveness. In this article, we’ll explore what active and passive voice are, when to use each, and how to form them correctly.
Active voice focuses on the doer of the action, while passive voice emphasizes the action or the recipient. Active: “I made a cake” Passive: “A cake is made by me.” Passive sentences often use a form of “to be” with a past participle.
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. Active sentences are direct, clear, and concise.
Active: The cat (subject) chased (verb) the mouse (object).
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. The focus is on the action itself or the object of the action, rather than who or what is performing the action. Passive voice often uses a form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were, being, been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Passive: The mouse (subject) was chased (verb) by the cat (agent).
Active voice is generally preferred because it makes sentences clear and direct. It leaves no uncertainty about who is performing the action.
Active voice can make your writing more engaging and dynamic, which is especially useful in storytelling, persuasive writing, and instructions.
Use passive voice when you want to emphasize the action or the recipient of the action rather than who performed it.
When the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context, passive voice is appropriate.
In formal and academic writing, passive voice can be used to create an objective tone by focusing on the action rather than the subject.
A cake is made by me.
I am making a cake.
A cake is being made by me.
I made a cake yesterday.
A cake was made by me yesterday.
I was making a cake.
A cake was being made by me.
I will make a cake.
A cake will be made by me.
I have made a cake.
A cake has been made by me.
I had made a cake.
A cake had been made by me.
If you want to learn more about the active and passive voice, you can download the free Active and Passive Voice PDF below.
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