Active vs Passive Voice: When to Use Each
Active voice makes your writing stronger and clearer. But passive voice has its place too.
The Difference
Active voice: The subject performs the action.
“The cat chased the mouse.”
Passive voice: The subject receives the action.
“The mouse was chased by the cat.”
How to Identify Passive Voice
Look for a form of “to be” (is, was, were, are, am, been, being) followed by a past participle:
was written were seen is considered
are made been told being builtIf you can add “by zombies” after the verb, it’s passive:
- “The cake was eaten by zombies.” ✓ Passive
- “The zombies ate the cake.” — Active
Why Active Voice Is Usually Better
Active is shorter.
| Passive (11 words) | Active (6 words) |
|---|---|
| The decision was made by the committee. | The committee decided. |
Active is clearer. The reader knows who did what.
Active is more direct. It creates a stronger impression.
When to Use Passive Voice
1. The Doer Is Unknown
“My bike was stolen last night.”
You don’t know who stole it. Active voice would be awkward.
2. The Doer Is Obvious
“The suspect was arrested at 3 AM.”
We know police make arrests. Saying “Police arrested the suspect” adds unnecessary words.
3. The Action Matters More Than the Actor
“The patient was rushed to the emergency room.”
The patient is the focus, not who did the rushing.
4. Scientific and Academic Writing
“The samples were heated to 100°C.”
The process matters more than who heated them. This is the traditional convention, though active voice is increasingly accepted in scientific writing.
5. Avoiding Blame
“Mistakes were made.”
Politicians use this to avoid responsibility. In most writing, this is a weakness, not a valid use.
Converting Passive to Active
| Passive | Active |
|---|---|
| The report was written by Sarah. | Sarah wrote the report. |
| It is believed that the data is incorrect. | We believe the data is incorrect. |
| The new system was implemented. | The team implemented the new system. |
| Permission must be obtained. | You must obtain permission. |
| A decision will be made. | We will decide. |
Exercise: Fix These
- “The meeting was attended by 20 people.”
- “It was decided that the deadline would be extended.”
- “The email was sent to all employees.”
- “Mistakes were made in the calculation.”
Answers:
- “Twenty people attended the meeting.”
- “The team extended the deadline.”
- “HR sent the email to all employees.”
- “I miscalculated.” (if you made the mistake)
When Editing Your Own Work
- Search for “was,” “were,” “is,” “are”
- Check if the verb is followed by a past participle
- Ask: “Who is doing the action?”
- If you can identify the doer, rewrite in active voice
Related: Learn story structure and practice show don’t tell.