Active Voice vs Passive Voice: Rules & Examples

If someone has ever told you to "stop using passive voice" and you nodded while having absolutely no idea what they meant, you're not alone. This is one of those grammar rules that gets thrown around constantly in writing feedback, style guides, and SEO tools — but rarely gets explained well. Understanding active voice vs passive voice examples side by side is honestly the fastest way to make it click. So that's exactly what this post does. We'll break down the definitions, show you real sentence comparisons across different writing styles, walk through a dead-simple conversion method, and — here's the part most grammar posts skip — explain when passive voice is actually the smarter choice.

Active vs Passive Voice: What's the Difference?

Let's start with the core structure, because once you see it laid out, everything else makes sense immediately.

In an active voice sentence, the subject performs the action. The structure follows a clean subject-verb-object pattern. The actor comes first, does something, and the thing being acted on comes last. Simple, direct, and easy to follow.

In a passive voice sentence, that order flips. The object gets promoted to subject position. The verb becomes a form of "to be" plus a past participle. The original doer either gets demoted to a "by" phrase at the end or disappears entirely.

Here's the clearest way to see it:

Active: The dog chased the ball. (Subject = The dog / Verb = chased / Object = the ball)
Passive: The ball was chased by the dog. (Subject = The ball / Verb = was chased / Agent = by the dog)

Notice what changed. The ball didn't suddenly become more important in reality, but the sentence treats it that way. The dog, the actual actor, got pushed to the back. That shift in emphasis is the entire point of passive voice — and it's both its strength and its weakness, depending on context.

Here's a simple comparison table to lock in the structure:

Feature	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Structure	Subject + Verb + Object	Object + "to be" + Past Participle + (by + Subject)
Who acts?	Subject performs the action	Subject receives the action
Verb form	Simple verb (ran, writes, builds)	"To be" + past participle (was run, is written, was built)
Word count	Fewer words	Typically 20–30% more words
Typical feel	Direct, energetic, clear	Formal, distant, sometimes vague

The passive voice always requires a form of "to be" — is, are, was, were, will be, has been, had been, will have been — paired with a past participle. That combination is your signal. "The report was submitted." "The files have been deleted." "The policy will be reviewed." Spot those patterns and you've found passive voice.

One thing that trips beginners up: not every sentence with "was" is passive. "She was happy" is just a past tense linking verb, not passive construction. The passive marker is specifically "was/were/is/are" combined with a past participle describing an action done to the subject. Keep that distinction in mind and you'll rarely misidentify it.

According to Purdue OWL, passive voice is genuinely common in academic writing — some journals show passive construction in up to 40% of their sentences. That's not inherently bad. It's a deliberate stylistic choice in those contexts. But for most everyday writing, active voice communicates faster and keeps readers engaged longer. The University of Wisconsin Writing Center puts it plainly: "The sentence that uses the active voice is stronger, uses fewer words, and clearly shows the action."

Side-by-Side Active Voice vs Passive Voice Examples Across Writing Styles

Looking at isolated definitions only gets you so far. Where things really start to click is when you see active voice vs passive voice examples placed next to each other in real writing contexts. The same information can feel completely different depending on which voice you choose. Let's go through ten paired examples across five different writing styles.

Blog Writing

Passive: "A lot of mistakes are made by new bloggers when headlines are written."
Active: "New bloggers make a lot of mistakes when they write headlines."

The active version is tighter and reads like a real person talking. The passive version sounds like a policy document. Readers notice this, even if they can't name it.

Passive: "Your traffic can be improved by using better keywords."
Active: "Better keywords improve your traffic."

Four words vs. seven. Same meaning. Completely different energy.

Academic Writing

Passive: "The samples were collected and analyzed by the research team."
Active: "The research team collected and analyzed the samples."

In academic writing, the passive version is actually common and accepted — it shifts focus from who did the work to what was done. We'll come back to why that matters in a later section.

Passive: "It was found that participants experienced higher stress levels."
Active: "Participants experienced higher stress levels."

Notice how "It was found that" adds nothing except weight. Cutting it makes the finding clearer.

Fiction Writing

Passive: "The door was slammed shut by Marcus as he left the room."
Active: "Marcus slammed the door as he left the room."

In fiction, active voice creates momentum. The passive version buries the emotional punch — Marcus's anger — behind the grammatical object.

Passive: "The letter had been hidden under the floorboard for twenty years."
Active: "Someone had hidden the letter under the floorboard for twenty years."

Here's an interesting exception. The passive version actually works better if you want to maintain mystery. We don't know who hid it, and that's the point. More on this shortly.

Business Emails

Passive: "Your application has been received and will be reviewed by our team."
Active: "Our team received your application and will review it shortly."

The active version feels more personal and accountable. The passive version is polished but slightly cold.

Passive: "It has been decided that the meeting will be rescheduled."
Active: "We decided to reschedule the meeting."

The passive version is famously used to avoid accountability. "It has been decided" by whom? No one knows. That's often intentional — but readers notice the evasion.

Journalism

Passive: "Three people were arrested by police following the incident."
Active: "Police arrested three people following the incident."

News writing favors active voice almost universally for clarity and immediacy.

Passive: "The new policy was announced yesterday."
Active: "The mayor announced the new policy yesterday."

The active version adds a named actor, which is better journalism. The passive version might be appropriate only if no specific person made the announcement.

What you'll notice across all these examples is that active voice consistently feels faster, more direct, and more human. Passive voice isn't wrong in these cases — it just requires a good reason. Without one, it mostly just slows the reader down.

How to Change Passive Voice to Active Voice: A 3-Step Method

Most people know passive voice is something to watch out for. Fewer people know exactly how to fix it. Here's a method I've used and taught for years that works on practically any sentence. Three steps, no exceptions.

Step 1: Find the Real Doer

Ask yourself: who or what is actually performing the action? In passive sentences, the doer is either tucked into a "by" phrase or missing entirely. If there's a "by" phrase, your doer is right there. If there isn't one, you may need to supply one based on context.

Step 2: Make the Doer the Subject

Move that doer to the front of the sentence. It becomes your new subject. This is the structural heart of the conversion — get the actor up front and you're 80% done.

Step 3: Simplify the Verb

Replace the passive verb construction (to be + past participle) with a simple active verb in the appropriate tense. "Was written by" becomes "wrote." "Has been reviewed by" becomes "reviewed" or "has reviewed." "Will be submitted by" becomes "will submit."

Let's run through five practice examples with full before-and-after conversions:

Passive: "The report was written by Sarah last Tuesday."
Doer: Sarah
Active: "Sarah wrote the report last Tuesday."
Passive: "The website was redesigned by the development team."
Doer: The development team
Active: "The development team redesigned the website."
Passive: "Mistakes were made during the project rollout."
Doer: Unknown (supply context — let's say "the project manager")
Active: "The project manager made mistakes during the rollout."
Passive: "The email has been sent to all subscribers."
Doer: Implied (we/the marketing team)
Active: "We sent the email to all subscribers."
Passive: "The new guidelines will be reviewed by the committee next week."
Doer: The committee
Active: "The committee will review the new guidelines next week."

One thing I've found is that the hardest cases are sentences where the doer is genuinely unknown or deliberately omitted. "Three buildings were destroyed in the fire." Who destroyed them? The fire, presumably — but "The fire destroyed three buildings" feels slightly different in emphasis. Both are grammatically valid. Your choice depends on what you want to highlight.

If you're editing a longer document and want to find all your passive constructions quickly, the Find and Replace tool at Tools for Writing lets you search for patterns like "was," "were," and "been" so you can spot them in bulk and decide which ones to convert. It's much faster than reading line by line.

A common mistake at this stage: converting passive voice when you haven't identified the right doer. If you guess wrong about who the actor is, you end up with an active sentence that's factually misleading. Always verify the doer before restructuring.

When Passive Voice Is Actually the Right Choice

Here's where most grammar guides get things wrong. They treat passive voice like a bad habit to eliminate entirely. That's an overcorrection that leads to worse writing, not better. Passive voice exists because it does specific things that active voice simply cannot do as elegantly. Let's go through the main scenarios where passive is the stronger choice.

The Doer Is Unknown or Irrelevant

Sometimes you genuinely don't know who performed the action, or it doesn't matter. "My car was broken into last night." You don't know who did it. Forcing active voice here — "Someone broke into my car last night" — is grammatically fine but slightly awkward. The passive version sounds more natural in this context. Similarly: "The ancient temple was built around 400 BCE." The builders are unknown. The passive fits perfectly.

Scientific and Academic Writing

In scientific writing, passive voice serves an important purpose: it removes the researcher from the spotlight and emphasizes the process or findings. "The rats were placed into the maze" focuses on the experimental procedure, not on Dr. Smith who placed them there. Purdue OWL specifically notes this as a legitimate use. According to research, passive construction appears in up to 40% of sentences in some academic journals — a deliberate stylistic convention, not sloppy writing.

Emphasizing the Receiver of the Action

When what happened to the object matters more than who caused it, passive voice puts the right thing first. "The pedestrian was struck by a speeding vehicle" leads with the victim, which is often the appropriate emphasis in reporting and legal writing. Flipping it to "A speeding vehicle struck the pedestrian" shifts focus to the car. Small difference, but it changes the emotional and rhetorical weight of the sentence.

Diplomatic and Political Language

Passive voice is genuinely useful when you want to describe an outcome without assigning blame. "Errors were made in the handling of the situation" is softer than "We made errors." This can be evasive in the wrong hands, but in diplomatic communication, softening accountability can prevent escalation. Used deliberately, it's a rhetorical tool. Used accidentally, it's just vague writing.

Maintaining Topic Continuity

If you've been writing about a specific subject for several sentences, passive voice can keep that subject at the front without awkward restructuring. "The contract was signed by the board" flows naturally if you've been discussing the contract throughout the paragraph. Switching to "The board signed the contract" might disrupt the paragraph's focus.

Grammarly puts it well: passive voice "offers a subtler tone, shifting emphasis away from the doer." That's not a flaw — it's a feature in the right context. The problem is using it by default rather than by design. Is passive voice always wrong? Absolutely not. It's wrong when it's accidental, when it obscures who's responsible, or when it just makes your sentence unnecessarily long and hard to follow.

Active vs Passive Voice in SEO and Blog Writing

When I tested the readability of identical content written in active vs passive voice, the difference in Flesch-Kincaid scores was noticeable every single time. This isn't just abstract grammar theory — it directly affects how real people experience your content and how tools evaluate it.

The Flesch Reading Ease scale runs from 0 to 100, with higher scores meaning easier reading. Active voice sentences typically score in the 60–70 range (standard to fairly easy), while heavy passive voice tends to push scores down to the 40–50 range (difficult). That gap might sound small, but it translates to a real difference in how quickly readers move through your text — and whether they stick around at all.

Research indicates that active voice sentences use 20–30% fewer words than passive equivalents to convey the same information. In blog writing, where every extra word is friction between the reader and the point, that adds up fast. A 1,500-word article written heavily in passive voice might communicate what a 1,100-word active version does. Readers feel that drag even when they can't articulate why.

From an SEO perspective, readability signals matter. Google's quality guidelines consistently favor content that reads clearly and serves users well. The Hemingway Editor, a popular readability tool, flags passive voice directly alongside adverbs and complex sentences as friction points. Tools like Yoast SEO for WordPress also flag passive voice in their content analysis as a readability concern — and for good reason.

There's also a user engagement dimension. Readers tend to skim blog content, especially on mobile. Active voice sentences scan better because the actor and action appear early. You get the key information faster. Passive sentences make readers work slightly harder to extract meaning, and in a world of infinite competing content, "slightly harder" is enough to lose someone.

What most people miss is that this doesn't mean you should write blog posts in active voice 100% of the time. Variety matters. Occasional passive sentences add rhythm, slow the pace deliberately, or shift emphasis in useful ways. The goal isn't zero passive — it's intentional passive. A rough benchmark that works well: aim for passive voice in no more than 10–15% of your sentences in general blog content.

You can check your own writing quickly using the Word Counter tool, which includes readability analysis alongside sentence and word counts. Paste your draft in, check the readability score, and use it as a baseline for revision. If your score is lower than expected, passive voice is one of the first things to audit.

One contrarian note: in some niches, slightly more formal or measured writing — which often includes more passive voice — actually builds credibility. Legal blogs, medical writing, and financial content sometimes read better with a controlled amount of passive construction because it signals precision and objectivity. Know your audience before you over-optimize for readability scores.

Common Passive Voice Mistakes Writers Make

Passive voice problems aren't always as obvious as "The ball was kicked by John." Some of the most stubborn passive constructions are hidden inside what looks like perfectly normal writing. Here are the patterns I see most often — and how to catch them.

The Hidden Passive (Agent Deletion)

This is the sneakiest one. "The decision was made to move forward with the project." Who made the decision? Nobody knows. The sentence uses passive voice to quietly erase the actor. This happens constantly in corporate writing: "It was determined that budget cuts were necessary." "Steps have been taken to address the issue." The passive construction specifically serves to avoid accountability. Sometimes that's intentional. Most of the time it's just a habit — and it makes writing feel vague and untrustworthy.

Fix it: Ask "by whom?" after every passive sentence. If you can't answer, either supply the actor or restructure entirely.

Nominalization (Zombie Nouns)

Nominalization is when you take a perfectly good verb and convert it into a noun, then pair it with a weak passive verb. The result is what writing teachers sometimes call "zombie nouns" — bloated, lifeless constructions that drain energy from your prose.

Zombie noun version: "An examination of the data was conducted by researchers."
Active version: "Researchers examined the data."

Common zombie noun patterns include "the investigation of," "the implementation of," "the consideration of," and "the utilization of." Every one of those is a disguised verb. Bring it back to life by converting the noun back into a verb and making the actor the subject.

Stacked Passives

This is where passive voice compounds. "The report was expected to be submitted before it was reviewed." Two passives in one sentence, and neither actor is named. These constructions are exhausting to parse. Break them apart, identify the actors, and rewrite as two clean active sentences.

Signal Words to Watch

Train yourself to pause every time you write these words: was, were, been, is, are, being. Not every use is passive — but every passive construction contains one of them. Pair that with a past participle immediately following (delivered, written, reviewed, analyzed, completed) and you've got passive voice. The pattern is: [form of "to be"] + [past participle].

The word "by" after a verb phrase is also a reliable passive signal. "Was written by," "had been handled by," "will be approved by" — the "by" almost always signals a passive construction with an identified agent.

According to Grammarly's style guidance, the most important fix isn't eliminating passive voice but making sure it's never accidental. Every passive sentence should be a choice. If you can't explain why you chose passive for a particular sentence, that's your cue to revise it.

Self-Editing Checklist: Find Passive Voice in Your Text

Knowing the theory is one thing. Actually finding passive voice in your own writing is another. We tend to read what we meant to write rather than what we actually wrote, which makes self-editing genuinely hard. Here's a practical checklist I use when editing drafts — work through it in order for best results.

Step 1: Run a "Was/Were" Search

Open your document and search for every instance of "was" and "were." Read each sentence that contains them. Ask: is this followed by a past participle? If yes, you've found a passive construction. Decide whether it's intentional. If not, rewrite it using the 3-step method from the earlier section.

Using the Find and Replace tool, you can paste your text and search for "was " (with a trailing space) to highlight all instances at once. This is much faster than reading your full draft manually.

Step 2: Search for "Been"

"Has been," "have been," "had been," "will have been" — these are perfect and past perfect passive constructions. Search for "been" in your text and check each instance. "The file has been corrupted" — passive. "She had been waiting" — not passive (this is active past perfect continuous). Learn the difference and flag only the true passives.

Step 3: Hunt the Zombie Nouns

Scan for noun phrases ending in -tion, -ment, -ance, -ence, -al, and -ity. These are often nominalized verbs hiding in plain sight. "The implementation of," "the assessment of," "the development of" — check each one and ask whether you can replace it with a direct verb and an active subject.

Step 4: Flag All "By" Phrases After Verbs

Search for the word "by" and check whether it's being used to introduce an agent in a passive construction. "Written by," "approved by," "managed by" — these are your most visible passive markers. Each one tells you exactly who the real actor is, which means you have all the information you need to convert the sentence to active voice.

Step 5: Use the Filter Lines Tool for Pattern Matching

If you're working with a longer document or compiled content, the Filter Lines tool at Tools for Writing lets you filter text by regex patterns or keywords. You can isolate every line containing "was" or "been" for review in seconds, rather than scanning a full document manually. It's particularly useful for editing blog drafts or compiled research notes.

Quick Reference Checklist

Search "was" + check for following past participle
Search "were" + check for following past participle
Search "been" + check for passive construction
Search "by" + check if it introduces a passive agent
Scan for -tion, -ment nouns that could be active verbs
Ask "Who is doing this?" after every flagged sentence
Decide: Is this passive intentional? If no, rewrite. If yes, keep it.

One important note: don't over-correct. I've seen writers become so passive-phobic after learning this checklist that they rewrite every single passive sentence into active voice regardless of context. The goal is intentionality, not elimination. A good target for most blog or web content is to have around 85–90% active voice sentences. The remaining 10–15% can be passive where it genuinely serves the writing.

Active vs Passive Voice Quick-Reference Table

Sometimes you just need a fast reference when you're mid-draft and can't remember which voice to use. This table consolidates everything we've covered into one place. Bookmark it or copy it into your writing notes.

Category	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Definition	Subject performs the action	Subject receives the action
Structure	Subject + Verb + Object	Object + "to be" + Past Participle + (by + Agent)
Signal Words	Strong action verbs (ran, built, wrote)	was, were, been, is, are + past participle; "by"
Word Count	20–30% fewer words on average	Longer; more auxiliary verbs
Readability	Flesch score typically 60–70 (standard–easy)	Flesch score typically 40–50 (difficult)
Tone	Direct, energetic, personal, clear	Formal, distant, objective, measured
Best For	Blog writing, journalism, fiction, emails, marketing	Scientific writing, legal documents, diplomatic language, unknown doer
Avoid When	You want to shift emphasis to the receiver of an action	Doer is known and relevant; clarity matters most
Example	"The chef cooked the meal."	"The meal was cooked by the chef."
Common Mistake	Over-correcting passive; removing all "was" usage	Hiding doer intentionally to avoid accountability; zombie nouns
SEO Impact	Higher readability scores; better reader engagement	Lower readability scores if overused; can hurt engagement
Recommended Ratio	85–90% of sentences in blog/web content	10–15% of sentences; use intentionally

The bottom line is this: active voice is your default setting. It's clearer, shorter, and more engaging in most writing situations. Passive voice is a tool you reach for when you have a specific reason — you want to emphasize the receiver, the actor is unknown, or the formal register of your writing demands it. Used that way, passive voice strengthens your writing rather than weakening it. The writers who understand both voices and switch between them deliberately are the ones who produce work that reads effortlessly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the basic difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject performs the action: "The editor reviewed the article." In passive voice, the subject receives the action: "The article was reviewed by the editor." The core difference is who or what appears as the grammatical subject and whether the actor is performing or receiving the action described by the verb.

How do I change passive voice to active voice?

Use three steps: first, identify the real doer of the action (often in a "by" phrase or implied by context). Second, move that doer to the subject position at the front of the sentence. Third, replace the passive verb construction (was/were + past participle) with a simple active verb in the correct tense. For example, "The contract was signed by the CEO" becomes "The CEO signed the contract."

Is passive voice always wrong in writing?

No. Passive voice is appropriate and even preferred in several contexts: scientific writing where the process matters more than the researcher, situations where the doer is unknown or irrelevant, diplomatic language where softening accountability is deliberate, and cases where you want to emphasize the receiver of an action. The problem with passive voice is not its existence but its overuse or accidental use.

What are the signal words for passive voice?

The main signals are forms of "to be" — was, were, is, are, been, being, will be, has been, had been — followed by a past participle. The word "by" appearing after a verb phrase is also a strong indicator, since it typically introduces the agent in a passive construction (e.g., "was written by," "had been approved by").

Does passive voice affect SEO and readability scores?

Yes. Active voice sentences typically produce Flesch Reading Ease scores in the 60–70 range, while heavy passive voice tends to push scores into the 40–50 range, which signals harder reading. Tools like Yoast SEO and the Hemingway Editor flag passive voice as a readability issue. Active voice also uses 20–30% fewer words on average, which reduces friction for readers and keeps engagement higher.

What are passive voice examples in different tenses?

Passive voice works across all tenses: present ("The letter is written"), simple past ("The letter was written"), present perfect ("The letter has been written"), past perfect ("The letter had been written"), future ("The letter will be written"), and future perfect ("The letter will have been written"). In every case, the structure is a form of "to be" plus the past participle of the main verb.

What are zombie nouns and how do they relate to passive voice?

Zombie nouns are verbs that have been converted into nouns through suffixes like -tion, -ment, -ance, and -ity. They often appear inside passive constructions: "An investigation of the matter was conducted" instead of "We investigated the matter." They drain energy from writing because they bury the real action inside a noun phrase and require a weak passive verb to carry the sentence. Revert them to active verbs to immediately strengthen your writing.

How much passive voice is acceptable in blog writing?

A practical benchmark for most blog and web content is to keep passive voice under 10–15% of your total sentences. This gives you room for intentional passive use — emphasis, unknown actors, formal tone shifts — without letting it dominate your writing. SEO readability tools like Yoast SEO flag content as having a passive voice issue when passive sentences exceed roughly 10% of the total sentence count.