Active vs Passive Voice: When to Use Each One
CorrectNow Editorial Team · 5 min read
You may have been told to “avoid the passive voice.” That advice is too simple. The passive voice is grammatically correct and sometimes it is the best choice. The real skill is knowing when each voice serves your reader.
This guide shows how to recognise both voices, when to prefer each one and which mistakes to watch for when you use the passive.
What active and passive voice mean
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action: “The manager approved the budget.” The manager is the subject and the doer.
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action: “The budget was approved by the manager.” Now the budget is the subject, and the doer appears after “by,” or is left out entirely: “The budget was approved.”
How to spot the passive voice
A passive verb is built from a form of the verb be (is, are, was, were, has been, will be and so on) followed by a past participle such as written, approved or sent.
One quick test: if you can add “by someone” after the verb and the sentence still makes sense, it is probably passive. “The email was sent by someone” works, so “The email was sent” is passive. Note that not every sentence with “was” is passive; “She was tired” has no action being done to anyone.
When active voice is clearer
Active sentences are usually shorter and more direct, because they say who did what in the natural order. They are a good default for instructions, emails, reports and web content.
- Passive: Mistakes were found in the report by the auditor. Active: The auditor found mistakes in the report.
- Passive: The form must be completed by applicants. Active: Applicants must complete the form.
- Passive: A decision will be made by the committee next week. Active: The committee will decide next week.
When passive voice is the right choice
The passive voice is useful whenever the action or the receiver matters more than the doer.
- The doer is unknown: My bike was stolen last night.
- The doer is obvious or unimportant: The road was resurfaced in the summer.
- You want to keep the focus on the topic: The bridge was designed to carry heavy traffic.
- Describing methods in scientific or technical writing, where many fields expect it: The samples were heated to the stated temperature.
- You want to avoid blame in a sensitive message: The payment was missed, rather than You missed the payment.
Common errors when using the passive
The passive voice itself is not an error, but passive sentences are a common place for grammar mistakes. These are the ones to check.
- Incorrect: The letter was wrote yesterday. – Correct: The letter was written yesterday. (The passive needs the past participle (written), not the simple past (wrote).)
- Incorrect: The results was announced this morning. – Correct: The results were announced this morning. (The form of be must agree with the subject: results is plural.)
- Incorrect: The decision has been make. – Correct: The decision has been made. (Use the past participle after been.)
- Incorrect: The new rules will be introduce next month. – Correct: The new rules will be introduced next month. (Regular verbs need the -ed ending in the passive.)
Avoid switching voice for no reason
Readers can follow either voice, but sudden switches inside one sentence or paragraph make them work harder. “We reviewed the applications, and the shortlist was sent to the manager” starts with the team acting and then hides who sent the shortlist.
Keeping the same doer throughout is usually clearer: “We reviewed the applications and sent the shortlist to the manager.” If you do switch, make sure there is a reason, such as wanting to focus on a new topic.
How to choose in practice
Ask yourself two questions: who or what is this sentence about, and does the reader need to know who did the action? If the doer matters, use the active voice. If the receiver or the action matters more, the passive is fine.
When proofreading, a grammar checker such as CorrectNow can catch errors like a wrong participle or a verb that does not agree with its subject. Whether a correct sentence should be active or passive is a style choice you make yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is passive voice grammatically wrong?
No. The passive voice is correct grammar. It can make sentences longer or less clear when overused, but it is often the right choice.
Should academic writing use passive voice?
It depends on the field and the guidelines you follow. Many scientific papers use the passive for methods, while others allow or prefer the active. Check your course or journal's style guide.
How do I change a passive sentence to active?
Find the doer, make it the subject and put the verb in the active form. The report was written by Maria becomes Maria wrote the report.
Is every sentence with “was” passive?
No. A sentence is passive only when the subject receives the action, as in The car was repaired. She was happy is not passive.