How to Use Active and Passive Voice

English verbs can either be in active voice or passive voice. When a verb is active, the subject is doing the action. When a verb is passive, the subject is acted on.

The passive voice is formed with the verb be and the past participle of the main verb. The person or thing that is doing the action can be part of a "by" phrase, but that part can be omitted from the sentence, and it often is.

Active: The cat eats the food. (The cat is doing the action of eating.)

Passive: The food is eaten (by the cat). (The food is the thing being acted on.)

Active: The man holds the ball.

Passive: The ball is held (by the man).

Active: The dog moved the bowl.

Passive: The bowl was moved (by the dog).

Because the subject of an active verb becomes the object of a passive verb, the case needs to change when using pronouns. The object of an active verb also becomes the subject of a passive verb. The following example sentences show how the pronouns change case.

Active: He feeds the birds.

Passive: The birds are fed by him.

Active: I pushed the door open.

Passive: The door was pushed open by me.

Active: They will help him.

Passive: He will be helped by them.

Active: The teacher tells us to begin the exam.

Passive: We are told (by the teacher) to begin the exam.

Sometimes the passive voice is used to give more attention to the person or thing receiving the action. That person or thing becomes the subject of a passive verb and causes the listener to pay more attention to it. In the following sentences, the focus is on the thing receiving the action, and all the verbs are passive.

• The door is pushed open (by the wind).
• The glass was pushed off the table (by the cat).
• The children were driven to school (by their grandparents).
• The whole cake was eaten (by Jesse).

Sometimes the passive voice is used when we don't know who or what caused the action. In the following sentences, someone or something did the action, but we don’t know who or what. All the verbs are passive.

• The food was left on the table during the party.
• The doorbell was rung early in the morning.
• The kitchen floor was already mopped.
• We will be picked up at the airport at noon.

A verb can only be in the passive voice if it takes an object. Verbs that do not take objects can only be active. In English classes students are typically told not to use the passive voice. However, the passive voice is more common in academic writing than in spoken language.

I hope this helps.